Korean slang profile

반차

bancha

A half-day off

Using half a day of annual leave.

This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.

01Examples, with English translations

Example by Julimmal
오후에 반차 쓰고 병원 다녀올게.
I'll take the afternoon off to go to the hospital.
Quoted from a source
대다수 기업이 연차를 절반으로 나눠 쓰는 '반차 휴가제'를 도입하고 있지만, 2시간 단위로 휴가제를 도입한 곳은 드물다.[2]
Most companies are introducing the '반차 vacation system' in which annual leave is divided in half, but there are few companies that have introduced a vacation system in two-hour increments.
English translation by Julimmal.

September 2014Seoul Shinmun: “In addition, we are operating a special vacation for long-term employees, a birthday 반차 system (working only in the morning on the day of the birthday), and a vacation system for children’s entrance and graduation days.”[1]
August 2017Most companies are introducing the '반차 vacation system' in which annual leave is divided in half, but there are few companies that have introduced a vacation system in two-hour increments.[2]

Where the expression originated has not been verified. The 2017 source from Yonhap News only explains the meaning.

Evidence for the origin explanationLow

The meaning is supported, but the sources do not explain how the expression was formed.

Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.