Korean slang profile
라떼는
latteneun
Back in my day
A playful variation on 나 때는 말이야, used to poke fun at someone who keeps bringing up their past experiences.
Caution: It can be used to mock older people.
- Expanded form
- "나 때는 말이야" + 라떼Back in my day
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Dec 19, 2019
- Documented trend period
- 2019~
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
라떼는 말이야, 하는 순간 꼰대지.
The moment you start with “back in my day,” you sound condescending.
- Quoted from a source
2019 키워드: 라떼는 말이야 (나 때)[1]
2019 keyword: 라떼는 말이야, a play on “back in my day.”
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- December 2019YTN selects 라떼는 말이야, a play on ‘back in my day,’ as a keyword of 2019. It reports the popularity of a related song and images relatable to office workers, and says Samsung Life Insurance's video exceeded 7.5 million YouTube views.[1]
03Origin & word formation
Changes 나 때는 말이야 into 라떼는 말이야, playing on similar sounds. YTN gives both forms together in a headline. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The change from 나 때 to 라떼 is supported, but how the wordplay first arose is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- [영상] 2019 키워드:라떼(나 때)는 말이야~ (YTN)Published Dec 19, 2019Original source checked Nov 5, 2026