Korean slang profile
인증샷
injeungsyat
A photo as proof
A photo taken and posted online to show that a claim or action is real.
- Expanded form
- 인증 + 샷(shot)A photo as proof
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Jul 7, 2010
- 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
여행 가서 인증샷 남겼어.
I took a photo on the trip to show I was there.
- Quoted from a source
인증샷이란 본인이 쓴 글이나 행위를 증명하는 ‘인증’과 사진을 뜻하는 ‘샷(shot)’을 합해 만든 신조어다[2]
인증샷 is a new word created by combining ‘certification’, which proves one’s writing or actions, and ‘shot’, which means a photo.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- July 2010Weekly Kyunghyang: “However, foreign netizens, especially European netizens, posted a lot of ‘인증샷’ from their visit here on the Internet.”[1]
- July 2010Farmer's Newspaper: “인증샷 is a new word created by combining ‘certification,’ which proves one’s writing or actions, and ‘shot,’ which means a photo.”[2]
03Origin & word formation
Formed from “인증 + 샷(shot).” The 2010 source from Nongmin Shinmun explicitly gives this explanation. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The explanation is explicit in the sources, and at least two sources use the same meaning. When it was first used is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- [언더그라운드 넷]왕의 오솔길 (주간경향)Published Jul 7, 2010Original source checked Nov 5, 2026
- 세대공감 알쏭달쏭 용어풀이 / ‘인증샷’ (농민신문)Published Jul 12, 2010Original source checked Nov 5, 2026