Extremely annoyed but in a playful way — frustrated by something that's simultaneously irritating and somehow endearing.
킹받다 is what young Koreans reach for when something annoys them in a way that's somehow still endearing — like when a friend does something ridiculous or a game glitches at the worst moment. It captures genuine irritation without actual anger, creating emotional space where frustration meets affection. The phrase sits in that paradoxical register where you're legitimately annoyed but can't help finding the situation a bit absurd or cute.
The term emerged around 2019 from Korean streamers 침착맨 and 이말년, who combined the English word "king" with the Korean verb 받다 (to receive/get), creating an intensified version of 열받다 (to get angry). By 2022, it had spread across Korean Gen Z — middle schoolers through college students — becoming mainstream enough that major media outlets featured it while older Koreans needed explanations.
What makes 킹받다 culturally revealing is its linguistic strategy: using English "king" as an intensifier makes the phrase feel softer and more playful than traditional Korean equivalents. Korean internet culture has developed a sophisticated system for modulating emotional intensity through borrowed words, and Gen Z's preference for this construction reflects a desire to express strong feelings while maintaining a non-aggressive, almost cute register. The phrase works as generational identity marker — a way of speaking that immediately signals digital native status.