Korean slang profile
사바사
sabasa
It depends on the person
An expression meaning that something varies from person to person, patterned after 케바케 with the English word “by.”
- Expanded form
- 사람 by 사람It depends on the person
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Jan 20, 2016
- Documented trend period
- Around 2016~
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
맛 평가는 사바사지.
Taste is different for everyone.
- Quoted from a source
사바사 사람 by 사람의 줄임말로, 사람에 따라 다르다는 뜻.[1]
사바사 Abbreviation for person by person, meaning it varies depending on the person.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- January 2016AhnLab explains 사바사 as short for 사람 by 사람, meaning that it depends on the person, and describes it as an adaptation of 케바케.[1]
03Origin & word formation
Short for 사람 by 사람, meaning person by person. AhnLab describes it as an adaptation of 케바케, itself shortened from “case by case.” Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The source explicitly explains both the term and its relationship to 케바케. When it was first used is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 디지털 네이티브의 ‘신조어’ 따라잡기 (안랩)Published Jan 20, 2016Original source checked Nov 5, 2026