Korean slang profile
BMW족
bmwjok
Bus, bicycle, subway, and walking users
People who travel by bus or bicycle, subway, and walking instead of using a private car.
- Expanded form
- Bus·Bicycle·Metro·Walk + 족Bus·Bicycle·Metro·Walk + 족 (group)
- Other spellings
- 비엠더블유족
- Earliest source found
- 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
출퇴근을 대중교통과 도보로 해결하며 BMW족 생활을 하고 있다.
I live as BMW족, commuting by public transport and on foot.
02Documented history
- 2010The National Institute of Korean Language’s 2009 new-word collection lists the headword “BMW족” and its definition.[1]
03Origin & word formation
This expression was checked in the National Institute of Korean Language’s 2009 new-word collection. The collection explains the initials of the English words for bus, bicycle, subway, and walking. The expression plays on matching a car brand’s letters. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The headword and definition in the 2010 collection were checked. The original re-quoted articles were not directly opened, so their dates were not used as firstSeen. The original coinage and path of spread remain unverified.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 2009년 신어 자료집 (국립국어원·전주대학교 한국어문화원)Published 2010Original source checked Nov 14, 2026