Korean slang profile
멘붕
menbung
Being mentally overwhelmed
A state of shock or confusion in which someone feels overwhelmed and does not know what to do.
- Expanded form
- 멘탈 붕괴Being mentally overwhelmed
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Dec 25, 2011
- Documented trend period
- 2011~
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
시험지 받고 멘붕 왔어.
I got the exam paper and completely panicked.
- Quoted from a source
멘붕은 정신을 뜻하는 ‘멘탈’과 ‘붕괴’를 합성한 말로 게이머들 사이에서 게임이 잘 안될 때 쓰이기 시작했다.[1]
멘붕 is a combination of the words ‘mental’, meaning spirit, and ‘collapse,’ and began to be used among gamers when the game was not going well.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- December 2011Daily Sports selected ‘멘붕’ as the buzzword that swept 2011. It was ranked #1 in DC Inside's buzzword survey, and it was said that gamers started using it when the game was not going well.[1]
03Origin & word formation
Combines 멘탈, referring to the mind, with 붕괴, meaning collapse. A 2011 Ilgan Sports article says gamers began using it when games were going badly. Who first used it has not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The article explicitly explains the compound's structure and gaming background. Who first used it is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 올해 최고의 유행어는?…‘멘탈붕괴’ ‘최선입니까?’ (일간스포츠)Published Dec 25, 2011Original source checked Nov 5, 2026