What “야르 (yareu)” really means.
A decades-old exclamation got a second life from a guy who says it before every single bite.
야르 (yareu) is just a burst of excitement — "yes!", "woo!", "nice!" — old slang that had mostly faded until comedian 류근일 (Ryu Geun-il) picked it back up as his catchphrase, shouted right before every bite on his mukbang (eating-show) YouTube channel, 웃고리즘 (utgorijeum).
An old word, revived by a guy eating on camera
The slang itself traces back to at least the mid-2000s, one of those exclamations that drifts in and out of use depending on who's saying it. It stayed mostly forgotten for years — until 류근일 started reaching for it before digging into whatever meal was in front of him, over and over, episode after episode, until the sound of it became inseparable from his channel.
It escaped the food videos
A catchphrase repeated enough times on camera tends to take on a life outside the original clip, and 야르 did exactly that. An upbeat 야르송 (Yareu Song) built around the sound took off as dance-challenge audio on Reels and TikTok — and once it had its own song, it no longer needed the mukbang context at all.
What it sounds like now
HEARING GOOD NEWS
친구: 나 이번 휴가 승인 났어!
chingu: na ibeon hyuga seungin nasseo!
나: 야르! 드디어!
na: yareu! deudieo!
“My vacation got approved!” — “Yes!! Finally!”
WINNING A CLOSE GAME
친구: 우리 팀 방금 역전했어!
chingu: uri tim banggeum yeokjeonhaesseo!
나: 야르!! 이겼다!
na: yareu!! igyeotda!
“Our team just came from behind!” — “Yes!! We won!”
Where it comes from, if someone asks
RIGHT AS THE FOOD ARRIVES
친구: 너 먹기 전에 왜 자꾸 "야르"거려?
chingu: neo meokgi jeone wae jakku "yareu"georyeo?
나: 어떤 개그맨 먹방 보다가 배웠어. 신날 때 외치는 소리야, 봐봐 — 야르!
na: eotteon gaegeumaen meokbang bodaga baewosseo. sinnal ttae oechineun soriya, bwabwa — yareu!
“Why do you keep saying ‘yareu’ before you eat?” — “I picked it up from a comedian's mukbang. It's just something people shout when they're excited.”
That's the whole arc: a decades-old exclamation, a comedian's habit before every bite, and a song that turned it into something people now shout for reasons that have nothing to do with food at all.