Korean slang profile

단톡 지옥

dantok jiok

A hell metaphor for a distressing group chat with endless work orders or unwanted relationships.

Expanded form: 단체 대화 + 지옥단체 대화 + 지옥 (group chat + hell)
Other spellings: —
Earliest source found: Nov 30, 2018
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
퇴근 후에도 업무 연락이 계속 와 단톡 지옥이라는 말에 공감했다.
Work messages kept coming after hours, making me relate to 단톡 지옥.

02Documented history

November 2018The National Institute of Korean Language’s 2018 new-word survey report includes a separate headword and explanation.[1]

03Origin & word formation

The National Institute of Korean Language’s 2018 new-word survey report explains this expression’s meaning and usage. Who created it and when it was first used could not be established.

Evidence for the origin explanationMedium

The report's headword, definition, and context were compared directly. Dates of older articles it cites were not copied without checking the originals. The evidence date is the publication date in the report's colophon.

04Sources

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

2018년 신어 조사 (국립국어원)Published Nov 30, 2018Original source checked Nov 14, 2026