· Slangdunk Editors
What does 중2병 (jung-i-byeong) mean? Korea's “eighth-grade syndrome,” from Japanese radio to the classroom
중2병 (jung-i-byeong, “eighth-grade syndrome”) is slang for the phase when adolescents believe they're uniquely special and show off. It came from Japanese radio in 1999, and in Korea it's now used at any age.
At a glance
- Meaning
- Teasing slang for adolescents around eighth grade who see themselves as uniquely special and show off. Not a medical condition.
- Origin
- First used on a Japanese radio program in 1999 (Lady Kyunghyang). The Japanese term is 中二病, chūnibyō.
- In Korea
- It became internet slang in the early 2010s, and is now also used to tease grown-ups with the same attitude.
- In English
- Fans say “chuunibyou” as-is, or translate it as “eighth-grade syndrome.”
One of our editors still has an old Cyworld page that says “Nobody understands me.” The background music was a pop song whose lyrics they didn't even know. They didn't realize it then, but that state had a name.
27 years of 중2병, step by step
1999
Born on Japanese radio
First used on a Japanese radio program (Lady Kyunghyang). A Korea Education News column describes it as a show where celebrities chatted casually.
November 2011
A symptom, not a disease
A Korea Education News column noted the Japanese term had become Korean internet slang a decade or so later, and argued that 중2병 isn't an illness but a label that shapes how adults see teenagers.
March 2013
The prescription: running
When the Seoul Office of Education announced a marathon for all second-year middle schoolers, Asia Economy covered it under the headline “Students with 중2병, just run?”
July 2013
The symptom lists go around
Lady Kyunghyang ran a deep dive under the joke that 중2 is “scarier than the North Korean army.” Its symptoms included drinking coffee you don't enjoy and claiming you knew a band before it got famous.
February 2015
“Not every middle schooler has it”
Maeil Shinmun gathered teachers, parents and tutors who deal with middle schoolers every day and questioned lumping a whole school year together as “sick.”
What does 중2병 (jung-i-byeong) mean?
중2병
Teasing slang for the phase around eighth grade when adolescents believe they're uniquely special and show off. Now also used, at any age, for an inflated sense of self or a “nobody's like me” attitude.
In Korean: 중학교 2학년 무렵 사춘기 청소년이 자신을 특별한 존재로 여기며 허세를 부리는 모습을 빗댄 말. 지금은 나이와 상관없이 과장된 자의식이나 '나만 다르다'는 태도를 놀릴 때도 쓴다.
- 우리 애가 요즘 방문 닫고 '엄마는 몰라'만 해요. 중2병인가 봐요My kid just shuts the door and says “You don't get it, Mom.” Must be 중2병.A parents' group chat
- 고등학생 때 쓴 글 다시 읽었는데 중2병 그 자체라 손발이 사라졌다I reread what I wrote in high school. Pure 중2병. I wanted to disappear.Someone who dug up their old social media
- 서른 넘어서 '세상은 썩었어' 하면 그건 중2병이 아니라 그냥 피곤한 거야If you're over 30 and saying “the world is rotten,” that's not 중2병, you're just tired.A friend's calm diagnosis
- 이 캐릭터 중2병 대사가 너무 좋아. 오른팔에 봉인된 힘이라니I love this character's 중2병 lines. “The power sealed in my right arm”!An anime review
- Mental health (depression, anxiety, anger…)25.5%
- Relationships with others24.9%Top topic for middle schoolers
- Family14.2%
In the same report, elementary schoolers most often sought counseling about family, middle schoolers about relationships, and high schoolers about mental health. During the years lumped together as 중2병, what actually troubled kids most was friendships, not showing off.
Do I still have 중2병?
Lady Kyunghyang's 2013 piece included a 20-question self-test, though not a validated one. The same goes for ours: it's just for fun, closer to a checklist for the 흑역사 (heugyeoksa, “embarrassing past”) we all have.
Do I have 중2병? Tick the ones that apply
0 of 5 checked
Fully recovered. Or you've buried the memories well.
중2병 (jung-i-byeong): frequently asked questions
Q. What does 중2병 mean?
Teasing slang for adolescents around eighth grade who see themselves as uniquely special and show off. It's also used for adults with the same attitude.
Q. Where does 중2병 come from?
The Japanese term 中二病 (chūnibyō), first used on a Japanese radio program in 1999, became Korean internet slang in the early 2010s.
Q. Is 중2병 a real illness?
No. It isn't a medical diagnosis, just slang about adolescent psychology. A Korea Education News column and a Maeil Shinmun report both criticized labeling teenagers as “sick.”
Q. What's 중2병 in English?
Anime fans use the Japanese “chuunibyou” (or chunibyo). Translated, it's “eighth-grade syndrome.”
Q. What are typical 중2병 lines or memes?
Fantasy-style lines like “the power sealed in my right arm…” or moody captions like “Nobody understands me.” The anime Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions made the term even better known.
So: 중2병 is the name adults gave to the years when everyone was the main character. Our editor still hasn't deleted that Cyworld line. Rereading it now and then is humbling. If you have a sharper definition, add it to the 중2병 entry in the dictionary. For today's word for kids, see 잼민이 (jaemmini).
Sources
- Lady Kyunghyang — 북한군보다 강하고, 호환마마보다 무섭다? 사춘기의 최고점 '중2병' 대탐구 (Kang Eun-jin, Jul 1, 2013, in Korean)
- Korea Education News — 중2병에 전염되는 아이들? (Yang Gi-min, Nov 1, 2011, in Korean)
- Asia Economy — [스토리온라인] 중2병 걸린 학생들, 무조건 뛰어라? (Jo In-kyung, Mar 15, 2013, in Korean)
- Maeil Shinmun — '중2병' 어른들의 이야기… "첫 담임이 중2, 두려웠고 상처도 받았지만…" (Hwang Su-young, Feb 7, 2015, in Korean)
- Namuwiki — 중2병 (in Korean)
See ‘중2병’ in the dictionary — more definitions, examples, and your own take.
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