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Meme Name: Ganadi

The Ganadi meme began gaining popularity on September 21, 2023, when emoticon artist 'Jjal-sseulsaram' (짤쓸사람) posted an image of the current dinosaur character on X (formerly Twitter). Following this, various images featuring Ganadi, Gonyani, and the dinosaur characters became sensationally popular. Riding on this popularity, the characters were released as Kakao Emoticons, which also achieved immense success, leading to the creation of animated emoticons.

The Ganadi meme is a popular term derived from the emoticons featuring simple yet cute characters and a rough drawing style by artist 'Jjal-sseulsaram'. The white dog character, 'Ganadi' (pronounced Gah-nah-dee), is the most representative. Its name is a cute twist on the pronunciation of '강아지' (gang-a-ji), meaning 'puppy' or 'dog'. Ganadi is primarily known for images where it appears to be on the verge of tears, saying "나 안아" (na ana, "hug me") or "듀..." (dyu...). This "듀..." later became a symbol of Ganadi, used in various variations. "듀아아아아" (dyuaaaaaa) is an onomatopoeia used to express feelings of sadness, frustration, or even deep emotion in a cute or exaggerated way. It represents a new method for Gen Z to express emotions more cutely and cheerfully than traditional crying sounds like '흑흑' (heuk-heuk, sobbing) or '엉엉' (eong-eong, wailing).

The Ganadi meme is particularly popular among the younger generation, primarily teenagers and those in their twenties, especially women. Its popularity is so high that new emoticon releases consistently rank first among users in their 10s and 20s. A collaboration with CU convenience stores also confirmed that Ganadi's main followers, aged 18-24, align with the convenience store's primary consumer base, Gen Z. Ganadi's harmless and cute nature resonates emotionally with consumers who feel fatigued by the rapidly changing information society, and it is analyzed to receive a strong response particularly from female consumers in their 20s.

• The "나 안아" (na ana, "hug me") image is used when one wants comfort or to express affection.
• The tearful "듀..." (dyu...) image is utilized to cutely express feelings of sadness or regret.
• "듀아아아아" (dyuaaaaaa) is used as an onomatopoeia to exaggerate feelings of sadness, frustration, or when deeply moved.
• Onomatopoeic words describing Ganadi's actions, such as "듀벅듀벅" (dyubeok-dyubeok, depicting a clumsy or waddling walk), are also used as memes.
• '듀' (dyu) is sometimes used as an exclamation at the beginning or end of a sentence, without any special meaning.

In Japan, the Ganadi meme is known as 'メンヘラ犬' (Menhera Inu, "Mentally Unstable Dog"). There was an incident where using '抱いて' (daite) instead of 'ハグして' (hagushite) for "hug me" led to the nickname 'エロ犬' (Ero Inu, "Erotic Dog"). This is because '抱いて' can be interpreted as "hug me in bed." Consequently, the artist had to delete related tweets and issue corrections. Therefore, when communicating with international users, it is important to be mindful of such cultural differences and the nuances of expression.