Korean slang profile
애완폰
aewanpon
A smartphone likened to a pet because someone keeps it close and plays with it constantly.
A smartphone likened to a pet because someone keeps it close and plays with it constantly.
- Expanded form
- 애완 + phone애완 (keeping as a pet) + phone
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Nov 9, 2010
- Documented trend period
- Not verified
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
게임과 사진을 즐기다 보니 휴대전화가 애완폰이 됐어.
With all the gaming and photos, my phone has become an 애완폰.
02Documented history
- November 9, 2010The National Institute of Korean Language’s “2010년 신어 자료집” included the expression and its definition in the new-word section.[1]
03Origin & word formation
The National Institute of Korean Language’s “2010년 신어 자료집” directly defines the expression in its new-word section. It gives its components as “애완 + phone”. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The entry and definition in one collection were directly checked. The older articles cited in the collection were not separately checked, so their dates were not used as the earliest verified date.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 2010년 신어 자료집 — PDF 46쪽 (국립국어원)Published Nov 9, 2010Original source checked Nov 14, 2026