두근두근

The Sound of a Heart in Korean

In English, a racing heart goes “thump-thump” or “ba-dum.” In Korean, it goes 두근두근 (dugeun-dugeun).

Korean is one of the world’s richest languages for onomatopoeia and mimetic words. Where English might have a handful of words for heartbeats, Korean has an entire spectrum: 두근두근 for excitement and nervous anticipation, 쿵쾅쿵쾅 for a heart pounding with fear, 콩닥콩닥 for a quieter flutter.

More Than Just a Sound

두근두근 captures a very specific feeling — the kind of heartbeat you feel before a first date, when you’re about to open exam results, or when your favorite song starts playing at a concert. It’s anticipation mixed with excitement, nervousness blended with hope.

You’ll hear it everywhere in Korean culture: in K-dramas when the leads almost-but-not-quite confess their feelings, in webtoons with little 두근 sound effects floating around a blushing character, in songs about falling in love.

Why We Made This Design

We wanted to capture that universal feeling of excitement and put it on something you can wear. Because everyone knows what it feels like when your heart goes 두근두근 — they just might not have had the perfect word for it until now.