Nuance Dictionary / Culture & Language
집단주의 jip-dan-ju-ui
Collectivism — the cultural value prioritizing group identity over individual identity
What does 집단주의 mean?
집단주의 (jip-dan-ju-ui) means: Collectivism — the cultural value prioritizing group identity over individual identity.
Korea's collectivism gives rise to cultural phenomena such as the use of 'uri', 'jeong', and 'nunchi'. On Hofstede's cultural dimensions, Korea has a high collectivism index.
🔊 From the story above
우리 — u-ri
엄마 — eom-ma, "mom"
우리 엄마 — u-ri eom-ma, "our mom"
우리 아빠 — u-ri a-ppa, "my dad"
우리 남편 — u-ri nam-pyeon, "my husband"
우리 아내 — u-ri a-nae, "my wife"
우리 오빠 — u-ri o-ppa, "my older brother, female speaker"
내 남편 — nae nam-pyeon, "my husband"
Other sides of 집단주의
◆ Corporate Self-Sacrifice — Speakers use this term when discussing how organizational or economic structures place group cohesion above personal autonomy. It pairs with verbs like 강조하다 to describe demands placed on individuals, and appears in contexts where individual choice is subordinated to collective goals. It also combines with 문화 to describe environments where group alignment is expected.
In workplace contexts, this can carry the heavy weight of mandatory team dinners, after-hours expectations, and the quiet erasure of personal boundaries for the sake of the company.
◆ The Life-Checklist Pressure — Speakers reach for this word when discussing how individual choices are weighed against group standards and harmony. It appears in discussions concerning institutional expectations where individual freedom and rights are secondary to group consensus. It combines with words emphasizing cultural reinforcement, such as pairing with terms for cultural environments or finding oneself trapped within collective systems.
Among younger speakers, this can carry the weight of an invisible timeline for milestones like marriage or corporate employment, where deviating risks social alienation.
◆ Online Hivemind & Mob Justice — Speakers use this term to describe situations where a group's collective decisions, shared values, or coordinated pressures outweigh individual freedom and rights. It appears in discussions concerning group harmony, societal rules, and institutional methods of shaping individual behavior. It combines with terms emphasizing cultural atmosphere, or actions that highlight the enforcement and over-emphasis of group priorities, such as 집단주의 문화 and 집단주의를 강조하다.
In online spaces, this term can carry a critical edge, pointing to the collective pressure where groups coordinate to shame or pressure individuals who step outside unspoken social norms.
In workplace contexts, this can carry the heavy weight of mandatory team dinners, after-hours expectations, and the quiet erasure of personal boundaries for the sake of the company.
◆ The Life-Checklist Pressure — Speakers reach for this word when discussing how individual choices are weighed against group standards and harmony. It appears in discussions concerning institutional expectations where individual freedom and rights are secondary to group consensus. It combines with words emphasizing cultural reinforcement, such as pairing with terms for cultural environments or finding oneself trapped within collective systems.
Among younger speakers, this can carry the weight of an invisible timeline for milestones like marriage or corporate employment, where deviating risks social alienation.
◆ Online Hivemind & Mob Justice — Speakers use this term to describe situations where a group's collective decisions, shared values, or coordinated pressures outweigh individual freedom and rights. It appears in discussions concerning group harmony, societal rules, and institutional methods of shaping individual behavior. It combines with terms emphasizing cultural atmosphere, or actions that highlight the enforcement and over-emphasis of group priorities, such as 집단주의 문화 and 집단주의를 강조하다.
In online spaces, this term can carry a critical edge, pointing to the collective pressure where groups coordinate to shame or pressure individuals who step outside unspoken social norms.
🎙️ 집단주의는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [집딴주의]로 소리나요 (경음화). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 집단주의와 대립되는 입장은 개인주의이다.
jip-dan-ju-ui-wa dae-rip-doe-neun ip-jan-eun gae-in-ju-i-i-da.
The position opposed to collectivism is individualism.
💡 A direct contrast between collectivism and individualism in an analytical context. - 때로 집단주의가 언론의 자율성을 저해하는 경우가 있다.
ttae-ro jip-dan-ju-ui-ga eon-ron-ui ja-yul-seong-eul jeo-hae-ha-neun gyeong-u-ga i-tta.
Sometimes collectivism hinders the autonomy of the press.
💡 A statement illustrating how group-oriented pressure impacts media independence. - 집단주의에서는 개인과 집단의 관계에 있어서 개인의 자유와 권리보다는 집단의 화합과 조화를 강조한다.
jip-dan-ju-ui-e-seo-neun gae-in-gwa jip-dan-ui gwan-gye-e i-sseo-seo gae-in-ui ja-yu-wa gwon-ri-bo-da-neun jip-dan-ui hwa-hap-gwa jo-hwa-reul gang-jo-han-da.
In collectivism, regarding the relationship between the individual and the group, the harmony and accord of the group are emphasized over individual freedom and rights.
💡 A formal explanation defining the core tenets of group-focused systems.
Related words in Culture & Language
소속감 so-sok-gam체면 che-myeon완곡하다 wan-gok-ha-da여의치 않다 yeo-ui-chi an-ta쿠션어 ku-syeon-eo