배사 (baesa) — Profile background or cover image.
Lesson 98 in our Korean Slang series, adapted from Korean Your Teacher Doesn’t Teach You by Injin Hwang. This expression appears in the book’s shortened expressions section.
What 배사 means
배사 shortens 배경 사진. It usually points to the larger background picture behind or around a profile, where the app provides one. The situation and tone help determine how natural the expression sounds.
A short conversation
A: 배사 어디서 찍었어?
B: 제주도 바다에서 찍었어.
A: Where was your cover photo taken?
B: At the sea in Jeju.
Use it with care
The exact placement varies by app. Do not confuse it with 프사, the primary profile picture.
A neutral or polite alternative: 배경 사진이에요. — It is the background photo.
Try it yourself
How is 배사 different from 프사?
Answer: 배사 is the profile background image. Read the Korean exchange aloud, then replace one detail with something from your own life.
Learn the rest of the series in Basic Korean Grammar. Find more expressions in the Korean slang book on Amazon.
