잘
jal
Not 'excellently' — 'without snagging'
The picture Gears turning without catching anywhere. A person, a machine, a sound — if it runs without snagging, that's 잘.
Where the picture shows up in 잘
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time that rolled by without trouble
그동안 잘 지내셨어요?
geu-dong-an jal ji-nae-syeo-sseo-yo
How have you been?
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not coming through smoothly
소리가 잘 안 들려요.
so-ri-ga jal an deul-lyeo-yo
I can't hear you well.
Not about bad ears — the sound isn't arriving smoothly.
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a skill that runs smooth
한국말을 참 잘하시네요.
han-gung-ma-reul cham jal-ha-si-ne-yo
Your Korean is really good.
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a frozen set phrase
잘 먹겠습니다.
jal meok-get-seum-ni-da
Thank you for the meal.
Said before eating; nobody is literally promising to eat 'excellently'.
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before a negative: 'not exactly'
저도 잘 모르겠어요.
jeo-do jal mo-reu-ge-sseo-yo
I don't really know either.
잘 몰라요 is closer to 'I'm not sure' than to 'I have no idea'.