Ahjumma (아줌마) — also romanized as ajumma — is defined on Dramabeams as “A middle-aged woman. Can be used for a close friend of the family, or a stranger. Can be made more formal as ‘ajumoni’.”

Other sources, such as the Our Man in Korea blog, define the term further: “the Korean term for a middle-aged woman, it literally refers to any married woman, but is generally used for women over 40. To both Koreans and foreigners over here, the word ajumma is embedded with stereotypical images of plump, aggressive old women with permed purple hair and baggy clothes who elbow you roughly to get a seat on the train or to push in front of you at the shops. They are at once completely irritating, yet also very endearing. They can be incredibly friendly, genuinely helpful and cook brilliantly – even if the service is gruff and hurried. Of course, as a stereotype, many older Korean women are nothing like this limited but useful definition.”