Korean slang profile
클린족
keulrinjok
People who like keeping things clean
People who like to keep their bodies or surroundings clean at all times.
- Expanded form
- clean + 족clean + group of people
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- 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
책상 주변을 깔끔하게 정리하는 클린족 친구에게 정리법을 배웠다.
I learned organizing tips from a 클린족 friend who keeps their desk area tidy.
02Documented history
- 2010The National Institute of Korean Language’s 2009 new-word collection lists the headword “클린족” and its definition.[1]
03Origin & word formation
This expression was checked in the National Institute of Korean Language’s 2009 new-word collection. The collection defines it as a group of people who like to keep their bodies or surroundings clean at all times. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The headword and definition in the 2010 collection were checked. The original re-quoted articles were not directly opened, so their dates were not used as firstSeen. The original coinage and path of spread remain unverified.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 2009년 신어 자료집 (국립국어원·전주대학교 한국어문화원)Published 2010Original source checked Nov 14, 2026