What 테무인간 means
Someone who looks the part but falls short on substance or polish — named after Temu, the app where cheap things look great in photos.
Origin
On February 14, 2025, comedian Moon Sang-hoon of the YouTube channel 빠더너스 (BDNS) introduced it in a Short predicting 2025's slang: “someone who works hard but whose quality is meh” (Insight).
Shift
By 2026 the meaning had moved to “someone who only looks impressive” (Asia Today, July) and “flashy outside, little substance inside” (Segye Ilbo, October).
Careful
It compares a person to cheap goods. Fine as a joke among friends; in a performance review, the speaker may come off as the 테무인간.
Word history
Community definitions (2)
"Temu human" — someone who looks impressive on the surface but turns out to be flimsy inside, like a cheap Temu product.
저가 쇼핑 앱 '테무'와 '인간'을 합친 말로, 겉모습은 그럴듯하지만 막상 알고 보면 실속이 없는 사람을 뜻한다. 싼 물건으로 온몸을 꾸민 사람을 자조적으로 가리킬 때도 쓴다.
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