Korean slang profile
지름신
jireumsin
The imaginary spirit of impulse buying
An imaginary deity said to make people buy things impulsively, as in the expression “the spirit of impulse buying has descended.”
- Expanded form
- 지르다 + 신(神)The imaginary spirit of impulse buying
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Jun 23, 2011
- 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
세일 때문에 지름신이 왔어.
That sale has put me in the mood for impulse buying.
- Quoted from a source
‘지름신’의 유혹에 넘어가 물건을 마구 사들인 후[1]
After falling for the temptation of ‘지름신’ and buying things indiscriminately,
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- June 2011The column of the electronic newspaper ‘Internet Idiom’ explained ‘득템’ and wrote that people should not fall prey to the temptation of ‘지름신’ and buy things indiscriminately, then rationalize it as 득템.[1]
03Origin & word formation
The supporting article only documents a phrase about giving in to 지름신 and buying things, without explaining the meaning or origin. The origin has not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationLow
The previous source could not be verified and was replaced. Only usage examples are available, with no origin explanation; further checking is needed.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- [인터넷 이디엄] 득템 (전자신문)Published Jun 23, 2011Original source checked Nov 5, 2026