Korean slang profile

NPC

An abbreviation for a game character that the player does not control directly.

Expanded form: 논플레이어 캐릭터논플레이어 캐릭터 (non-player character)
Other spellings: —
Earliest source found: Mar 12, 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
마을 입구의 NPC에게 말을 걸어 봐.
Try talking to the NPC at the village entrance.

02Documented history

March 2019비즈워치 explained NPC as a game character not directly controlled by users while reporting game companies’ AI businesses.[1]
November 2021스포츠동아 expanded a game’s main NPC as ‘논플레이어 캐릭터’ (non-player character).[2]

03Origin & word formation

비즈워치 explains NPC as a game character that the user does not directly control. 스포츠동아 also gives the Korean spelling ‘논플레이어 캐릭터’. This entry covers only game characters; who first used the abbreviation and when could not be established.

Evidence for the origin explanationMedium

The explicit 2019 explanation was compared with the Korean expanded form given in 2021. Figurative use for other people was not verified in these sources.

04Sources

Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.

넷마블, 게임 넘어 AI기업으로 변신한다 (비즈워치)Published Mar 12, 2019Original source checked Nov 13, 2026
넥슨 '블루 아카이브' 오늘 글로벌 출시 [김명근 기자의 게임월드] (스포츠동아)Published Nov 9, 2021Original source checked Nov 13, 2026