Ever caught yourself saying “Sapa don hold me,” then heard someone else go “I’m broke,” and another calmly sigh “paengryeok”? Same suffering, different fonts and vibes.

If Gen Z had a global dictionary, it’d probably sound like a chaotic mix of different languages around the world.

We might not all speak the same language, but vibes and slangs travel faster than anything, especially now that we, the Gen Zs around the world, have basically built a shared language through Slangs.

So let’s line up some of these iconic slangs from Korea, Nigeria, and the U.S., and see who’s really holding the crown in Gen Z dictionary supremacy.

When You’re Broke Broke (Dirt Poor)  

• Korea: binteolteoli (빈털터리, being penniless or broke)

• America: “I’m broke” / “I’m down bad”

• Nigeria: Sapa

For Koreans, they say paengryeok like they’re announcing their doom with calm resignation. It’s not really a slang, but it’s giving the vibes of one.

Sapa isn’t just “I don’t have money.” It’s “I don’t have money and my spirit, soul, and body know it.” When a Nigerian says “Sapa don hold me,” they’re not joking. It’s a spiritual and financial crisis in one sentence.

Then there’s the Americans who will say “I’m broke" - different languages, same bank account tears.

When You Want To Subtweet Without Explaining  

• Korea: 알잖아 (aljanha – “you know already”)

• America: iykyk

• Nigeria: “If you know, you know na”

Every culture has a way of saying, “I’m not explaining this, but you better understand.” Nigerians say it with spice, Americans just abbreviate, and Koreans say aljanha with quiet precision like, “You know what’s up.” No explanation needed. Just vibes and you better understand, else we already know you are some millennial who lost their way.

When Life Is Messing With You  

• Korea: 헐 (heol)

• America: “I can’t” / “This ain’t it”

• Nigeria: “Omo” / “Wahala”

This is the international cry of frustration. Omo (In Korean too most times) is like the Nigerian password for emotional breakdown. Americans say “I can’t” like the world owes them a refund. Koreans say heol like they just witnessed a plot twist in a K-Drama. Three languages, same tired energy.

When Something Is Fire  

• Korea: 대박 (daebak)

• America: “Slay” / “That’s fire”

• Nigeria: “Mad oh!” / “Lit!”

Koreans say daebak like they just discovered gold. When something bangs, everyone has their way of screaming about it. We Nigerians don’t just hype you up, we scream. “Mad oh!” has entered everywhere. Name it! Airports, weddings, birthdays, concerts? Everywhere! Americans made “slay” into a lifestyle.

When the Group Chat Is Giving Chaos  

• Korea: 헐 대박 (heol daebak) – “omg wow”

• America: “This tea is hot”

• Nigeria: “Na wa o” / “E don burst”

Fear language is global, and so is gossip. Nigerians sprinkle “Na wa o” like let M&Ms on a chocolate ice cream. Americans serve “tea” like its premium gossip hour IYKYK. Koreans? They mash heol and daebak together and boom, global gasp. If your group chat isn’t multilingual at this point, wyd?

When You’re Being Extra  

• Korea: 오버하다 (obeohada – to overdo)

• America: “Extra,” / “Doing the most,”

• Nigeria: “You too do,”

Ever heard of shade going international? This is where. Nigerians throw it like a slap. Americans act playful. Koreans say obeohada and suddenly everyone’s calm but deeply judged. Overdoing things is universal, but how we call it out? Again, different fonts, different culture, same meaning and vibe..

At the end of the day, slang isn’t just words. It’s a culture. All these slangs together look like it’s a group project that actually worked out.

So if slang is our global love language, who’s really running this Gen Z dictionary