Let’s admit it–as an international fan, getting into K-pop can be kind of daunting. It’s a whole new language. It’s a whole new culture. And, on top of that, the K-pop industry doesn’t really work the same way as other music industries. In fact, this whole new system has its own terms, a very distinct jargon of its own–and if you’re new to K-pop, it can be hard to figure out what those words mean.

So let’s break it down. Here’s a list of every K-pop specific word I could think of and its definition along with some examples. I’ve broken the terms down into 4 different categories:

1. Korean terms: terms originally in Korean
2. Logistical terms: terms that describe the K-pop system
3. Fan Terms: terms that describe K-pop fan culture
4. “The Dark Side” terms: terms that describe some “not-so-fun” things in K-pop.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s bring you into the K-pop spiral!

⋆˙ 1) Let’s start with “Korean Terms“–terms originally in Korean! ⋆˙

Aegyo: “acting cute.” Think finger hearts, a high-pitched voice, and pouted lips–K-pop idols are often asked to do this for the cameras. These can be anywhere from actually cute, absolutely hilarious, to kind of cringey…

Example: Stray Kids, an 8-member boy group, was asked to do aegyo in this video!

Aegyosal: the little bit of fat under your eye that’s considered pretty in Korean culture. This is more relevant for female idols than male idols, though. Aegyosal is not an eye bag, however (take a look at the picture below for reference!).

Example: This is a picture of Wonyoung from the girl group IVE. See the shaded, slightly bulging part under her eye? That’s an aegyosal!

Maknae: the youngest member of a group.

Example: in the 8-member boy group Stray Kids, I.N is the maknae! He even has a song called “Maknae on Top.” Listen to it here:

Sunbae/Hoobae: honorific used to address a peer in the K-pop industry depending on the amount of experience they have compared to you. Sunbae is used to address a more experienced individual in the K-pop industry. Hoobae is used to address a less experienced individual in the K-pop industry. As a sign of respect, hoobaes are typically expected to treat sunbaes with more courtesy, such as using more respectful language and bowing.

Example: The sunbae/hoobae relationship is really apparent in this video! From left to right, the idols in this video are Nana (who debuted in 2020), Nayeon (who debuted in 2015), Haewon (who debuted in 2022), Sua (who debuted in 2021), and Bahiyyih (who debuted in 2022). This makes Nayeon the sunbae of them all, which means the rest of them (the hoobaes) are expected to bow to her when they first meet!

Hyung/Oppa: honorific used to address a male that’s older than you. The honorific changes depending on the gender of the person using it: a boy would use “hyung” to address a male that’s older than him. A girl would use “oppa” to address a male that’s older than her.

Noona/Unnie: honorific used to address a female that’s older than you. A boy would use “noona” to address a female that’s older than him. A girl would use “unnie” to address a female that’s older than her.

Hallyu: literally means the “Korean wave.” This refers to the “wave” of Korean entertainment–K-pop, K-drama, you name it–that has reached so many people across the world and has honestly dominated worldwide entertainment!

⋆˙ 2) Now, let’s jump into terms that explain or describe the K-pop system. I’ve labeled these terms the “Logistical Terms:” ⋆˙

Comeback: term used to describe a group or an artist releasing new music. For example, if someone says, “‘XX’ group is having a comeback in Spring 2025!”, that just means that ‘XX’ is going to release new music in Spring 2025.

Trailers: a little snippet of a new song that K-pop groups release before a comeback! These can include audio snippets or music video snippets. K-pop groups will also release track lists for their new EPs or albums!

Example: this is a trailer BABYMONSTER released for their song, “SHEESH”!

Concept: the “branding” or “vibe” behind a K-pop group. For example: a common girl group concept is the “girl crush” concept: think heavy hip-hop, fiery rap lines, and a sexy, “I’m so cool” kind of feel. By contrast, there’s also the “cute” concept for girl groups too–think pastel dresses, blushy makeup, and a soft-on-the-ears audio palette.

Example: The left post is from BLACKPINK, a girl group that uses the “girl crush” concept. The right post is from ILLIT, a girl group that uses the “cute girl” concept. You can clearly see the difference these contrasting concepts make!

Concept photo: promotional photos taken to hype up a particular comeback of a group. K-pop groups will take pictures of the members in the clothing or official M/V sets they plan to use in a comeback as a way to provide a teaser for their new music!

Example: these are the concept photos that aepsa took for the release of their song “Spicy”!

Generations: a particular era in K-pop. Generally, K-pop fans have split K-pop into 4 generations:

• 1st Generation: 1990’s–early 2000’s
  • The foundation of K-pop. Groups like S.E.S, H.O.T, and Seo Taiji & Boys were popular!
• 2nd Generation: mid 2000’s–early 2010’s
  • K-pop really started to take shape. Groups like Girls Generation, SHINee, and BigBang took the stage!
• 3rd Generation: early 2010’s–late 2010’s
  • K-pop seriously started to spread, and the “Hallyu” (scroll up to Korean terms to learn more about this!) really took off! Groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE, and GOT7 took K-pop to the next level.
• 4th Generation: late 2010’s–present!
  • K-pop continued its dominance over the world, and also got a lot more experimental! Groups like aespa, NewJeans (now NJZ), Stray Kids, IVE, and ITZY really define this era.
• Some say that a “5th Generation” began around 2023 or 2024. Groups that would belong to this era include BABYMONSTER, RIIZE, BOYNEXTDOOR, and ZEROBASEONE!

Idol: what an individual K-pop artist is called.

Groups: what a band in K-pop is called. I don’t know why, but the word “band” just isn’t really used in K-pop–the word “group” is used instead.

A girl group is a group with only female members.

A boy group is a group with only male members.

Co-ed groups do exist–but they’re really rare!

Groups typically have between 4-9 members. Some groups have way more, though–NCT and Seventeen are examples!

Units/Sub-units: a “sub-group” within a group. These are inevitably more common in groups that have a lot of members. They’re also often split between the specific specialities of members, such as vocals, rap, or dance. For instance, a group might have a vocal sub-unit, a rap sub-unit, or a dance sub-unit!

Examples of groups that use sub-units: NCT, tripleS, Seventeen

Positions: the specific role a member plays in their group. Many K-pop idols specialize in a specific skill, such as singing, rapping, or dancing, and will therefore be given the most or the most challenging performances of that skill within their group! Positions aren’t just skill-based, however: leadership and “visual” positions exist too (more about these right below!).

Here’s a list of different positions a group member may be assigned:

Wait-but what’s the difference between main and lead positions?

• Main: member given performances with the most technical difficulty
• Lead: member given the most attention-grabbing performances

For example: Jihyo is TWICE’s main vocalist. She typically gets the most challenging vocals of TWICE songs, such as the chorus. Nayeon is TWICE’s lead vocalist. She typically gets the most attention-grabbing vocals of TWICE songs, such as the intro.

Some K-pop groups also use sub- positions (for example, sub-vocalist, sub-rapper, or sub-dancer): these indicate that a member does not get too many of the most challenging performances of that particular skill.

*Not all groups have official positions either–Stray Kids and TXT don’t have official positions, for example!

Debut: an idol or group making their first official release of music! A debut song is an idol or group’s first official released song.

Solos: a group member releasing music individually. Established groups will commonly push their members to do this!

Example: the 9-member girl group TWICE has recently made a big push to release solo music! So far, of the 9 members, Nayeon, Jihyo, and Tzuyu have released solo music. Listen to their latest releases here:

Soloist: an artist who only releases solo music–not part of a group at all! For some reason, these are pretty rare in K-pop.

Example: IU, a soloist who debuted in 2007, is arguably the most well-known K-pop soloist. She’s even known as the “little sister” of Korea! Listen to her latest comeback here:

Duos: a group with just two members. These are pretty rare!

Example: AKMU is a very well-known and popular duo from YG entertainment. Its two members are Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun, who are siblings! Listen to their song, “Love Lee,” here:

Contract: the document that describes an artist’s agreement to be an artist under their company. The most common contract in K-pop is the 7-year contract: nearly all K-pop groups must renew their contract or face disbandment after 7 years.

Big 4: The 4 largest companies in K-pop–SM, YG, JYP, and HYBE. Nearly every popular K-pop group comes from one of these companies! Honestly, there’s so much to say about the Big 4 that they deserve a blog post of their own…

Stage names: the professional name an idol goes by. Many idols will adopt a stage name in lieu of their real name.

Korean Age: the age system used in Korea. By this system, you are 1 year old when you are born, and gain a year in age every January 1st. You’ll sometimes hear idols use this system, but since Korea changed their legally recognized age system to the international system in 2023, it won’t be as common.

Korean Beauty Standards: beauty standards in Korean culture. All idols are beautiful, but they are expected to comply with these (hence why I put this in the “logistics” and not the “fan” section). Some standards include being skinny, double-lids, pale skin, a small head/face, and heart-shaped lips.

Example: Irene from the girl group Red Velvet (left) fits many of the Korean beauty standards for women. V from the boy group BTS (right) fits many of the Korean beauty standards for men.

Monolid/Double-lid: “monolids” describe eyelids that don’t have a fold in them. “Double-lids” describe eyelids that do have a fold in them. East Asians tend to have monolids, but double-lids are the beauty standard in Korea.

Example: Yeji from the girl group ITZY is an example of an idol with monolids. Kim Minju, a former member of the girl group IZ*ONE, is an example of an idol with double-lids. (You can clearly see that Minju’s eyelids have a fold in them while Yeji’s don’t!) Both monolids and double-lids are beautiful, though!

Perfect All-Kill (PAK): a Korean music chart achievement where a song reaches the #1 spot on all the real-time, daily, and weekly components of iChart (a Korean music chart aggregator). Achieving this is a serious testament to a song’s popularity and success!

⋆˙ 3) Now, let’s get into some terms that define you–the fan. Here a bunch of “Fan Terms” about fan culture in K-pop! ⋆˙

Bias: a fan’s favorite member of a group.

Ultimate bias: a fan’s favorite K-pop artist of all time.

Bias group: a fan’s favorite group.

Bias wrecker: a fan’s 2nd favorite member in a group. Think of it like this: the bias wrecker is always on the verge of “wrecking” the bias and taking over their spot!

Lightstick: a handheld stick that shines a light when you turn it on and that fans bring to concerts to wave in the air along with the beat! Each group designs their own lightstick based on their brand and concept, and these create really pretty “concert audience” photos! But there’s a dark side to this–learn more in “The Dark Side” Terms.

Examples: a K-pop store’s unboxing of some different groups’ lightsticks! The lightstick on the left is from the girl group Kiss of Life, and the lightstick on the right is from the boy group Stray Kids.

Fandom: the fans of a particular group. Each K-pop group typically sets their own fandom name!

Examples: ARMY (BTS’s fans), BLINK (BLACKPINK’s fans), ONCE (TWICE’s fans)

Fansign: an event where a K-pop group signs albums and interacts with their fans! Unfortunately, K-pop groups basically only do this in Korea. How it works is that if you buy a group’s album within a specific timeframe and from a specific store, you can enter a raffle to get a ticket to a fansign. At the fansign, all the members of a group will sit in a row at a long table, and you can go up to each member, have your album signed, and chat or give gifts to the members if you’d like!

Fan Videocalls: an event where K-pop groups interact with fans through videocalls! Unlike fansigns, these are accessible to international fans! It basically works the same way as fansigns, just virtually: if you purchase a group’s album in a specific timeframe and from a specific store, you can enter a raffle for a chance to hold a short video call with your favorite idols!

Fanchant: a chant that fans are supposed to say along with a song when the group is performing that particular song. These are usually only used for title tracks. Groups will create and post the official fanchant to a song soon after they release the song! Typically, only Korean audiences are expected to know the fanchants, though–you can’t really expect international audiences to sing Korean lyrics, right?

Example: this is the fanchant IVE released for their song, “Accendio”!

Fancam: a video of a stage performance that only focuses on one member of the group.

Example: from left to right, these are the fancams of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa–the four members of BLACKPINK–for their performance of their song “DDU-DU DDU-DU!”

K-pop fan apps: an app where fans can interact more directly with idols. Although each app differs with their features and pricing, each app typically contains an online store, app-exclusive photos or videos, and a texting feature where fans can feel like they’re in a one-on-one text chat with their idol.

Examples of K-pop fan apps: Weverse, Bubble, Universe

Dance Practice/Performance: a video of a group performing just the dance routine of one of their songs. Yes, typically all K-pop title tracks get a dance routine along with the singing of the song itself! This means idols have to sing and dance–at the same time!

Example: this is a dance performance video from BLACKPINK, where they perform the dance routine for their song “How You Like That”!

Reality Shows: exactly what it is, except that K-pop idols participate in a lot of these! These don’t necessarily refer to reality TV shows either–a lot of these shows just upload their episodes to YouTube so more fans can access them! Companies will even make their own reality shows for their groups as well.

Examples: Running Man, Nothing Much Prepared

Music Shows: weekly TV shows in Korea that air live K-pop stage performances. Groups will perform at these in order to promote a comeback. At the end of the show, fans can vote for their favorite comeback, and shows will take the votes, streams, purchases, and other criteria of a comeback together in order to determine the song of the week! Idols perform as the MCs of these shows too!

Examples: SBS Inkigayo, KBS Music Bank

Survival Shows: TV shows where auditionees compete against each other for a spot on an upcoming group. A ton of K-pop groups were formed from these! It’s a win-win for the company: they get to truly see which contestants shine under pressure and they get the $$ from airing the show.

Examples: the survival show Sixteen produced the girl group TWICE. The survival show Produce 48 produced the girl group IZ*ONE.

⋆˙ 4) Unfortunately, K-pop has some “not-so-fun” stuff in it too. Here’s some terms about “The Dark Side” of K-pop… ⋆˙

Disband: the contract for a group expiring and the group ceasing to exist. Although upsetting for a lot of fans, this is really just a natural process in K-pop, and isn’t necessarily inherently on “The Dark Side.” Additionally, some groups do renew their contracts (and thus avoid disbandment), but this can be really hard to achieve–it’s hard to get every single member of a group on board to continue being a K-pop star under the same group and company. Nonetheless, disbandments can still get pretty messy…some groups disband prematurely, especially if legal battles between members or between members and their company are involved.

Also, there’s not exactly a term for this, but individual members leaving groups or being kicked out of groups is not exactly uncommon either. These can happen for a variety of reasons: scandals, lawsuits, or disagreements between members are just some examples. 

Example of a messy disbandment: LOONA (legal issues between members and company)

Example of a sad, but natural disbandment: IZ*ONE (end of a short contract)

Examples of individual members leaving groups (from left to right): Kim Garam (former member of LE SSERAFIM), Kim Woojin (former member of Stray Kids), Soojin (former member of (G)-IDLE)

6-Member Curse: for some reason, a ton of 6-member K-pop groups end up with one member leaving or getting kicked out of the group, leading to the term “6-member curse.” No one’s really sure why this is.

Examples of groups that fell to the 6-member curse: (G)-IDLE, LE SSERAFIM

(G)-IDLE’s original lineup (left) and their current lineup (right):

LE SSERAFIM’s original lineup (left) and their current lineup (right):

Scandal: when idols get into some sort of controversy. These can range from petty to really serious. Dating between idols is heavily looked down upon, so leaked photos of idols on a date can be a scandal…at the same time, idols getting convicted of criminal acts can be considered a “scandal” too.

Sasaeng: an obsessive “fan” who invades the privacy of their idol. You’ll hear stories of sasaengs stalking idols, sending them disturbing letters, or even inappropriately touching them at public events.

Black ocean: remember lightsticks? This is when audience members in a concert collectively turn all their lightsticks off while a group is performing. It’s kind of a toxic strategy for fans to exert pressure on a group or engage in “fanwar:” K-pop idols are used to seeing the audience full of light when they’re performing, and a completely dark concert hall can be really disheartening to see.

That’s all I had!

What terms surprised you most? Were any terms confusing? Did I miss any terms? Comment down below!

In the meantime…get listening to K-pop!

⋆˙ eighteen rants ⋆˙