Korean slang profile
ASAP
ASAP
As soon as possible
The English abbreviation for “as soon as possible.”
- Expanded form
- as soon as possibleAs soon as possible
- Other spellings
- 아삽
- Earliest source found
- Jan 23, 2019
- 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
이 자료 ASAP로 보내줘.
Send me these materials ASAP.
02Documented history
- January 2019Wikitree reported that the TV program ‘Freehan 19’ introduced the ‘salary system’ used by office workers and explained the meaning of ‘아삽(ASAP)’ as ‘as quickly as possible’.[1]
03Origin & word formation
The initials of “as soon as possible.” This is an English abbreviation borrowed into Korean, sometimes pronounced 아삽, rather than an abbreviation coined in Korean. When it entered Korean workplace usage has not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The English abbreviation is clear. When it first entered Korean usage is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- ‘네’ 하나에도 여러 의미가 있다는 직장인 말투 ‘급여체’ 특징 (위키트리)Published Jan 23, 2019Original source checked Nov 5, 2026