보이프렌드

Korean

Etymology

Borrowed from English boyfriend.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [po̞ipʰɯɾe̞ndɯ]
• Phonetic hangul: [보이프렌드]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	boipeurendeu
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	boipeulendeu
McCune–Reischauer?	poip'ŭrendŭ
Yale Romanization?	poi.phuleyntu

Noun

보이프렌드 • (boipeurendeu)

1. (dated) boyfriend

   Synonyms: 남자친구(男子親舊) (namjachin'gu), 남친(男親) (namchin, colloquial)

   Coordinate term: 걸프렌드 (geolpeurendeu)

   • 1960, “옛날과는 달라졌다 — 敎(교)授(수)가 본 요새 女(여)大(대)生(생) [Different from before: Female university students nowadays, as seen by a professor]”, in The Dong-a Ilbo:

     재학시절에 특정한 보이프렌드를 가지는 경우는 극히 소수이고 대개는 담담하게 공부에 열중하는 율이 많다.

     Jaehaksijeor-e teukjeonghan boipeurendeu-reul gajineun gyeong'u-neun geukhi sosu-igo daegae-neun damdamhage gongbu-e yeoljunghaneun yur-i manta.

     Students who have a specific boyfriend while at university are in the extreme minority; in general, a large percentage of students simply calmly concentrate on studying.

   • 1966, “豫(예)備(비)淑(숙)女(녀) 女(여)高(고)生(생) (5) 미숙한「데이트」 [Ladies-in-training, high school girls (5): Inexperienced "dates"]”, in The Dong-a Ilbo:

     "전화 건 애, 너의 「보이프렌드」니?" 조금 개화된 가정이면 고교생 동생에게 이렇게 농담조로 물어 볼 수 있다.

     Jeonhwa geon ae, neo-ui ‘boipeurendeu’-ni? Jogeum gaehwadoen gajeong-imyeon gogyosaeng dongsaeng-ege ireoke nongdamjo-ro mureo bol su itda.

     "The kid who just called, is he your 'boyfriend'?" If you live in a more modernized household, you can tease your little sister in high school like this.

Usage notes

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