잼민이

"Jaemmini" is a neologism that first appeared on Twitch around the second half of 2019. Its meaning expanded, and it quickly gained popularity starting in 2020.

"Jaemmini" originated from "Jaemin," the name of a young boy's voice TTS (Text-to-Speech) service provided by Toonation. Twitch viewers found the elementary school-like voice of this TTS amusing, so they combined the prefix "Jaem-" (from "jaemi," meaning "fun") with "Jaemin" to create the term "Jaemmini."

Initially, it was used to refer to inconsiderate younger individuals who caused trouble in various places, or simply as a general term for all younger individuals without a negative connotation. Over time, its usage expanded beyond Twitch to various online platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and AfreecaTV, as well as offline settings such as schools and PC bangs, becoming a widely used term for younger individuals.

Its meaning has further expanded to include people who, despite not being young, act immaturely or inconsiderately like younger individuals, or those who simply look young. It is used broadly to refer not only to elementary school students but also infants, preschoolers, middle and high school students, and even those in their early 20s. More recently, it has been used as "ZEMmini" to refer to elementary school students who use the "ZEM" service, or to call participants of the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree "Jaemmini" in the sense of "Jamboree refugees" due to the poor conditions they faced.

Jem-min-ee (like "jem" in "gem," followed by "min" as in "mint," and "ee" as in "see")

Primarily used by internet broadcast viewers and online community users, especially young people in their late teens to mid-30s. Younger individuals, including elementary school students, sometimes refer to themselves as "Jaemmini" in jest or self-deprecatingly.

• "The chat is full of Jaemminis." (When referring to young viewers in an internet broadcast)
• "I can't concentrate because the Jaemminis at the PC bang are being too loud." (When referring to inconsiderate younger individuals)
• "How old are you? Why are you still acting like a Jaemmini?" (To someone who is acting immature for their age)
• It has also been used as a nickname for KBO League players named 'Jaemin' or those who are short. (e.g., Kang Jae-min, Shim Jae-min, Kim Sung-yoon, Kim Ji-chan)
• It sometimes appears as a recurring antagonist in YouTube animated shorts, alongside "Kkon-dae" (old-fashioned, condescending person) and "Jinsang" (troublemaker).

While "Jaemmini" originally did not have a derogatory meaning, it has increasingly been used with a negative connotation. Caution is advised as it can be misused as a term to hate or belittle a specific group. In particular, it should be avoided when used to mock innocent younger individuals as a whole, not just those who act inconsiderately, or when used to label opponents as "Jaemmini" to justify one's own arguments. Furthermore, it can unintentionally have a negative impact on people named "Jaemin," and indeed, the number of newborns named "Jaemin" has sharply decreased.