Korean slang profile
인싸
inssa
A socially active member of the group
Someone who actively mixes with a group, abbreviated from 인사이더, meaning “insider.”
- Expanded form
- 인사이더(insider)A socially active member of the group
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Dec 20, 2018
- Documented trend period
- Late 2018~
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
그 친구는 학교 인싸야.
My friend is really popular and sociable at school.
- Quoted from a source
인싸와 아싸는 영어 단어를 한국식으로 축약한 말이다.[1]
인싸 and 아싸 are Korean abbreviations of English words.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- December 2018According to a survey by the University Student Association, it was ranked as the third most used new word in college this year, and its meaning was explained as ‘a person who gets along well with a group.’[2]
- May 2019The policy briefing column introduced that ‘아싸’ was created first, and then ‘인싸’ was created, followed by ‘Bansa’, ‘Geussa’, and ‘Massa’. In this process, derivative words such as ‘핵인싸’, ‘인싸 power’, and ‘인싸 item’ were created, and ‘인싸’ was included in the Naver Open Korean Dictionary.[1]
03Origin & word formation
Short for 인사이더, from “insider.” A Korea Policy Briefing column calls it a Konglish coinage, noting that the Korean sense of a sociable person who fits into a group is not a meaning of the English word. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
Both the column and article explicitly derive it from “insider.” Where it was first used and when it spread are unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 인싸, 아싸, 반싸, 마싸 (대한민국 정책브리핑)Published May 16, 2019Original source checked Nov 5, 2026
- ‘갑분싸’ ‘TMI’ ‘인싸’?…올해 많이 쓴 대학가 신조어들 (서울신문·연합뉴스)Published Dec 20, 2018Original source checked Nov 5, 2026