Korean slang profile
프사
peusa
A profile picture
The profile photo displayed beside someone's name in a smartphone messaging app.
- Expanded form
- 프로필 사진A profile picture
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Feb 4, 2014
- 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
프사 바꿨네, 어디서 찍은 거야?
You changed your profile picture. Where did you take it?
- Quoted from a source
‘프사’는 스마트폰 메신저에 이름과 함께 뜨는 ‘프로필 사진’의 줄임말이고, ‘갠소’는 공개하지 않고 ‘개인 소장’하자는 의미다.[2]
‘프사’ is an abbreviation for the ‘profile photo’ that appears along with your name on smartphone messengers, and ‘Ganso’ means ‘private collection’ rather than making it public.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- February 2014Donga.com: “In the published ‘Gorapadeok problem’, it is written, “If you cannot answer correctly, you must change your profile picture (프사) of the smartphone application KakaoTalk to Gorapadeok, a Pokémon character, for 3 days.”[1]
- February 2015‘프사’ is an abbreviation for the ‘profile photo’ that appears along with your name on smartphone messengers, and ‘Ganso’ means ‘private collection’ rather than making it public.[2]
03Origin & word formation
Short for “프로필 사진.” The 2015 source from Kyunghyang Shinmun explicitly gives this explanation. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The explanation is explicit in the sources, and at least two sources use the same meaning. When it was first used is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 고라파덕 문제, 오답이면 카톡 ‘프로필 사진’ 바꿔야 한다? (동아닷컴)Published Feb 4, 2014Original source checked Nov 5, 2026
- 손주·조카와 대화하려면 알아두세요 (경향신문)Published Feb 18, 2015Original source checked Nov 5, 2026