번역되지 않는 말 · Hard to translate
고생 gosaeng
literally “hardship, a hard time (苦生)”
honouring how hard it was, before praising how it went
고생 means hardship, and 고생했어요 ("you went through hardship") is what Koreans say after a long trip, an exam or a day of moving boxes. It recognises how hard something was before it says anything about the result, so it works even when things went badly. "Good job" praises the result and skips the hardship.
The closest English
“good job”
Praises the outcome. 고생했어요 honours the effort even if it failed.
“you must be tired”
Close in spirit, but a guess rather than a thank-you.
“thanks for your hard work”
The closest, though a bit stiff between friends.
In a sentence
발표를 준비하느라 고생했어요.
You worked hard preparing the presentation.
Hoya says it
Hoya
보리야, 오늘 고생했어! 호떡 먹자.
Bori, you had a tough day! Let's have hotteok.