Korean slang profile
꼰대
kkondae
A condescending authority figure
A disparaging term for someone who acts authoritatively and imposes their own experiences or values on others.
Caution: It can be used to put someone down simply because of their age.
- Expanded form
- Not documented
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- 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
그건 꼰대 같은 말이야.
That's a pretty condescending thing to say.
02Documented history
- Around 2011‘꼰대’ appears in the list of slang in the National Institute of the Korean Language’s national survey report on youth language status and language awareness.[1]
03Origin & word formation
The origin has not been verified. The supporting report is a list of expressions used by teenagers and does not explain their origins.
Evidence for the origin explanationLow
A reliable source explaining the origin has not yet been found. Further checking is needed.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 청소년 언어실태·언어의식 전국 조사 (국립국어원·한양대학교 산학협력단)Published 2011Original source checked Nov 5, 2026