KPOP STAN CULTURE

Boy group (n.)

("Bg") As the name implies, it is a K-pop group in which all of the members are boys. BTS, EXO, Seventeen, Monsta X, Got7, Wanna One, BIGBANG, TVXQ, SHINee, and Super Junior are some popular ones. "I only stan boy groups."

Girl group (n.)

("Gg") As the name implies, it is a K-pop group in which all of the members are girls. Red Velvet, Twice, Black Pink, I.O.I, Girl's Generation, Sistar, T-ara, Wonder Girls, AOA, and 2NE1 are some popular ones. "My favorite girl group right now is Red Velvet."

JYP Entertainment

("JYP") A large production company in K-pop. They are known for having the "wild card" kind of idols; the ones that don't always fit Korea's beauty standards. The music videos released under them can often be fun and comical, and their idols have a lot of charisma. The CEO was a former artist himself, and likes to make cameos in the music videos occasionally. Twice, Got7, Day6, Suzy, Stray Kids, Rain, Hyuna, Jay Park, Wonder Girls, Miss A, and 2PM are all managed by JYP. "JYP has the funniest idols, I swear to God."

SM Entertainment

("SM") The largest production company in all of K-pop. They're known for having the best singers in the industry, and having the "prettiest" idols. There is a lot of emphasis on the aesthetics in their videos, and they abide to a lot of Korean beauty standards. They have the idols that are featured everywhere. Girl's Generation (SNSD), EXO, Super Junior, SHINee, F(x), Red Velvet, TVXQ, NCT, and Shinhwa all come from SM. "Spread your legs if you're from SM!"

Ultimate bias (n.)

("Ult bias" or "ub") A person's favorite idol out of all K-pop idols. A regular bias is specific to one group, but an ultimate bias is out of the entire K-pop genre. "Junmyeon is my bias out of EXO, but my ub is still Hoseok from BTS."

YG Entertainment

("YG") The second largest production company in K-pop. It is known for focusing on rapping and having unique singing voices in its artists. Typically, their groups have cool concepts with some swagger in it. Their members may sometimes say "edgy"/"risky" things. BIG BANG, 2NE1, iKon, Black Pink, Epik High, Winner, PSY, and CL are all under YG. "YG honestly has some of the coolest idols, there's no debating that."

Fanchant (n.)

A cheer that fans do during performances of a song. Likely, it will include the full names of every member of the band in age order (with the leader going first). Other iconic parts of the song are probably part of the cheer too. Fanchants are normally said during the purely instrumental parts of the songs. "KIM NAMJOON, KIM SEOKJIN, MIN YOONGI, JUNG HOSEOK, PARK JIMIN, KIM TAEHYUNG, JEON JUNGKOOK, BTS!"

Aegyo (n.)

A cutesy set of actions that idols do, often involving facial expressions, little gestures, and high voices. The goal is to look cute, like a baby or toddler. It is often performed as a party trick in a way, to show off charms. Although, it should be noted that it is considered cringe-worthy by many, and several idols feel a tad embarrassed when asked to perform it. "Jooheon is the king of aegyo, and he knows it."

Idol (n.)

A famous person in the K-pop industry -- the vast majority of K-pop artists are idols. The difference between an idol and a regular artist is that usually idols are between fifteen to thirty-five years old and participate in a sort of "fan culture". Idols will communicate with fans auite frequently over social media and will generally consider themselves to have a special bond with their fans. "Every high schooler in Korea wants to become an idol nowadays!"

Focus (n.)

A live performance video of only one member out of a band, as opposed to all of them. Most of the time, focuses will be fancams as well, but some focuses may be supplied by official K-pop channels on YouTube as well (like M2). Many fans may request to have a "focus" of a member if they are standing out during the choreography by being particularly disrespectful. The point of watching focuses is to be able to see an idol during an entire performance, as most of the time they are only filmed when they come center. "I need a Hoseok focus for Mic Drop already."

Bias wrecker (n. or v.)

A member of a band whom makes a person rethink who their bias is. They're the member who steals the attention away from a person's bias. "Jun is my bias, but damn, The8 is one hell of a bias wrecker." "Can Dino stop bias wrecking me right now?"

Dancer (n.)

A member who is considerably good at dancing; someone who often is center or in the front line for dancing. It is likely that at least one of the dancers in a group also choreographs for them. This position can seem a bit unclear, as all members of a group must dance. "Kai is such a fluid dancer, did you see his solo performance at MAMA?"

Rapper (n.)

A member who raps in a group (all members will either sing or rap). If any of the members are part of the creation process of songs (lyric writing or composing), they will likely be a rapper. "RM is the best rapper in the industry, sorry to your faves."

Vocal (n.)

A member who sings in a group (all members will either sing or rap). Typically, singers will be given harder choreography to perform than rappers will be given for the parts of songs where they come center. "I think Taehyung is my favorite vocal from BTS."

Visual (n.)

A member who was hired specifically for their good looks. This position can be hard to determine, as some of the members with less lines in songs eventually just become known as "visuals" since they end up just having to look pretty in performances. Visuals can often be spotted in music videos, because the camera will zoom in on them merely standing there for five seconds. "Jin is the most handsome man in the world, no wonder he's a visual."

Trainee (n.)

A person who is training to become an idol. They are training under the supervision of a company, and are normally bound under a contract that says they must stay with the company for x amount of years. It isn't extremely difficult to become a trainee, and the largest hurdle from going from a normal person to an idol is getting through the training process. "Jihyo was a trainee for ten years, I'm so glad she finally got to debut."

Fansite (n.)

A person whose job is to attend as many events as possible of their idol, in order to get footage of them and take HD pictures of the event. They, in a way, supply content for other fans to see of their idol. Often, fansites also coordinate large projects for their designated idol, such as purchasing large billboards or buses with their idol's face on it for the idol's birthday. They also gift the idol very expensive items, such as Gucci clothes, iPhones, stars, etc. "My favorite fansite for Jungkook is Snowpeach, they never disappoint with their clips."

Bias (n.)

A person's favorite member of a group. Usually, the member whom a person stares at the most during music videos, live performances, variety shows, etc. "I can't decide on my bias for Monsta X... Should it be Jooheon or Kihyun?"

"Eating CDs"

A phrase used to explain the phenomenon of an idol's live performances sounding almost identical to the studio version of their song; it is a compliment towards the uniformity of an artist's voice. "Wow, Kihyun eats CDs for breakfast!"

Subgroup/Sub-unit (n.)

A smaller grouping of members taken from an already existing K-pop group, typically for a special project/purpose. Usually, they only make a few songs and not a full-length album. They are only temporary, and members of the subgroup will reunite with the other members of the regular group after the promotion period ends. EXO-K/M/CBX (EXO), BASTARZ (Block B), JJ Project (Got7), GD and T.O.P. (Big Bang) are some examples. "Was it really necessary for EXO to be divided into EXO-K AND EXO-M in the beginning?"

Bop (n.)

A song that is exceptionally catchy, and is of good quality. "Ko Ko Bop is the bop of the century."

Soft stan (n.)

A stan who prefers more light/cute/playful/heartfelt/etc. concepts on their idol. Likely, they love aegyo. Soft stans are probably more affected by personality rather than performance. However, sweet melodic voices are their weakness usually.

Hard stan (n.)

A stan who prefers more mature/intense/dark/sexy/etc. concepts on their idol. Likely, they pay a lot of attention to their idol's dancing. Smooth high notes and aggressive, intense rapping normally are their favorite parts of performances. "Yugyeom's performance on Hit the Stage made me a hard stan."

Squishy (adj.)/squish (n.)

A term used to describe someone who is really adorable, and almost child-like. It may refer to physical features like large, round cheeks, or it may refer to a soft and caring personality. "Ugh, he is such a squish, look at that little smile." "He looks so squishy in that outfit.

Duality (n.)

A term used to describe the phenomenon where an idol is able to quickly switch between being sexy and cute. "The duality of Park Jimin is scary. He has the personality of a squish, but is a sinner on stage."

V LIVE (n.)

A website/app where K-pop idols will hold live-streams and host their own, little web series. Music videos and behind the scenes clips are also uploaded. Live-streams range from about ten minutes to an hour, depending on the idol. The web series are very similar to variety shows, except they are specific to the particular band, and there are no hosts for the show. BTS RUN, Monsta X-Ray, Going Seventeen, BLACKPINK HOUSE, and Twice TV are some of the web series uploaded. "Oh my, God. J-Hope just went on V LIVE fifteen minutes ago, and I missed it!"

SNS (n.)

An acronym for "social networking services". This includes any type of social media. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, V LIVE, fan cafes, etc. are all SNS. "We're so lucky that our faves are active on SNS. For some other groups, you don't even know if they're dead or alive."

Anti (n.)

An anti-fan; someone who severely dislikes an artist. This is different from somebody who is indifferent towards or merely dislikes a certain artist, because antis will go out of their way to show their hatred (with comments, posts, etc.). Normally, toxic stans of one group are also antis of the "rival" group of that band, because they feel they must put down the rival group to increase the popularity/success of their favorite group. This is very frowned upon. "I feel bad for Yeri, since she has so many antis. She's such a nice person, I don't know why she does."

Fansign (n.)

An event that usually takes place during an artist's promotional period. Fans, who are part of the artist's official fan club and have purchased a minimum amount of albums (around forty or more) are selected in a sort of lottery system to take part in the event. It, essentially, is a meet and greet where fans will take albums to be signed, touch the idol's hands/face, give the idol gifts, ask the idol questions, etc. A lot of cute interactions are filmed by fansites, and many questions asked are published on the internet. "I wish I could go to a fansign, but I'm broke and don't even live in Korea."

"I'm pregnant"

An exaggeration used by fans when they feel as if their idol is being especially rude. It's, in a way, implying that their idol is so sexy that they could impregnate somebody solely through their appearance. "Wow, after watching that fancam, I'm pregnant."

Co-ed Group (n.)

As the name implies, it is a K-pop group in which some of the members are boys and some are girls. These are not very popular, and there are very few of them. "Have you heard of KARD, that new co-ed group?"

MAMA, MMA, SMA, AAA, Soribada, Melon, Gaon, KBS Song Festival, Golden Disc

Award shows for Korean artists (not always limited to K-pop), hosted in December and January mostly. Most of the awards are dependent on fan votes, so many turn into a sort of popularity awards. This is a great time for live performances, as artists normally have special sets specifically for the award ceremonies. "Vote for Seventeen for MAMA!"

Third Generation

Basically, all bands that are currently very popular. They have, arguably, changed the K-pop genre. Dancing is much more emphasized, and communication with fans has increased. They are now liked internationally very widely, and have changed the reputation for K-pop as a whole (so that it is taken more seriously). It's largely a matter of opinion, but groups formed in around 2017 and onward will be put into a new category of "Fourth Generation". BTS, EXO, Twice, Red Velvet, Got7, Astro, Monsta X, Black Pink, VIXX, B.A.P., and Seventeen are some examples.

Disrespectful/rude/loud (adj.)

Contrary to the negative connotations usually associated with those phrases, they are used as compliments towards the attractiveness level of idols. It is likely that this phrase was originally used out of irony, as it is most commonly utilized when the idol is literally doing nothing and just standing on stage, walking through the airport, or talking to a fan at a fansign. "Oh my, God. Look at Jaebum in a beanie and glasses, he is so rude."

KPOP News Sites

Korean news websites that report on idols' personal lives (mostly gossip). Some are more trustworthy than others, but the majority of stans despise them. This is because many stories are misconstrued, extremely exaggerated, or outright false. Despite all K-pop fans knowing this, antis will often use articles from these sites to "prove" their points during fanwars. ALLKPOP and Koreaboo are the most popular ones. "Don't believe anything you read off of Koreaboo."

Variety show (n.)

Korean television programs that are used to showcase the charms and personalities of idols. Usually, the members (if not the whole group) who are funny and cute are the ones sent to be on an episode of one of these shows, but the hosts of these shows also like to pick fun at the shy members. Playing physical games, going to new places, showcasing party tricks, and hanging out with the elderly/taking care of young children are popular tasks that idols complete on these. Weekly Idol, Running Man, Men on a Mission (Knowing Bros), The Return of Superman, We Got Married, Law of the Jungle, Hello Counselor, and Let's Eat Dinner Together are popular shows. "Did you see Chanyeol on 'The Return of Superman'? He was so cute and fun there!"

Maknae

Originating from the Korean language, it can roughly translate to "the youngest". This is used to describe the youngest member(s) of a group, determined by the relation members have to one another. Typically, fans split a group's members into two categories: younger vs. older ones. Thus, there is usually a "maknae line". However, the true youngest member of the group is often referred to as "the maknae" as well. The other members typically like to dote on the maknae, and maknaes often are shy and act like a little brat (jokingly). Jungkook (BTS), Yugyeom (Got7), Sehun (EXO), Taemin (SHINee), Sanha (Astro), Tzuyu (Twice), and Yeri (Red Velvet) are some of the most widely-known maknaes. "Look at our Golden Maknae, Jungkook! He is so handsome and talented."

Dongsaeng

Originating from the Korean language, it can roughly translate to "younger sibling". It is the counterpart to hyung/unnie/oppa/noona. All of the members younger than an idol are the idols dongsaengs. "Look at how caring Seokjin is, taking care of his dongsaengs all of the time."

Satoori (n.)

Originating from the Korean language, it can translate to "dialect". This is a reference to the many dialects that exist within Korea, due to geographical differences that resulted in linguistic differences. Different satooris will conjugate words differently, and contain some different vocabulary. Common satooris include those from Daegu and Busan. "You can tell when he is mad, because he will start speaking in satoori."

Hyung/Unnie (n.)

Originating from the Korean language, they can roughly translate to "older brother (of a boy)" (hyung) and "older sister (of a girl)" (unnie). The oldest member(s). of a group, determined by the relation members have to one another. Typically, fans split a group's members into two categories: younger vs. older ones. Thus, there is usually a "hyung line" or "unnie line". Usually, hyungs and unnies are supposed to be more mature and responsible. "BTS's hyung line are such bias wreckers." "Twice's unnie line is really good at singing."

Oppa/Noona

Originating from the Korean language, they can roughly translate to "older brother (of a girl)" (oppa) and "older sister (of a boy)" (noona). These terms are typically used by fans themselves, as most fans of boy groups are girls, and most fans of girl groups are boys. It's somewhat looked down upon in the K-pop community for a fan to call an idol this, as it's seen as "cringey". "Oppa, please love me!" "Noona is so pretty, I'm jealous."

Lead (adj.)

Part of a ranking system for positions. The lead singer, dancer, etc. will have the second most amount of parts for that position. Typically, their parts in songs will come directly before or after the main's parts. "It's no wonder the lead rapper of Monsta X is I.M. He is always so lit."

Main (adj.)

Part of a ranking system for positions. The main singer, dancer, etc. will have the most amount of parts for that position, and likely will do a few solo activities for it. "Kihyun is the main singer of Monsta X."

Sub (adj.)

Part of a ranking system for positions. The sub singer, dancer, etc. will have the least amount of parts for that position. Most of the time, the visuals of the group are the ones who take on sub positions, and typically only get one or two lines per song. "I know Jin is a sub vocalist, but come on, we can barely even tell if he's singing or not in Come Back Home."

Reality Survival Programs

Programs where trainees or unpopular idols go to get discovered. They compete with other people in order to win a place either on top, or in the final group of the show. The most comparable program to this is [Country]'s Got Talent, X-Factor, etc. Produce 101, Show Me the Money, Unpretty Rapstar, Superstar K, The Unit, No.Mercy, and SIXTEEN are the most well known. "Samuel is my favorite trainee on Produce 101, I hope he makes it to the end."

Solo stan

Stans of only one specific member of a band, and not the band as a whole. Solo stans believe their bias from a group is more talented than the rest and should have a "solo" debut instead of staying in the group. Sometimes, solo stans even dislike other members of the band, and will send them hateful messages. Solo stans are very looked down upon in the K-pop community. "Ugh, he has so many solo stans. I wish they would realize he has a brotherly bond with his teammates, and wouldn't dream of leaving them!"

KBS, MBC, SBS, Mnet

Television channels in South Korea that most variety shows and live performances air on. There is no equivalent to these channels in most other countries, as the only live performances most international artists do are in concerts or award shows. Idols specifically go on these channels during their promotion period to popularize their songs. Because so many groups go on during any given week, there are weekly chart awards on these channels. "When is EXO going to a live performance for The Eve on KBS?!"

Streaming

The act of repeatedly watching a group's music videos on YouTube to increase the view count. Fans do this for three reasons: breaking records before the 24 hour mark after a music video is released, winning weekly chart awards, and for giving a "gift" to their idols on important dates like birthdays. There is a very systematic process to streaming, including guidelines such as: being signed in on YouTube, watching the video only once per hour, not watching the video in playlists, and having the volume up to a certain level. "Please stream the Mic Drop music video, because the boys deserve it!"

Second Generation

The bands that started to gain international recognition for the K-pop genre; probably what non-K-pop fans think all of K-pop is. This generation is (incorrectly) credited with "inventing" K-pop, but they merely began to spread it to America. This mostly contains groups formed between the mid-'00s to 2010. People know who they are, but they aren't as popular anymore. An incorporation of idols from this time into other sectors of the entertainment industry is prevalent. TVXQ, Super Junior, SNSD, Big Bang, Wonder Girls, 2NE1, Wonder Girls, SHINee, F(x), 2PM, PSY, CL, and Teen Top are considered second generation artists.

First Generation

The first few K-pop groups that truly invented/popularized K-pop. Formed/popular during the '90s and early '00s. They have rapidly declined in popularity and are largely forgotten, but they are the ones who should be credited with doing a lot of the hard work. Seo Taiji, H.O.T., G.O.D., Shinhwa, Sechs Kies, and S.E.S. are the most popular first generation artists.

The Big Three (n.)

The largest three production companies in the K-pop industry, which have a loose monopoly on it. The majority of popular groups come from them, though each company is known for specializing in different concepts. There is a bit of a dislike towards them for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they're known for giving "slave contracts" (restrictive contracts lasting a long time) to their idols. Secondly, stans of groups not coming from The Big Three claim that their groups are only famous because of good marketing technique. "Ugh, that group is only popular because of Big Three privilege."

Debut (adj.)

The moment in which a new group releases their first single ever. It is customary for groups to attempt to accumulate a following before their debut, so that their debut can be successful. Companies will release pictures of the members and video logs from them, so that people can get a feel for the personality of the new group. Dance practices and covers of other songs may also be released before debut. "Predebut" is, simply put, everything that happened before a group has debuted (which would encompass everything from an idol's early childhood to their trainee days). "Did you see those pictures of Bam Bam predebut?"

Point choreography (n.)

The most iconic dance move in a choreographed dance; the dance move that instantly pops into ones head when thinking of a particular song. "The point choreography for Boy in Luv is the 'King Kong' dance move."

Promotion period/Promotion time (n.)

The period of time after a song is released, normally lasting about one to two months. During this time, artists will do as much as they can to help their song become popular. Live performances occur (maybe five to twenty of the same song), artists go on variety shows, and artists typically are very active over social media during this time. "The promotion period for Blood Sweat and Tears was way too brief for me."

Position

The role given to a member in the group. Being the leader, the youngest, the eomma (mom), the appa (dad), the main singer, the dancer, the visual, the translator, the composer, the

Concept (n.)

The theme that a group adopts for a comeback. A concept includes anything stylistic about the newest music video, including clothing choice, the message conveyed, the setting, the dance moves, and the vocals and instrumentals themselves, among other things. "They keep doing the same concept over and over, and I'm sick of it."

Fancafe (n.)

There is not one set SNS "website" where fans can find content for any given K-pop group. Instead, a fan cafe is unique to each artist; a different web address is needed for each group, but most are set up through a site called DAUM. It is where idols are typically most active, and it acts as a sort of gathering ground for one specific fandom to communicate with one another. It is very informal and personal, and some idols treat it as a sort of public diary. There are leveling up features that allow users to see more content the higher they are. One rule that most fan cafes have is that everything said in there stays in there (like a secret club). Unfortunately, many cafes are solely in Korean. "Yoongi seemed a little sad on the fancafe today. I hope he's okay."

"Done dirty"

This is a phrase used to describe the mistreatment an idol is enduring. It may be referring to a lack of airtime, or other outright mistreatment, but it also may refer to poor stylistic choices. For example, having ugly outfits or a bad hairstyle can also fall under this category. "They did him so dirty with that mullet."

"Went off"

This is a reference to an idol either giving it their all in a performance, or performing rather aggressively. It is looked at as a good thing, as K-pop fans really enjoy when idols give a lot of energy to their performances. "Jooheon went off during KCON Japan last year!"

Fancam (n.)

This is generally referring to a live performance video of an idol taken by a fansite, but it can also be taken by a casual fan. This is in comparison to other live performance videos being taken by television stations like M2. While fancams are not exclusive to only one member out of a band (focus), most fancams usually are of only one member. "But have you seen the Yoongi fancam of Blood Sweat & Tears? Y'all know what I'm talking about..."

"Attacked"

This is used to describe the mental distress fans endure when they feel like idols look especially attractive, or are performing exceptionally well. Typically, it is used when the fan did not expect their idol to look that attractive or sing a certain note/do a certain dance move. "Why is Taehyung attacking me with that tongue of his? Put that back in your mouth, boy."

Stan (v., n.)

To be a hardcore fan of a group/person. To enjoy their music, along with being very invested in their personal lives. "I stan BTS, but I also want to get into other groups." "That group has so many stans, it's ridiculous."

Fanwar (n.)

Verbal disputes online between different fandoms. Usually, this stems from a bit of competitive rivalry (it's mostly the exceptionally popular groups that this happens to), and fans wanting to go to great lengths to prove the superiority of their favorite artist. Some stans are more civil, talking only about talent levels of artists, but other stans will insult the appearance, personality, and family of the artist that they don't like. Death threats towards artists are not uncommon. Fanwars are extremely looked down upon, and generally regarded as something to be avoided at all costs. "When will the fanwars between ARMYs [BTS fandom] and EXO-Ls [EXO fandom] end?"

M Countdown (MNET), Music Bank (KBS), The Show (SBS), Inkigayo (SBS), and Show Champion (MBC)

Weekly chart awards. These are basically small popularity awards, as these are won mostly due to streaming and fan activity on SNS. Many artists will have tens of these awards, if they are popular. "Wow! Twice won another award on M Countdown. Queens!"

Iconic (adj.)

While this can be taken literally in the K-pop fandom as well, it most often is used ironically. It is frequently used to describe somebody's idol who is known to have not invented a trend, but fans are so deeply in love with them that they credit them for being the inventors anyway. "His cover of that song is iconic."

Ot[n]

[Replacing "n" with the number of given members in a specific band.] An acronym(ish) meaning "one true [number]". It is used by fans when talking about the entirety of the band, normally in the context of saying that one values every member of the band equally. It holds a very positive connotation, as it's seen as a unifying term, almost. Evident overall favoritism of certain members among a fandom is common, so this term is used to be impartial among a fandom. "Solo stans can stop, I'm an ot7 stan."

[Position] Line (n.)

[Replacing "position" with the given attribute.] The members of a group who specialize in a given skill, or are part of a specific demographic. Sometimes the company themselves will state which members are part of a particular line, other times fans determine it. It is important to note that being part of a specific line does not necessarily denote the importance of a member (as some members may only be part of one line, but have integral behind the scenes jobs). Also, not being part of a line does not exclude members from participating in that activity; they merely won't be marketed for it. Vocal, rap, dance, visual, hyung/unnie,and maknae lines are the most common ones. "Monsta X's rap line is really strong, but they're also really good at singing. What kings."