Korean slang profile

TBT

Throwback Thursday

A tag used when sharing old photos or memories on social media. The cited article traces it to posting older photos on Thursdays.

Expanded form: throwback ThursdayThrowback Thursday
Other spellings: —
Earliest source found: Oct 3, 2016
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
옛날 사진에 #TBT 붙여서 올렸어.
I posted an old photo with #TBT.
Quoted from a source
TBT: throwback Thursday (옛날 사진 올리며) 추억팔이 목요일[1]
TBT: Throwback Thursday—sharing memories by posting old photos.
English translation by Julimmal.

02Documented history

October 2016TBT: Throwback Thursday—sharing memories by posting old photos.[1]
March 2017The Economist: “TBT: stands for ‘Throwback Thursday.’”[2]

03Origin & word formation

Short for “throwback Thursday.” The 2016 source from The Korea Daily 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.

알아두면 좋은 원어민 필수 채팅 약자 ! (미주중앙일보)Published Oct 3, 2016Original source checked Nov 5, 2026
YOLO! 십대의 SNS 은어 얼마나 아세요? (이코노미스트)Published Mar 20, 2017Original source checked Nov 5, 2026