Adults make their voice sound more childlike by shortening the vocal tract.

A graph showing vowel differences in aegyo speech on top of two photos of members of the K-pop band Tomorrow X Together performing aegyo on stage during a concert. Credit: Ji-eun Kim and Volker Dellwo (graph), Jade Burr (photographs)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2026 — In Korean, the term “aegyo” denotes a playful cuteness put on by adults to win someone’s affection, typically in romantic contexts. This is usually accomplished with bashful expressions or a childlike speech that is sometimes known as “baby talk” in Western cultures.

Aegyo is often associated with K-pop idols, who will sometimes be asked to “perform” aegyo by their fans, even competing to see who can be the cutest. In Korean dramas, romantic scenes between young adults sometimes feature aegyo speech, as one character tries to woo another by appearing more endearing to their love interest.

In JASA Express Letters, published on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing, researchers from….click to read more

From: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Article: Systematic F1 increase in Korean aegyo speech may signal childlike qualities
DOI: 10.1121/10.0044475