Ultimate K-Pop Vocab Guide Part Two
Hello! This is a part two to the first edition of the Ultimate K-Pop Vocab Guide (If you haven’t read part 1, click here).
This may be a lot of information to handle, and the 1st part is no different. But do not worry! It is always 100% okay to bookmark this site for later and come back to it! This is just meant to be a guide for beginners or those who are just curious. Enjoy!
1st Gen
Definition: The first notable era of K-Pop which lasted from 1992-2006.
Sentence: S.E.S. is one of the most famous 1st gen groups.
2nd Gen
Definition: The second recognizable era in K-Pop that lasted from 2006-2012.
Sentence: SHINee is a 2nd gen K-Pop boy group that is still around today.
3rd Gen
Definition: The third noticeable shift in K-Pop which lasted from 2012-2018.
Sentence: BTS is the most famous 3rd gen K-Pop group, and is the most famous and successful K-Pop group overall.
4th Gen
Definition: The fourth and current (as of May 2022) K-Pop era, the years being 2018-present.
Sentence: Produce 48’s Iz*One was one of the biggest 4th gen groups.
Ad-Libs
Definition: Backing vocals in a song that harmonize or add more tone or emotion to a song.
Sentence: TXT’s 0x1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) has some incredible adlibs.
Aegyo (애교)
Definition: When an idol/person acts cute for fanservice.
Sentence: TWICE’s Sana’s aegyo is so cute.
Akgae (악개)
Definition: A malicious solo stan of an idol.
Sentence: BlackPink is a group with an alarmingly high number of akgaes.
Bias Line
Definition: The members in a group which catch the most attention from a fan.
Sentence: My main LOONA bias line is Heejin, Yves, and Jinsoul.
CA (Cultural Appropriation)
Definition: When someone takes elements or items from an ethnic minority group and uses them disrespectfully for their own aesthetics.
Sentence: Cultural appropriation is sadly more common in K-Pop than we think. I wish that we weren’t so ignorant.
Center
Definition: An idol with a recognizable face that is most often times in the center of a group formation.
Sentence: Ryujin is the center of ITZY.
Charts
Definition: Analytical data that has to deal with music streams, views, and sales, which are typically used in K-Pop to measure the success of a certain idol or group.
Sentence: It is really important to make sure that your favorite groups’ chart. That way they can gain recognition and have a flourishing career.
Choreography
Definition: Dance moves that go along with a song.
Sentence: ATEEZ is a group known for their fun and intense choreography.
Collaboration Project
Definition: A smaller group of idols from different groups who come together to make music together.
Sentence: Refund Sisters is a collaboration project between Lee Hyori, MAMAMOO’s Hwasa, Jessi, and Uhm Junghwa.
Contract
Definition: A legally binding document that ties an idol to a company.
Sentence: Chihoon, now former member of TO1, unfortunately terminated his exclusice contract with WAKEONE Entertainment in late April of 2022.
Cover
Definition: A stage or video in which a K-Pop artist will cover the song of another group or artist.
Sentence: I really enjoy TXT’s cover of SHINee’s Replay. The vocals are so charming!
Dancer
Definition: An idol who is especially talented in the art of dance.
Sentence: Though I personally do not like Stray Kids, I can admit that Hyunjin is a talented dancer.
Digital Single
Definition: A single song that is mainly promoted for digital streaming platforms.
Example: Weki Meki’s Dazzle Dazzle is a digital single which also has a physical copy.
Dispatch
Definition: A news company that is famous for leaking huge scandals within K-Pop, especially dating rumors.
Sentence: Did you hear that Dispatch has a huge couple to reveal on New Year? I wonder who it could be.
EP
Definition: Stands for extended play; a small compilation of songs that is shorter than a regular album yet runs longer than the typical single. Usualy consists of 3-6 songs with a run time of 30 minutes maximum.
Sentence: I really enjoy TXT’s EP Minisode 1: Blue Hour. My favorite song from it is Ghosting.
Ending Fairy
Definition: An ending shot of a performance where the idol will look into the camera and look pretty, like a fairy.
Sentence: Sana’s ending fairy in that I Can’t Stop Me performance was breathtaking! She is so gorgeous.
Enlistment
Definition: The mandatory eighteen-month sentence South Korean males aged between 18 and 28 serve.
Sentence: EXO’s Chen recently came back after his enlistment sentence.
Fan Wars
Definition: When fans of different groups get into a large, explosive fight.
Sentence: The girls on Queendom are literally becoming best friends, I don’t know why we need to have fan wars over it.
Fandom Name
Definition: What a group calls their fans.
Sentence: BTS’ fandom name is ARMY, which is very fitting.
Fixed Positions
Definition: When a group’s position are made official/in place in order to further structure in the group.
Sentence: TWICE’s fixed positions make a lot of sense. I feel like they fit the members really well.
Former Member
Definition: A past member of a group that has left the group for certain reasons.
Sentence: Hur Hyunjin, better known as Hwall, is a former member of The Boyz. He left the group for his health.
K-Drama
Definition: A Korean drama.
Sentence: My favorite K-Drama is Sweet Home. Do you watch K-Dramas?
Kawaii (可愛い)
Definition: the Japanese word for cute; used to describe things/people that are cute.
Sentence: I love the Sanrio characters. They are so kawaii.
Layout
Definition: the header and profile picture of an account on Twitter.
Sentence: I love when my layout matches with each other. It’s so satisfying.
Line Distribution
Definition: the percentage/time of lines an idol got in their groups’ songs.
Sentence: The line distribution in Red Velvet’s ‘Russian Roulette’ is actually pretty fair.
MC
Definition: stands for master of ceremonies; a speaker/co-host to the several music shows in K-pop.
Sentence: I think that Gugudan’s Mina is one of the most iconic MCs of all time.
Music Show Win
Definition: the winning of a music show award which is determined by fan votes.
Sentence: Twice earned their very first music show win through their hit Cheer Up.
Netizens
Definition: users on the internet who are active in the K-Pop (or in any) community. You may also see people use the term K-netizens (often shortened to K-nets), which is simply just the netizens who are located in Korea.
Sentence: Some netizens can be heavily critical, it makes me sad to see sometimes.
OST
Definition: A song recorded by a K-pop artist for a Korean drama.
Sentence: Jinsoul of LOONA has an OST song called “As Time Goes” for the drama “Meow, the Secret Boy”.
OTP
Definition: a friendship/romantic pairing of two idols in K-pop.
Sentence: My favorite friendship OTP is YulYen (Yuri + Yena) from IZ*One, who are now both soloists.
Positions
Definition: titles that determine the member in a group’s main job.
Sentence: Even though Jennie’s position in BlackPink is mainly just to rap, she has a really pretty singing voice which I enjoy.
Article by heejists
Related: Ultimate K-Pop Vocab Guide Part 1
K-Pop Positions Explained
Thank you so much for reading this article! I hope that you learned some new information:)
