# 도꾸다이



## shiningstar

Hi,

Can any one tell me what is the meaning of 도꾸다이? English translation doesn't give the meaning. I saw this word in a movie called "Moby Dick". 

The English line where this word is used;
"You look happy, you got a dokku die(도꾸다이)?

Thanks in advance.


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## terredepomme

도꾸다이 or 독고다이 comes from Japanese "Tokko-tai(特攻隊)," 특공대 in Korean. Special Attack Force, so basically those who commited Kami-kaze attacks. It became a familiar expression meaning a solitary and determined person that faces many enemies alone, perhaps because people associated the first letter 독 with the word 독(獨: solitary). Most people are not aware of the etymology; if they did, they would probably not use it.
A similar (and preferable) expression would be 독불장군(獨不將軍: literally, "one person alone cannot become a general by himself"), meaning "someone who does everything by oneself and always want to have one's way, not listening to others," although this expression have a more negative connotation.


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## shiningstar

Thanks terredepomme,

By any chance, could it be mean 'a scoop' in press jargone (by press I meant the media)?


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## terredepomme

Oh, I see. Then it's from Tokudane(特種: 특종), which means a scoop in Japanese. A press jargon, like you said. The pronunciation proabably elipsed into the similar-sound word 도꾸다이.
The formal and more commonly-spread word would be 특종(teukjong), which is the Korean pronunciation of the same word 特種. It literally means a "special(特특) kind(種종)."
There are a lot of familiar words which directly borrow the Japanese pronunciations. Such as 곤조(from Japanese Gonjo根性, Korean 근성), meaning "guts, courage, toughness."
Generally these Japanese-pronunciation words are shunned except in the most familiar register. And nowadays they are generally fading away, although rarely some new words of the kind still enter. For example 간지(from Japanese Kanji感じ, feeling) which means "chic, cool."


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## shiningstar

Thanks 

I see a lot of words borrowed from Japanese and/or Chinese in Korean which is normal considering the region and the history. Thanks a lot


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## Superhero1

We use 독고다이 but it's a slang which was influenced by Japanese long time ago. It means that a maverick whose behaviour is dogmatic.

독불장군 is a synonym of '독고다이'.


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