Korean edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English girlfriend.

Pronunciation edit

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?geolpeurendeu
Revised Romanization (translit.)?geolpeulendeu
McCune–Reischauer?kŏlp'ŭrendŭ
Yale Romanization?kel.phuleyntu

Noun edit

걸프렌드 (geolpeurendeu)

  1. (dated) girlfriend
    Synonyms: 여자친구(女子親舊) (yeojachin'gu), 여친(女親) (yeochin, colloquial)
    Coordinate term: 보이프렌드 (boipeurendeu)

Usage notes edit

  • This term was common in the 1960s and 1970s to denote the novel social concept of "girlfriend", then newly introduced from the West, but has now been displaced by the native coinage 여자친구 (yeojachin'gu). The borrowing is today rarely used, and then most often as an intentional reference to the English word girlfriend or the Japanese equivalent ガールフレンド (gārufurendo) (e.g. in foreign contexts, or in genres that intentionally emulate foreign writing).