Hangul syllable tal

It means “mask,” “disguise,” or trouble, depending on the phrase.

In 탈춤, 탈 means a mask used in a dance-drama; 하회탈 are masks from Hahoe, a Korean village known for this tradition. 탈을 쓰다 can mean putting on a mask or adopting a false persona. 탈이 나다, 배탈, and 뒤탈 use a different sense: a mishap, illness, or later consequences.

Korean history records masks in ritual, funerals, memorial rites, animal representation, dance, and theater. Finds include prehistoric shell and clay masks, a lacquered wooden mask probably from the sixth century, and a written record of mask performance from the late ninth century. By the late Joseon period, 탈 could also refer to misfortune and illness in folk belief; that explanation later weakened as modern medicine and rationalist thinking spread.

Why do Korean mask traditions use 탈?

The mask gave ritual roles and social criticism a shared stage.

Older Korean masks served religious, funeral, memorial, and protective roles. A figure called bangsangsi (방상시), worn in funeral rites, is one thread in the history from ritual masks to performance masks; regional traditions later developed around Hahoe and elsewhere.

In talchum (탈춤), recognizable masked characters let performers caricature status conflict, mock hierarchy, and give audiences a comic way to air resentment. The National Folk Museum describes performances that end in communal reconciliation. Here 탈 names a public role and shared performance, not just concealment.

What does 탈 mean when someone sends it?

Read the Korean phrase around it before choosing an English meaning.

A lone 탈 does not choose between mask or disguise and trouble or illness. A cultural caption may refer to mask traditions; everyday words such as 배탈 point to illness and 뒤탈 to later consequences. Ask for the surrounding phrase or sentence if only 탈 was sent.

The reliable translation is the whole compound or idiom.