Korean slang profile

손절

sonjeol

Cutting losses or cutting ties

Selling a stock at a loss. Online, it also means ending or distancing yourself from a relationship.

This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.

01Examples, with English translations

Example by Julimmal
주식은 손절 타이밍이 제일 어렵다고 하더라.
They say deciding when to cut your losses is the hardest part of stock investing.
Quoted from a source
주식투자의 손절매에서 파생된 ‘손절’이 관계의 종결이나 쇠퇴를 나타내는 신어로 자리 잡았다[2]
손절, derived from selling stocks at a loss, has become an expression for a relationship ending or fading.
English translation by Julimmal.

November 2019iMBC Entertainment: “In the second video, a new keyword ‘손절’ was revealed.”[1]
October 2026Bravo My Life: “Researchers explained that ‘손절’, derived from the 손절 stock investment, has become a new word indicating the end or decline of a relationship.”[2]

Short for “손절매.” The 2026 source from Bravo My Life 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.

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