Slangdunk
Slang Report #83

· Slangdunk Editors

What does 라떼는 말이야 (latte-neun mariya) mean? How a coffee pun mocks Korea's lecturing elders

라떼는 말이야 (latte-neun mariya) puns on 나 때는 말이야, “back in my day,” using the similar-sounding coffee name. A 2019 insurance ad made it famous, and it went on to snacks and a drama theme song.

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Word card for '라떼는 말이야'

At a glance

Meaning
A pun on 나 때는 말이야 (“back in my day”), mocking people who lecture others with their own past.
Origin
Described as a coinage of millennials (Banronbodo, Seoul Shinmun). Who said it first, and when, is unconfirmed. A Samsung Life ad made it famous in April 2019.
Numbers
In a 2019 Incruit survey, “when I was your age” (17%) tied for second among the phrases workers hated most from a kkondae.
In English
The online joke is “Latte is horse”; the real English is “Back in my day.”

One afternoon, as a meeting dragged on, the department head picked up a coffee and began: “When I joined this company…” A junior across the table glanced toward the break room and murmured, “One more latte, please.” No coffee was being ordered.

Timeline

Two years of 라떼는 말이야: the short version

  1. April 1, 2019

    An insurance ad

    Samsung Life posted its ad “책임지는 인생금융_라떼는 말이야” on YouTube. Actor Kim Byung-chul of the drama SKY Castle says the line while holding a coffee cup with a horse on it (말 also means horse). The company said it passed 500,000 views in three days.

  2. July 2019

    The press takes it up

    The Seoul Shinmun introduced it as a coinage people in their 20s and 30s use to mock their elders' “back in my day.”

  3. September 2019

    BBC picks “kkondae”

    BBC Two made 꼰대 (kkondae) its Word of the Day, defining it as an older person who believes they're always right and everyone else is wrong.

  4. December 2019

    Snacks and emoticons

    The ad's views had reached 7.55 million, convenience store CU sold a “라떼는 말이야” snack, and KakaoTalk had kkondae emoticons (Banronbodo).

  5. May 2020

    A drama and a song

    MBC's drama Kkondae Intern premiered on May 20. The next day came its soundtrack song 꼰대라떼 (“Kkondae Latte”), sung by Young Tak.

Meaning

What does 라떼는 말이야 (latte-neun mariya) mean?

라떼는 말이야

A pun on 나 때는 말이야 (“back in my day”), swapping in “latte” to mock people who use their own past to lecture younger people.

In Korean: '나 때는 말이야'를 비슷한 발음의 '라떼'로 비꼰 말. 자기 옛 경험을 앞세워 젊은 사람을 가르치려 드는 태도를 풍자한다.

  • 부장님 또 라떼 시작하셨다. 오늘은 몇 잔째야The boss has started on the lattes again. How many cups is that today?A private chat window at work
  • 라떼는 말이야, 삐삐 번호로 약속을 잡았다고라떼는 말이야, we made plans by pager.A senior joking about being a kkondae
  • 나 지금 라떼 같았지? 미안, 그냥 잊어 줘That sounded like a latte, didn't it? Sorry, forget I said it.Someone catching themselves mid-sentence
  • 입사 2년 차가 신입한테 라떼를 시전하고 있더라A second-year employee was serving lattes to a new hire.Proof it has nothing to do with age
라떼는 말이야..🐴 영탁 ‘꼰대라떼’♬ [신청곡을 불러드립니다-사랑의 콜센타] 22회 20200827
The latte as a song: Young Tak performing 꼰대라떼.Video = YouTube @TVCHOSUN - TV조선
꼰대들의 전유물 “나 때는 말야”? l 10대들의 ‘나 때(Latte)”이야기를 들어보았다
Asking teenagers whether “back in my day” belongs only to adults.Video = YouTube @크랩 KLAB
The kkondae phrases workers hate most (853 people)
  • How dare you18%
  • When I was your age17%
  • I'm saying this for your own good17%
  • Young people these days16%
  • Back in my heyday14%
Data = Incruit survey (Etoday, May 2, 2019)
Self-test

Am I brewing a latte right now?

Those laughing at lattes shouldn't relax. When PMI asked 3,000 people in 2023, millennials were the most likely to call themselves kkondae, at 31.6%, against 26.6% of baby boomers and 18.6% of Gen Z (Financial News). Yes, the same millennials said to have coined the joke.

Are you a latte? Tap the ones that apply

0 of 5 checked

You're decaf. Still, check your juniors' faces now and then.

FAQ

라떼는 말이야 (latte-neun mariya): frequently asked questions

Q. What does 라떼는 말이야 mean?

A pun on 나 때는 말이야, “back in my day,” using the similar-sounding coffee name to mock people who lecture others with their past.

Q. Where does 라떼는 말이야 come from?

It's described as a millennial coinage, but who said it first is unconfirmed. A Samsung Life ad made it famous in April 2019.

Q. What's 라떼는 말이야 in English?

“Latte is horse” is a word-for-word joke (말 also means horse). Actual English speakers say “Back in my day.”

Q. Where can I see 라떼는 말이야 memes?

Images pairing a horse-themed coffee cup with the phrase circulate widely. We don't reproduce them for copyright reasons.

Q. What's the difference between 꼰대 and 라떼는 말이야?

꼰대 (kkondae) names the person; 라떼는 말이야 mocks the way that person talks.

So: 라떼는 말이야 is a cup of coffee attached to the way a kkondae talks. That department head still starts meetings the same way. How many lattes the juniors are up to, no one has said. If you have a sharper definition, add it to the 라떼는 말이야 entry in the dictionary.

Sources

See ‘라떼는 말이야’ in the dictionary — more definitions, examples, and your own take.

Open the dictionary