Where does “잘나가다” come from?

잘나가다 (Korean) comes from Korean 잘, from Korean 자루 — bag, sack; handle, hilt.

잘나가다 (Korean): to be socially successful; to gain popularity or success by doing something well

Definitions

  1. to be socially successful; to gain popularity or success by doing something well

Ancestry of “잘나가다”, step by step

잘나가다 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Koreanwell; often; at a good time, with fortunate...
2Korean자루bag, sack; handle, hilt

via Korean 나가다

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean나가다to go out, to leave
Every word from Korean 자루Every word from Korean