K-Pop Vocabulary Crash Course for Rookie Stans

K-Pop (Korean Popular Music) is a genre characterized by catchy melodies, visually stunning dance choreography, and electrifying performances by a talented array of artists. In the last two decades, the genre has become a cultural sensation and has increased in popularity with idol groups like BTS and Blackpink breaking barriers and achieving worldwide recognition and massive success — turning K-Pop into more than just a genre but a global phenomenon.

With its catchy tunes performed with impressive dance choreos and by good-looking artists, it’s almost too easy to fall into the YouTube black hole of fancams and dance practice videos. Admit it, we’ve all been guilty of stalking a K-Pop artist’s channel at least once!

And if you happen to set your eyes on an idol group or artist, and find yourself following their socials, going through their entire discography, or googling their K-Pop Profiles to find out their birthdays and favorite color (for science!), congratulations! You’re officially a fan.

Fair warning: there’s no way out now.

Being a K-Pop fan is all fun and games until stans (a.k.a. the most devoted fans) start throwing words like “ment,” “all-kill,” and “jjang!” You’ll soon find out that being a K-Pop fan is more than just about knowing the songs or putting names to their faces; it's a full-on cultural learning experience.

But don’t sweat, we’ve got you covered! The Beat Asia presents a glossary of essential terms every K-Pop fan should know. Consider this your vocabulary crash course, newbie!

All-Kill

This is a music chart achievement when an artist’s song reaches number one on the real-time, daily, and weekly components of iChart, an online music chart that compiles the rankings of all major music streaming platforms in South Korea namely: Melon, Genie Music, YouTube Music, FLO, Bugs, and VIBE.

Also referred to as “Perfect All-Kill (PAK)."

Aegyo

If you’ve ever seen a variety show, you probably would have encountered celebrities being asked to do this. “Aegyo” is simply a way of “acting cute.” It’s popular in South Korean culture, especially among K-Pop idols.

To demonstrate, here's BTOB's Jung Ilhoon who invented the popular "Gwiyomi Song." Believe it or not, this song ruled the world for a short period of time.

Bias

Once you’ve become a fan, prepare to be asked the inevitable “Who is your bias?” This term refers to your favorite member of a particular group. We know it’s hard to pick one but trust us, there is always “The One.”

Your “Bias Wrecker” on the other hand, is your fave’s fellow member who consistently tries to steal you away and sway your allegiance.

Insider tip: We just call them Hubby No. 2

Comeback

One of the best things about K-Pop is that you don’t have to wait very long for new songs. K-Pop idols are known to release mini albums in between full ones, and each “comeback” is characterized by a concept detailed by stunning themed photographs, teasers, and music videos.

Although idols can release more than one comeback a year, each one is treated by fans like a surprise or a long-awaited return, and it’s honestly one of the most exciting things to look forward to! The anticipation for a comeback is thrilling in itself, like you’re counting down to New Year’s. Yes, some idols have an actual countdown on their pages until the new album drops!

Daesang

This Korean term refers to the most prestigious award of the night. Winning a Daesang for K-Pop artists reflects their outstanding achievement in music sales (both physical and digital), overall impact, and popularity.

Some popular Korean music awards shows include Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), Golden Disc Awards (GDA), and Asia Artist Awards (AAA).

Trivia: Throughout the history of MAMA, only two artists were able to receive the Daesang award, Artist of the Year, more than once: BigBang with three wins, and BTS who won seven consecutive years from 2016!

Eye smile

If Tyra Banks popularized the term “Smize” which is to “smile with your eyes” for top models, a K-Pop idol’s eye smile simply refers to how their eyes turn into little crescents when they laugh or express joy. After all, fans love it when they see their idols at their happiest!

Fan Club

Every artist has their own set of fans, which are collectively known as a fan club. No matter how big or small, the support of these dedicated individuals is vital to a group’s success.

Once a fan club is big enough, they earn a fan club name and color which is often announced on their label’s official pages or fan cafes — online communities where fans can interact with their idols and fellow fans through message boards and forums. You can often see the official colors during concert events that feature several artists, as fans would raise their light sticks proudly while their favorite artist performs, creating a color crowd.

Here are some examples of artist fan club names and colors:

• BTS – ARMY (Adorable Representatives M.C. for Youth); Purple
• BoA – Jumping BoA; Pearl Yellow
• NCT – NCTzens (NCTizens); Pearl Neo Champagne
• SHINee – Shawol (SHINee World); Pearl Aqua
• SEVENTEEN – Carat; Rose Quarts and Serenity

Gayo

Before “K-Pop” became the umbrella term for the genre, it used to be “Gayo.” It refers to mainstream music in South Korea, which is mostly made up of K-Pop songs.

Towards the end of the year, the top Korean broadcasting companies namely, SBS, MBC, and KBS, host a year-end song festival show with similar names: MBC Gayo Daejejeon, SBS Gayo Daejeon, and KBS Gayo Daechukje.

The music show “Inkigayo” literally means popular music and has been airing since 1998.

Hi-Touch

This is a special paid fan event where you get the opportunity to get up close with your idols. It’s K-Pop jargon for “Hi-Five.”

Honorifics

Another H to add to the list is honorifics. South Koreans have a deep respect for their elders, so they employ an honorific system. You’ll often hear them being used by K-pop idols when addressing their fellow members.

Here’s the gist: A male calls an older male “Hyung” and an older female “Noona.” A female calls an older male “Oppa” and an older female “Unnie.”

“Oppa” is also used by a lot of K-Pop stans to refer to their male biases, considering the majority of their fans are women.

Idol

We’ve been using this term a lot throughout this article, but to put it into perspective, all idols are celebrities but not all celebrities are idols. One can be deemed as an “idol” if they’ve undergone training and debuted as an artist or member of a group. The term is synonymous with “K-Pop star.”

Jjang!

The term means “the best” or simply “awesome!” You’ll often hear this being used among K-Pop idols or see it on fan forums online.

Kekeke (ㅋㅋㅋ)

This is an onomatopoeia for laughter and is the equivalent of “haha” or “LOL”. The origin of the world came from “ㅋㅋㅋ,” which stands for the “k” sound in the Korean alphabet.

KCON

An annual music festival held in various locations around the world and is the largest fan celebration of Korean culture and music. The first-ever KCON was held in Los Angeles in 2012 and has since expanded to twelve other regions such as France, Germany, Japan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.

Light sticks

As every K-Pop artist has their own fan club name and colors, they also have official light sticks which fans bring to the concerts and music shows as a kind of badge and symbol of support.

One of the coolest things about attending a K-Pop concert is seeing the light stick oceans and the way they move and dance in sync with the performances. Light sticks are specially designed for each group or artist. Some of our favorite designs include NewJeans’ “Binky Bong”, Blackpink’s heart-shaped hammers (BI-Ping-Bong), and Cherry Bullet’s Cherry Gun.

Ment

One thing you have to give K-Pop idols credit for is their stamina because these artists can hold up a three-hour show like it’s a mere walk in the park! One of the things fans look forward to in a concert is the “ments” which are the speeches they give in between sets and numbers.

Artists would often use this to thank their fans, joke around with each other, or share heartfelt stories that often make fans weep. It’s sweet and makes the experience more personal for fans as it allows artists to connect with them on a deeper level.

Maknae

Every member of a K-Pop group has a role or position. There’s the leader, who’s like the spokesperson of the group; the main dancer, the lead vocalist, and the visual (the best looking among a group of ridiculously gorgeous members).

The “Maknae” refers to the youngest member of the group.

Netizen

The most basic definition of this term is “citizens of the net.” In K-Pop there are two types: netizens and K-netizens. The “K” in the latter refers to Korean netizens while the former refers to international fans.

Although many netizens show their support through uplifting posts and comments online, they can also be quite toxic. Some have a reputation for being notorious critics and would discuss topics like weight loss, plastic surgery, and dating scandals among idols. (Let’s be responsible netizens, people! And say NO! to cyberbullying!)

OTP

This stands for “One True Pair” which is synonymous with “soulmates.” You will often see this in the context of K-Drama couples or when K-Pop fans pair up certain members in a group or with a member from a different group. Whether it’s platonic or in a more romantic sense, shipping culture has become a huge part of fan activities among K-Pop stans.

Photocards

Another thing you have to be ready for once you’ve become a K-Pop fan is the amount of spending you’ll be doing. K-Pop albums don’t come cheap, but they are very well packaged and worth buying as it includes not just a CD, but also a booklet filled with the artists’ photos, song lyrics, and ‘thank you’ messages. Sometimes, they would also include posters and other special merchandise.

One other special feature is the photocards, which are exclusive printed photos included as a freebie in albums. It often features a selfie of one or two members, or sometimes a group shot with their signatures.

They’re randomly packed so you never know who you’re going to get! Kind of like those POP MART art toys. These photocards are highly coveted among fan communities and you would often see biddings online and fans buying several copies of an album just to complete the set!

Rookie

K-Pop idols are labeled as “rookies” in the year of their debut. This is also the year where idols work their hardest, trying to gain more fans through stunning performances and consistent promotions.

Most year-end awards shows have a “Rookie of the Year” category where they award the artists who have made the most impact in sales and have the highest overall popularity during the course of the year.

Sasaeng

This is a term that refers to over-invested fans who go above and beyond for their idols, but often cross the line and are more akin to stalkers. You’ll often hear about sasaengs trespassing and invading an idol’s privacy or even going as far as buying plane tickets for the same flight their idols are on (*shivers* Don’t be a sasaeng!).

Trainee

Before they became shining stars on stage, K-Pop idols all went through years of rigorous training to perfect their vocals, dance, and even speaking skills as some are taught to speak other languages for foreign promotions such as in Japan.

K-Pop training programs are known to be one of the harshest and most demanding programs out there. In a recent entertainment series from BBC titled “Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience,” Suho from the popular K-Pop group, EXO, said, “Training is basically a full-time job, and the only time you’re not training is when you’re sleeping.”

Ulzaang

This means “best face” in Korean and is a slang term used to describe attractive-looking members or netizens.

Weekly Idol

This is a South Korean variety show that features a different idol group every week. It’s a chance for fans to see their favorite idols showcase other special talents, play games, and joke around with the show’s hilarious hosts.

X-Dressing

Speaking of hilarious things, one activity that K-Pop idols would go through at least once in their career is cross-dressing. For some reason, male K-Pop groups do this all the time where they pick a popular girl group song, dress up, learn the choreography, and perform it on variety shows or even live on stage at their concerts!

It’s cute, hilarious, and impressive all at the same time. After all, it’s not every day you see a man dancing in high heels and killing it!

YG Entertainment

K-Pop idols are often grouped by the companies they’re trained under. YG Entertainment is one of the biggest labels in South Korea, alongside SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and HYBE.

Some of the popular K-Pop groups YG produced include BigBang, 2NE1, Blackpink, and BabyMonster.