걸프렌드

Korean

Etymology

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kʌ̹ɭpʰɯɾe̞ndɯ]
Phonetic hangul: [걸프렌드]

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

Noun

걸프렌드 • (geolpeurendeu)

(dated) girlfriend
Synonyms: 여자친구(女子親舊) (yeojachin'gu), 여친(女親) (yeochin, colloquial)

Coordinate term: 보이프렌드 (boipeurendeu)
- 1969, “大(대)學(학)生(생)活(활) [University Life]”, in The Dong-a Ilbo:
  대부분 의 學(학)生(생)들 은 걸프렌드와 드라이브 를 즐기 거나 맥주 를 마시면서 댄스 를 즐기기 도 한다.
  Most students go for a car ride with their girlfriends, or enjoy Western dancing while drinking beer.
- 1970, “頒(반)布(포) 524돌 맞은 한글 反(반)省(성) [Reflections on the Korean language on the 524th anniversary of its [alphabet's] promulgation]”, in Kyunghyang Shinmun:
  날씬한 걸프렌드나 하나 달고 뮤직홀 에 가서 소울 이나 사이키델릭 을 들으면서 레저 를 즐기는 것 도 퍽 모던한 취미 가 아니 겠 어?
  nalssinhan geolpeurendeu-na hana dalgo myujikhor-e gaseo sour-ina saikidellig-eul deureumyeonseo rejeo-reul jeulgineun geot-do peok modeonhan chwimi-ga ani-gess-eo?
  If I were to go to a music hall with one svelte girlfriend at my side and indulge in leisure while listening to soul or psychedelic [music], wouldn't that be a very fashionable hobby too?
- 1974, “西(서)域(역) 萬(만)里(리) 終(종)着(착)地(지) 이스탄불 [Istanbul, the end point of ten thousand leagues towards the Western Regions]”, in The Chosun Ilbo:
  이스탄불 에서 의 데이트 는 셋 이 서 한다. 걸프렌드의 자매 나 사촌 자매 가 꼭 따라야 하기 때문 이다.
  Iseutanbur-eseo-ui deiteu-neun ses-i-seo handa. Geolpeurendeu-ui jamae-na sachonjamae-ga kkok ttaraya hagi ttaemun-ida.
  A date in Istanbul is always between three. This is because a sister or female cousin of the girlfriend must always follow her.

Usage notes

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).