Korean slang profile
스마툰
seumatun
Smartphone webtoons or viewing them on a phone
A webtoon made to be read and enjoyed in a smartphone’s mobile environment. Depending on context, it can also mean viewing webtoons on a smartphone.
- Expanded form
- 스마트 + 카툰스마트 (smart) + 카툰 (cartoon)
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Dec 25, 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
출근길에 휴대전화로 보기 좋은 스마툰을 읽었어.
On my commute, I read a 스마툰 suited to viewing on my phone.
02Documented history
03Origin & word formation
A 2011 Financial News article describes it as a blend of “스마트” and “카툰”. The National Institute of Korean Language’s “2012년 신어 자료집” also gives those two components in its source-language information and defines it as a webtoon adapted to a smartphone environment. Its original creator and exact date of creation have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationMedium
The headword, definition, and source-language information on PDF page 40 were directly compared with the body and publication-date metadata of the 2011 Financial News article. The collection focuses on webtoon content, while the article focuses on viewing it on a smartphone; these contexts were kept distinct. 2011-12-25 is the earliest evidence date verified, not the date the term was coined.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 2012년 신어 자료집 — PDF 40쪽 (국립국어원)Published Dec 5, 2012Original source checked Nov 14, 2026
- 스마트폰 2000만시대..스마트폰 신조어 유행 (파이낸셜뉴스)Published Dec 25, 2011Original source checked Nov 14, 2026