Korean slang profile
케미
chemi
Chemistry between people
How well people connect or work together, especially the chemistry between a man and a woman.
- Expanded form
- 케미스트리Chemistry between people
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Dec 6, 2013
- 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
두 배우 케미가 정말 좋더라.
The two actors had great chemistry.
- Quoted from a source
‘케미’는 화학반응을 뜻하는 ‘케미스트리’의 줄임말로[2]
케미 is short for 케미스트리, from “chemistry,” referring to a chemical reaction.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- December 2013SBS: “First of all, Kim Won showed off his heartwarming ‘brother 케미’ by giving stinging advice to Kim Tan, who was falling apart.”[1]
- February 2015OhmyNews: “‘케미’ is an abbreviation for ‘케미tree,’ which means chemical reaction, and is used to talk about harmony between men and women. It is now used on a daily basis without even being called a new word.”[2]
03Origin & word formation
Short for “케미스트리.” The 2015 source from OhmyNews explicitly gives this explanation. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The explanation is explicit in the sources, and at least two sources use the same meaning. When it was first used is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- '상속자들' 최진혁, 누구랑 붙여도 잘 어울려…'케미의 신' 등극 (SBS)Published Dec 6, 2013Original source checked Nov 5, 2026
- 송만세-추사랑의 심쿵 케미, 엄마는 알까? (오마이뉴스)Published Feb 6, 2015Original source checked Nov 5, 2026