Korean slang profile
화백
hwabaek
Humorous label for life without a job
A shortened form of 화려한 백수, humorously describing life without a job.
- Expanded form
- 화려한 백수glamorous unemployed person
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Aug 2, 2006
- 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
쉬는 동안 여행 계획을 세우며 화백 생활이라고 농담했다.
While planning trips during my time off, I joked that I was living the 화백 life.
02Documented history
- 2006-08-02This source introduced “화백” and explained its meaning.[1]
03Origin & word formation
It shortens 화려한 백수. A Kukmin Ilbo article republished on Daum gives the expression together with its expanded form. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The spelling and explanation in the article’s body were directly compared. This is the account of one source; the original coinage and first use have not been verified.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- ‘정우성’ ‘우행시’ ‘여병추’…줄임말의 미학? 유희? (국민일보 / 다음 전재)Published Aug 2, 2006Original source checked Nov 14, 2026