Korean slang profile
웃참
utcham
Holding back laughter
Trying not to laugh.
- Expanded form
- 웃음 참기Holding back laughter
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- May 29, 2022
- Documented trend period
- Around 2022~
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
영상 보다가 웃참 실패했어.
I tried not to laugh at the video, but I couldn't hold it in.
- Quoted from a source
수위 조절 대실패 웃참(웃음을 참다) 전쟁을 그린다.[1]
It depicts a battle to hold back laughter as attempts to keep things appropriate fail completely.
English translation by Julimmal.
02Documented history
- May 2022Star News delivered an interview on the production of Watcha’s original ‘Noki Deuk Zone’ and introduced this program as ‘웃참 (hold back laughter) war.’[1]
03Origin & word formation
Short for 웃음을 참다, meaning to hold back laughter. A 2022 Star News article gives both forms together. Who first used it and when have not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The article explicitly explains the term. When it was first used is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 웃기는 법만 아는 안제민 PD, '웃참' 도전기[★FULL인터뷰] (스타뉴스)Published May 29, 2022Original source checked Nov 5, 2026