Hangul syllable Jos

In modern Korean slang, assume profanity or deliberate wordplay.

A bare 좃 is safest to read as a coarse reference to 좆, the Korean word for a penis; the final ㅅ does not make it polite. Use it only when that register is intended.

The spelling also has older, unrelated uses. In 1613, the medical and herbal compendium Donguibogam records 괴좃나모 as an old name for the goji tree. Historical forms written with 좃ㅎ- appear in the history of 좋다 from the 17th through 19th centuries. A 2013 commentary reads 좃디 as an older spelling related to 좇다, “follow.” The surrounding word and period decide the meaning.

Why would someone send 좃?

Usually as profanity, a crude joke, or filter-evading wordplay.

A 2018 study of Korean news comments documents taboo words respelled to dodge filters or avoid the discomfort of typing them; it gives forms such as 잦 and 잣 for 좆. The National Institute of Korean Language’s 2011 youth-language survey also lists 좃 among slang and vulgar entries.

That register is risky with a boss, teacher, customer, or stranger. In an altered name, the vulgar wordplay can turn the whole phrase into a targeted insult.