도파민

Dopamine (도파민)

The Korean word '도파민' is pronounced similarly to the English word 'dopamine,' but with a slightly different emphasis.

• '도' (do) sounds like 'doh' in 'dough'.
• '파' (pa) sounds like 'pah' in 'papa'.
• '민' (min) sounds like 'min' in 'mint'.

Combined, it's 'Doh-pah-min'.

The 'Dopamine' meme began to spread after Kim Poong used the phrase 'social distancing from dopamine' and through live broadcasts by Chimchakman. Subsequently, from 2023, it rapidly gained traction with the rising popularity of the 'Transit Love' series and a societal trend of seeking stimulating content. Notably, in December 2023, mentions of 'dopamine' increased by over 32 times compared to 2021, indicating a significant trend. In 2024, 'Trend Korea' even selected 'Dopaming' as one of its key trends. In 2025, the solo song 'Dopamine' by 'WING' from the group Beatfella also became a hot topic.

In this meme, 'dopamine' primarily refers to intense stimulation and thrilling experiences such as 'excitement,' 'pleasure,' and 'fun.' Derived from the medical term 'dopamine,' which is a neurotransmitter in the brain responsible for pleasure and reward, it is used to describe stimulating content or situations. It is used in phrases like 'high stimulation,' 'dopamine overload,' and 'dopamine bursting,' and sometimes boring or uninteresting situations are described as 'dopamine zero city.' There's also a derivative term, 'Dopaming,' which is a portmanteau of 'dopamine' and the gaming term 'farming,' referring to actively seeking out activities that stimulate dopamine secretion. Recently, it has also been used to describe negative situations where numerous netizens derive pleasure from criticizing celebrities through cyberbullying or public shaming.

It is widely used, primarily among the MZ generation, especially young people in their teens and twenties. Thanks to the popularity of stimulating dating reality shows like 'Transit Love,' it has been actively used in female-dominated online communities and is particularly familiar to generations accustomed to digital environments who enjoy consuming short-form content.

• "This drama is truly dopamine-bursting!" (Meaning it's very stimulating and fun.)
• "I really got my dopamine fix watching shorts today."
• "This is such a dopamine zero city, there's nothing to do."
• "It's bitter to see people get their dopamine fix by bringing down celebrities."
• "Watching Transit Love gets my dopamine flowing."
• "I'm trying to social distance from dopamine these days."