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Rwa (pronounced like "Rwah")

The 'Rwa' meme began to gain popularity in January 2014, following the release and promotion of singer Rain's song 'LA SONG'. At the time, Rain and Tae Jin-ah's joint performance and the addictive chorus 'La-la-la-la-la' became a big topic. An anecdote about a student deeply engrossed in this song spread through online communities, leading to 'Rwa' becoming an exclamation replacing 'Eng' (a sound of confusion) or 'Uh'. However, its usage has decreased recently, and using it now might be considered somewhat outdated.

'Rwa' is a neologism used as an exclamation when one feels they've misheard something or when experiencing a somewhat shocking moment. Its origin stems from an anecdote where a student, engrossed in Rain's 'LA SONG' during a tutoring session at a cafe, accidentally blurted out 'Ra?' instead of the appropriate 'Ne?' (meaning 'Pardon?' or 'Yes?'). The exact reason why 'Ra?' transformed into 'Rwa' is unknown, but it is presumed to have spread due to someone misremembering it.

This meme primarily started gaining popularity within female-dominated online communities.

'Rwa' is often used in image comments (jjalbangs) or simply written as 'Rwa' when one is speechless. For example, when hearing unexpected news, it can be used like "Rwa... what is this news?" or as a short reaction to an absurd situation, "Rwa?".