Korean slang profile
매완얼
maewaneol
The idea that an attractive face makes even ordinary clothes or hairstyles look stylish.
The idea that an attractive face makes even ordinary clothes or hairstyles look stylish.
- Expanded form
- 매무새의 완성은 얼굴매무새의 완성은 얼굴 (the face completes one's styling)
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Dec 10, 2019
- 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
평범한 옷도 잘 어울리는 배우의 모습을 보고 매완얼이라는 반응이 나왔다.
An actor looking good in plain clothes prompted comments of 매완얼.
02Documented history
- December 2019The National Institute of Korean Language’s 2019 new-word survey report includes a separate headword and explanation.[1]
03Origin & word formation
The National Institute of Korean Language’s 2019 new-word survey report explains this expression’s meaning and usage. Who created it and when it was first used could not be established.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The report's headword, definition, and context were compared directly. Dates of older articles it cites were not copied without checking the originals. The evidence date is the publication date in the report's colophon.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 2019년 신어 조사 (국립국어원)Published Dec 10, 2019Original source checked Nov 14, 2026