Korean word

첫인상

Pronunciation

Romanizationcheosinsang

Meaning

  • nounfirst impression

Example

그 사람과의 첫인상이 좋았다.keu sa ram gwa ui cheo sin sang i cho at tta

I had a good first impression of that person.

Illustration for 첫인상 (first impression)

More examples

사람을 첫인상만으로 판단하지 말자.sa ra meul cheo sin sang ma neu ro pan dan ha ji mal ja

Let's not judge people solely by their first impressions.

Core concept

An immediate sense of what someone is like after a brief first encounter.

Common phrases

  • 첫인상에 신경 쓰다cheo sin sang e sin gyeong sseu da

    care about one's first impression

  • 첫인상을 깨다cheo sin sang eul kkae da

    overturn a first impression

  • 첫인상이 달라지다cheo sin sang i tal la ji da

    change one's first impression

Similar words

인상insang: The general feeling or assessment that someone or something brings to mind.
이미지imiji: The outward appearance of something together with the impression linked to it.

Definition in Korean

사람을 처음 만났을 때 짧은 시간 안에 형성되는 인상.sa ra meul cheo eum man na sseul ttae jjal beun si gan a ne hyeong seong doe neun in sang

Word origin

첫 (cheo, "first") comes before 인상 (sinsang, "impression"), a Sino-Korean noun for an impression or felt evaluation, so the compound refers to an impression formed at a first meeting.

Usage tips

  • A first meeting does not fix this judgment forever, so later actions can change the opinion that this word describes.

Related words

Word lists with this word