A Korean's Guide to '짤 Jjal': The Origins and Meaning of Korean Memes

What is the Korean word for 'meme'

So, in Korean, the word "meme" is often just called "밈" (pronounced "meem"), 

but people usually say "짤" (pronounced like "jjal"). 

 

It refers to those short, funny images or GIFs you see online. Even short videos or TikTok-like clips can be called "짤." 

There’s also a term "움짤," which is short for "움직이는 짤," meaning a moving meme or GIF, but '움짤's not used as much these days.

 

why "짤" (Jjal)

Let's explore the origin of the word "짤" (Jjal). 

The term "짤방" (Jjalbang) originated from the practice of using a humorous or random image in a post to prevent people from skipping over text-only content.

 

The word is a combination of "잘림방지" (Jallim Bangji), meaning "cut prevention," where "잘" (Jal) and "방" (Bang) were merged. However, due to Korean pronunciation, it became "짤방" instead of "잘방."

It's important to note that it is pronounced "방" (Bang) and not "뱅" (Baeng).