Korean for fans

K-pop Korean: words and phrases for fans

The Korean you keep meeting in captions, comment sections and concert halls, sorted by where you meet it. Tap any word to hear it at normal speed or slowly, and read the note to see who says it to whom.

Fandom words

Most of these are built on one syllable: 덕, cut from 덕후, “a devoted fan”. Once you can spot it, 입덕, 덕질, 성덕 and 탈덕 explain themselves.

팬paen · fanThe English word, borrowed. 팬덤 is “fandom”, 팬클럽 a fan club.
최애choeae · bias (your favourite member)Short for 최고로 애정하는, “the one I love most”. Also used for a favourite food, song or anything else.
차애chaae · second bias차 means “next”: the member you like second best, right after your 최애.
입덕ipdeok · becoming a fan; getting into a group입 “enter” + 덕 from 덕후. You will see 입덕 영상 for “the video that made me a fan”.
덕질deokjil · fangirling / fanboying; doing fan thingsEverything a fan does: watching content, collecting, streaming, going to shows. From 덕후 + 질 “doing”.
덕후deoku · devoted fan, stan; geekShortened from 오덕후, the Korean form of Japanese “otaku”. Someone deeply into one thing, not only idols.
성덕seongdeok · successful fanShort for 성공한 덕후: a fan who got to meet or work with their favourite, or was noticed by them.
탈덕taldeok · leaving a fandom탈 “leave” + 덕. The opposite of 입덕.

Oppa, eonni, nuna, hyeong: what to call people

Korean has no single word for an older brother or sister. The word depends on who is speaking, so a woman and a man use different words for the same person. The same words are used for older friends, and by fans for artists.

오빠oppa · older brother; older male friend (said by a woman)Said by a woman or girl to a man older than she is: a brother, a friend, a boyfriend, a favourite artist. A man never says it.
언니eonni · older sister; older female friend (said by a woman)Said by a woman to a woman older than she is. Female fans use it for older female artists.
누나nuna · older sister; older female friend (said by a man)Said by a man to a woman older than he is. The male counterpart of 언니.
형hyeong · older brother; older male friend (said by a man)Said by a man to a man older than he is. You hear it constantly between members of boy groups.
선배seonbae · seniorSomeone who started before you at school, at work or in the industry. Artists say 선배님 to groups that debuted earlier.
후배hubae · juniorSomeone who started after you. Used to talk about a junior, rarely to their face.

Groups and careers

The words behind the announcements: who is new, who is back with a release, and the roles inside a group.

데뷔debwi · debutAn artist's first official release and stage. 데뷔하다 is “to debut”.
컴백keombaek · comebackA new release with new promotions. In K-pop it does not mean the artist had been away.
연습생yeonseupsaeng · traineeSomeone training at an agency before debut. 연습 “practice” + 생 “student”.
막내mangnae · maknae (the youngest member)The youngest in any group: a band, a family, an office team. Written 막내 but pronounced [망내].
리더rideo · leaderThe member who speaks for the group and usually starts the group greeting.
비주얼bijueol · visualThe member a group presents as its face. Also said of anyone's looks: 비주얼 미쳤다.
애교aegyo · aegyo (acting cute)A cute voice, expression or gesture put on to charm people. Variety show hosts ask idols to do it on the spot.

Concerts, merch and keeping up

Korean shortens long words to two syllables, and fandom does it constantly: 포카, 팬싸, 음방, 스밍. The notes give the full word each one comes from.

콘서트konseoteu · concertThe English word, borrowed. Fans shorten it to 콘.
티켓팅tiketing · ticketing; the rush for ticketsThe moment tickets go on sale and everyone clicks at once. Fans call a hard one 피켓팅, “blood ticketing”.
응원봉eungwonbong · lightstick응원 “cheering” + 봉 “stick”. Each group has its own official design.
떼창ttechang · singalong (the whole crowd singing)When the audience sings the song together, loud enough for the artist to stop and listen.
앙코르angkoreu · encoreShouted by the crowd after the last song. Spelled 앙코르; you will also see 앵콜.
굿즈gutjeu · merchFrom English “goods”: official merchandise sold at concerts and in fan shops.
포카poka · photocardShort for 포토카드, the collectable card packed inside an album. Fans trade them to get their bias.
앨범aelbeom · albumAny release sold as a physical record, including mini albums. 미니 앨범 is an EP, 정규 앨범 a full album.
팬싸paenssa · fansignShort for 팬사인회, a fan signing event. A video-call version is 영통팬싸.
팬미팅paenmiting · fan meetingA show with more talk and games than songs. Fans shorten it to 팬미.
직캠jikkaem · fancamShort for 직접 찍은 캠: a video that follows one member through a whole performance.
음방eumbang · music showShort for 음악방송, the weekly TV shows where groups perform during a comeback.
스밍seuming · streamingShort for 스트리밍: playing a new song again and again to push it up the charts.
본방사수bonbangsasu · watching it live as it airs본방 “the original broadcast” + 사수 “defending to the death”. A promise not to wait for the replay.

What to say or write to an artist

Every line here ends in 요, the polite style. That is the right level for a fan letter, a comment, a fan call or a few seconds at a signing table: warm, and never over-familiar. Dropping the 요 makes a line casual, which is for close friends.

사랑해요saranghaeyo · I love you.Polite 요 form, the one a fan should use. 사랑해 without 요 is casual and is what artists say to fans.
보고 싶었어요bogo sipeosseoyo · I've missed you.Polite. Literally “I wanted to see you”: for the day you finally meet. Before that it is 보고 싶어요.
항상 응원할게요hangsang eungwonhalgeyo · I'll always be cheering for you.Polite. The standard closing line of a fan letter or comment.
평생 팬 할게요pyeongsaeng paen halgeyo · I'll be your fan for life.Polite. 평생 is “a whole lifetime”.
노래 너무 좋아요norae neomu joayo · I love the song. / The song is so good.Polite. Fits a comment under a new release.
오늘 무대 최고였어요oneul mudae choegoyeosseoyo · Today's performance was the best.Polite. 무대 is “stage”, and by extension the performance on it. Write it after a concert or a music show.
최고예요choegoyeyo · You're the best.Polite. Short enough to shout or to fit on a banner.
너무 멋있어요neomu meosisseoyo · You're so cool.Polite. 멋있다 is about style, skill and presence. Said to men and women alike.
너무 예뻐요neomu yeppeoyo · You're so pretty.Polite. Mostly said to women, and also of outfits, photos and voices.
너무 귀여워요neomu gwiyeowoyo · You're so cute.Polite. Safe for anyone of any age in fandom.
생일 축하해요saengil chukahaeyo · Happy birthday.Polite. 생일 “birthday” + 축하해요 “congratulations”. More formal: 생일 축하합니다, as in the song.
데뷔 축하해요debwi chukahaeyo · Congratulations on your debut.Polite. Add 주년 for anniversaries: 데뷔 1주년 축하해요.
수고하셨어요sugohasyeosseoyo · Well done. / You worked hard.Respectful. Said after a concert or at the end of promotions, to thank someone for their effort.
고마워요gomawoyo · Thank you.Polite and warm. Softer and more personal than 감사합니다, which is also fine.
아프지 마세요apeuji maseyo · Please don't get ill. / Stay healthy.Polite. Literally “please don't be in pain”: a very common way for fans to show they care.
밥 잘 챙겨 드세요bap jal chaenggyeo deuseyo · Make sure you eat properly.Respectful: 드세요 is the honorific for “eat”. Asking about meals is how Koreans show concern, so this reads as “take care of yourself”.
멀리서 왔어요meolliseo wasseoyo · I came a long way.Polite. For a fansign or a concert abroad. You can put your country first: 영국에서 왔어요, “I came from the UK”.
한국어를 공부하고 있어요hangugeoreul gongbuhago isseoyo · I'm studying Korean.Polite. A good line for a fan letter or a fan call; artists are often pleased to hear it.
사인해 주세요sainhae juseyo · Please sign this for me.Polite request. 사인 is “autograph”; 해 주세요 is “please do it for me”.
같이 사진 찍어도 돼요?gachi sajin jjigeodo dwaeyo? · May I take a photo with you?Polite. Always ask first, and expect a no where photos are not allowed.
저희 나라에도 와 주세요jeohui naraedo wa juseyo · Please come to our country too.Polite. 저희 is the humble word for “our”. You can name the place instead: 런던에도 와 주세요.
다음에 또 만나요daeume tto mannayo · See you again next time.Polite. A goodbye at the end of a fansign or fan call, and what artists say at the end of a show.
파이팅paiting · You can do it! / Go for it!A cheer, from English “fighting”. 파이팅 is the standard spelling; 화이팅 is the common variant.

Reactions in comments and chats

Short, casual and usually typed, not spoken. These are things you say about a performance to other fans. They are not addressed to the artist, so they carry no polite ending.

미쳤다michyeotda · Insane! / That's crazy good.Literally “it has gone mad”. High praise for a stage, a teaser or a photo. Casual; a reaction, not something to say to a person's face.
찢었다jjijeotda · They killed it. / Slayed.Literally “tore it up”. Often with 무대: 무대를 찢었다, “tore up the stage”. Casual.
레전드rejeondeu · legendary; iconicFrom English “legend”. Used for a performance or moment fans will keep going back to.
심쿵simkung · My heart skipped a beat.심 from 심장 “heart” + 쿵, the sound of a thud. For a wink, a smile, a close-up.
귀여워gwiyeowo · So cute!Casual form, fine in comments and among friends. To the artist directly, use 귀여워요.
멋있다meositda · So cool!The plain form, used as an exclamation to yourself or to other fans. To the artist: 멋있어요.

What you hear from the stage

You will hear these at almost any concert, whatever country it is in. You do not need to say them; knowing them lets you answer at the right moment.

여러분yeoreobun · Everyone!How an artist addresses the whole audience. You will hear it at the start of nearly every sentence from the stage.
하나, 둘, 셋!hana, dul, set! · One, two, three!The count before a group greeting, a group photo or a chant. The crowd comes in after 셋.
잘 부탁드립니다jal butakdeurimnida · Please look after us. / We're counting on your support.Formal and humble. Closes an introduction; rookie groups say it at every greeting.
소리 질러!sori jilleo! · Make some noise!A casual command shouted at the crowd. The right answer is to scream.
다 같이!da gachi! · All together!The cue to sing or shout along. 같이 is pronounced [가치].
재미있었어요?jaemiisseosseoyo? · Did you have fun?Asked near the end of a show. Answer 네! “yes!”.
여러분 사랑해요yeoreobun saranghaeyo · I love you all.Said to the audience in the closing comments. The crowd shouts 사랑해요 back.
조심히 들어가세요josimhi deureogaseyo · Get home safely.Polite. A normal goodbye in Korea when people part at night, and the last thing said from many stages.

Before you use them

When you write to an artist, keep the 요 at the end: 사랑해요, not 사랑해. Artists drop it when they talk to fans as a group; a fan writing to an artist keeps it.
오빠 and 언니 are said by women, 형 and 누나 by men, and all four only to someone older than the speaker. Check both things before you use one.
파이팅 is the standard spelling. You will see 화이팅 just as often on banners and in comments; it is the same word.
너무 in front of an adjective means “so” or “really”: 너무 멋있어요, 너무 귀여워요. Swap the adjective and you have a new compliment.

Seen a word in a caption or comment that is not here? Paste it into the lookup on the Hangul chart page to take it apart.

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