English translation · Awaiting review

Korean slang profile

롤모델

rolmodel

A person one wants to emulate, or an example for one’s behavior.

A person one wants to emulate, or an example for one’s behavior.

Expanded form
Not documented
Other spellings
—
Earliest source found
Dec 19, 2011
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

    꾸준히 배우는 선배를 롤모델로 삼았어.

    I chose a senior colleague who keeps learning as my role model.

02Documented history

  1. December 19, 2011The appendix to the National Institute of Korean Language’s “요긴하게 쓸 만한 다듬은 말 61개” included the expression and its definition.[1]

03Origin & word formation

The appendix to the National Institute of Korean Language’s “요긴하게 쓸 만한 다듬은 말 61개” lists this expression as a term selected for replacement with clearer Korean and directly explains its meaning. Who first used it and when have not been verified.

Evidence for the origin explanationMedium

Individual entries and definitions in a single official collection were directly checked. Published in 2011, it compiles terms selected for clearer Korean replacements from 2004 through 2011; this does not mean the expressions originated or became popular in 2011. The original announcements were not separately opened, so the publication date was used as the earliest verified evidence date.

04Sources

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

  1. 요긴하게 쓸 만한 다듬은 말 61개 — PDF 105쪽 (국립국어원)Published Dec 19, 2011Original source checked Nov 14, 2026
Original Korean record: Not verifiedEnglish translation: awaiting review

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