Korean slang profile
프렌드플레이션
friendflation
The rising cost of keeping up with friends
The increasing expense of meeting friends and maintaining friendships as prices rise.
- Expanded form
- friend(친구) + inflation(물가 상승)The rising cost of keeping up with friends
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Jul 24, 2026
- 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
친구랑 밥 먹고 차만 마셔도 부담이 커지니 프렌드플레이션이 실감 나.
Even a meal and a coffee with friends cost so much now that I really feel the friendflation.
- Quoted from a source
친구를 뜻하는 ‘프렌드(friend)’와 물가 상승을 의미하는 ‘인플레이션(inflation)’을 합친[1]
A combination of ‘friend’, meaning friend, and ‘inflation’, meaning rising prices.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- 2026-07-24Woman Sense introduced a survey on the cost of meeting friends and changes in meeting methods and explained the meaning of 프렌드플레이션.[1]
03Origin & word formation
Combines “friend” with “inflation.” Woman Sense's 2026 article explicitly gives this formation while discussing fewer meetups because of the cost of meals, cafes, and drinking gatherings. The first coinage date has not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The source supports the meaning and usage context. As it is a single source, the earliest use and route of spread still need checking.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 우정도 가성비 시대… Z세대 덮친 ‘프렌드플레이션’ (우먼센스·다음뉴스)Published Jul 24, 2026Original source checked Nov 6, 2026