Korean slang profile
워라밸
worabael
Work–life balance
Balance between work and personal life, abbreviated from the English phrase “work-life balance.”
- Expanded form
- 워크 라이프 밸런스(work-life balance)Work–life balance
- Other spellings
- —
- Earliest source found
- Jan 3, 2018
- Documented trend period
- 2016~
This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.
01Examples, with English translations
- Example by Julimmal
연봉보다 워라밸이 중요해.
Work–life balance matters more than salary.
02Documented history
- 2016In HS Ad's SNS big data analysis, it was selected as the year the word '워라밸' first appeared on SNS.[1]
- Second half of 2017In the same analysis, the amount of mentions exploded, and the top words related to work life changed from words such as ‘work and stress’ to ‘communication, work, weekends, and vacation.’[1]
03Origin & word formation
Short for “Work & Life Balance.” Seoul Shinmun introduces it among four expressions illustrating millennials' lifestyles. Who first used it has not been verified.
Evidence for the origin explanationHigh
The abbreviation of “Work & Life Balance” is clear. Who first used it is unknown.
04Sources
Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.
- 워라밸, 가심비, 관태기... 무슨 말인지 아시나요 (서울신문)Published Jan 3, 2018Original source checked Nov 5, 2026