Korean slang profile
일벌레
ilbeolre
Person excessively devoted to work
A metaphor for someone excessively absorbed only in work.
- Expanded form
- Not documented
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Dec 28, 2001
- 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
일벌레라는 말을 듣던 친구가 오랜만에 휴가를 냈다.
My friend, often called 일벌레, took a vacation for the first time in ages.
02Documented history
- 2001The 국립국어연구원’s 『2001년 신어』 lists the spelling and meaning of “일벌레”.[1]
03Origin & word formation
The 국립국어연구원’s 『2001년 신어』 includes the spelling and meaning of “일벌레”. This collection also includes previously used words absent from dictionaries. The first user and time have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The definitions in the body of the 2001 collection were compared. The collection also includes previously used words absent from dictionaries. The original older articles re-quoted there were not separately opened, and neither the first use date nor the extent of spread at the time was verified.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 2001년 신어 — 신어 목록 283쪽 (국립국어연구원)Published Dec 28, 2001Original source checked Nov 15, 2026