K-pop is slowly enveloping every country with its wide popularity, vibrant performers and lovely faced celebrities. And after a successful One Korea Concert in Manila last week, the K-pop phenomenon has just grown even bigger.
Because of this, K-pop has grown within itself its own language which consists its own terms that is fairly unrecognizable to the regular person. But if you are a K-pop fan boy or fan girl, you sure need to know the basics of speaking their tongue.
Here are a few of them, according to Inquirer:
1. Oppa
Oppa is the Korean term for big brother. Women are the ones who use this term when referring to an older male person. It is a sign of respect for them. However, in the Korean drama, "One Percent of Something", it was observed that the female protagonist referred the term "oppa" to any male who is good-looking.
2. Hyung
Hyung is used by men to refer to older males. One example of this is SHINee's Choi Minho who refers to the members of Super Junior as hyung.
3. Noona and Eonnie
Meanwhile, men call their older female counterparts as "noona", and women call older females as "eonnie'.
4. Maknae
Makane is the term to call the person who is youngest in the group. Koreans, especially K-pop groups strictly consider the age as it is a sign of how much respect they show the person. Younger members are usually treated less seriously than the older ones.
5. Sasaeng
Sasaeng fans are the fans who are crazy about their idols. These people usually do anything just to make their presence known to their fanaticized idol. Koreans have a very bad connotation when it comes to Sasaengs. In one occasion, 2PM's Taecyon received a letter that was written in her fan's menstruation blood.
With all of these being said, K-pop is surely a very interesting entertainment culture. According to Vox, despite the current issue that Korea and China are in, K-pop is still continuing to thrive. And with this, if you're listening to their music and watching their films, you should get to know first their language and terms. You'll surely be in tune for more.
