Dictionary — Entry No. 0722
가지마 제발
gajima-jebal · expression
가지마 제발
gajima-jebal
[KAH-jee-mah-JEH-bahl]
expressionbeginner
Meaning
A heartfelt plea meaning ‘Please don’t go,’ formed from 가지마 (the informal negative imperative ‘don’t go,’ from 가다 to go) and 제발 (please, in a distinctly begging or desperate sense). The combination signals an emotional appeal, not a polite request.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
가지마 제발 is one of the most emotionally loaded phrases in Korean pop culture, central to airport farewell scenes and K-Drama breakup moments. When K-Pop groups announce military hiatuses or extended breaks, fans fill comment sections with this phrase. ARMY used it widely during the wave of BTS members’ individual military enlistment announcements between 2022 and 2024.
Example Sentences
가지마 제발, 아직 할 말이 있어.
Gajima jebal, ajik hal mari isseo.
Please don’t go, I still have things to say to you. (informal, emotionally raw goodbye between people who are close)
가지마 제발, 너 없이는 못 살아.
Gajima jebal, neo eopsineun mot sara.
Please don’t go, I can’t live without you. (dramatic, K-Drama-style declaration that lands hard in a final episode)
가지마 제발. 조금만 더 있어줘.
Gajima jebal. Jogeumman deo isseojwo.
Please don’t go. Stay just a little longer. (softer, quieter version — more desperate for its restraint)
⚠️ Don’t use gajima-jebal when…
가지마 is informal — the polite form is 가지 마세요 (gaji maseyo). Using 가지마 with elders or strangers sounds disrespectful or uncomfortably intimate. Also, 제발 specifically implies begging; using it in a casual context like asking a friend to stay for coffee can feel unintentionally dramatic.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: My Love from the Star — Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun) tearfully pleads with Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun) not to disappear again in the rooftop farewell scene, one of the most iconic moments in Korean drama history.
- K-Pop: EXO — Don’t Go (들어와)
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.