Korean slang profile

흙수저

heuksujeo

Growing up without financial advantages

A metaphor for someone facing persistent financial hardship because poverty is passed down through the family.

This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.

01Examples, with English translations

Example by Julimmal
흙수저로 시작해서 여기까지 왔어.
I started without financial advantages and made it this far.
Quoted from a source
여기서 '흙수저'는 유복한 부모 밑에서 나고 자랐다는 뜻의 '은수저를 물고 태어났다'는 표현에서 따온 것으로, 가난의 대물림에서 벗어날 수 없는 사람 정도로 해석할 수 있다.[1]
Here, '흙수저' is taken from the expression 'born with a silver spoon in one's mouth', which means being born and raised by wealthy parents, and can be interpreted as a person who cannot escape the inheritance of poverty.
English translation by Julimmal.

September 2015Here, '흙수저' is taken from the expression 'born with a silver spoon in one's mouth', which means being born and raised by wealthy parents, and can be interpreted as a person who cannot escape the inheritance of poverty.[1]
October 2015Kukje Newspaper: “금수저 is a metaphor for living in a wealthy family enjoying wealth for generations, while 흙수저 is a metaphor for a society where no matter how hard you try, you cannot escape poverty (Page 30, dated October 6 - 흙수저).”[2]

Where the expression originated has not been verified. The 2015 source from Yonhap News only explains the meaning.

Evidence for the origin explanationLow

The meaning is supported, but the sources do not explain how the expression was formed.

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