Korean slang profile
볼꾸
bolkku
Personalizing a pen
Decorating a ballpoint pen by choosing and attaching decorative parts.
- Expanded form
- 볼펜 꾸미기Personalizing a pen
- Other spellings
- 펜꾸
- Earliest source found
- Feb 5, 2026
- Documented trend period
- February 2026, spread mainly through SNS
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
친구랑 구슬을 고르며 볼꾸를 했어.
My friend and I picked out beads and decorated pens.
- Quoted from a source
'볼꾸'(볼펜 꾸미기)[1]
'볼꾸' (ballpoint pen decoration)
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- 2026-02-05볼꾸·캡꾸 As I like... The meaning of this expression was explained in Dongdaemun, which has emerged as a mecca for exploration and consumption.[1]
03Origin & word formation
The article expands it as 볼펜 꾸미기, decorating ballpoint pens, while reporting on a trend at Dongdaemun's accessory-parts shops. Who first shortened the phrase has not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The explanation is explicit but rests on a single source. Who first used the term has not been verified.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 볼꾸·캡꾸 내 맘대로…탐험 소비 메카로 떠오른 동대문 (뉴스1·파이낸셜뉴스)Published Feb 5, 2026Original source checked Nov 6, 2026