
K-pop fans or stans have some fun vocabulary to describe their experiences, emotions, and activities.
Here are the K-pop fandom terms used by Korean fans!
Quick Summary
- Deokhu means a stan or someone deeply dedicated to their fandom.
- Deokjil refers to fandom activities, such as collecting merchandise, attending concerts, streaming music, and participating in online communities.
- Seongdeok is a successful fan who achieves their dream of meeting or interacting with their idol.
- Jogong means tribute where fans give gifts to celebrities as a gesture of love and support.
What Is Deokhu and Deokjil?
First things first. You’ll frequently see the word, “deok (pronounced as duck),” from this dictionary.
It’s from deokhu and deokjil, which are essential terms in K-pop fandom.
Deokhu originates from a Korean adaptation of the Japanese word, otaku, which means enthusiast.
Koreans playfully changed otaku to odeokhu (오덕후), then shortened it to odeok (오덕) or deokhu (덕후).
- Deokhu (덕후): Someone who is deeply dedicated to their fandom or a stan.
- Deokjil (덕질): Fandom activities, such as collecting merchandise, attending concerts, streaming music, and participating in online communities.
Deokhu initially had a somewhat negative nuance but it’s now widely accepted and even celebrated in fandom culture. Fans might proudly call themselves “BTS deokhu” or “EXO deokhu.”
General K-Pop Fandom Terms
- Choiae (최애): Your ultimate bias, the member or group you love the most.
- Chaae (차애): Your second favorite member or group.
- Ipdeok (입덕): The act of becoming a fan. Literally translates to “entering fandom.”
- Taldeok (탈덕): Leaving the fandom or no longer being a fan.
- Hyudeok (휴덕): Taking a break from fangirling/fanboying.
Types of K-Pop Fans
- Yeodeok (여덕) or Namdeok (남덕): Female or male fans, respectively.
- Gyeomdeok (겸덕) or Japdeok (잡덕): Multi-fandom fans who love more than one idol or group.
- Yatdeok (얕덕): Casual fans who enjoy K-pop casually.
- Seongdeok (성덕): A successful fan who achieves their dream of meeting or interacting with their idol. This one is the most commonly used term.
- Homma (홈마): Short for homepage master, which refers to a fan who takes photos of a celebrity and uploads them to their dedicated fan website or social media platform. They often have high-quality cameras and photography skills.
- Deokmeh (덕메): An abbreviation for deokjil and mate, which means a friend that you enjoy fandom activities together.
Terms Related to K-Pop Fandom Activities
- Seuming (스밍): Streaming an idol’s music on platforms like Melon or Spotify.
- Sumseuming (숨스밍): Streaming continuously, as naturally as breathing.
- Ipseuming (입스밍): Claiming to stream but not actually doing it.
- Noseuming (노스밍): Not streaming.
- Gongbang (공방): Attending live broadcasts of music shows like Music Bank or Show Champion.
- Chonggong (총공): A total attack, where fans focus all their efforts on a specific goal, such as streaming, voting, or hashtagging.
- Jogong (조공): Originally refers to “tribute” in a historical context but in fandom culture, it means fans giving gifts to celebrities as a gesture of love and support.
- Yeokjogong (역조공): Literally “reverse tribute,” where the K-pop artist gives gifts to their fans during fan meetings, concerts, or special events to show gratitude.
K-Pop Concert & Merchandise Terms
- Makkon (막콘): The last concert in a series.
- Olkon (올콘): Attending every concert in a tour.
- Chwiketting (취켓팅): Hunting for canceled tickets after someone fails to pay.
- Goods (굿즈): Merch.
- Poka (포카): Photocards featuring idols, often included in albums.
- Kolbuk (콜북): A collector book for storing photocards.
- Bigonggut (비공굿): Unofficial merchandise created by fans.
- Topku (탑꾸): Decorating a top loader (photo card protector) to personalize it.
Korean Slang & Fun Expressions
- Deoktongsago (덕통사고): Falling for an idol unexpectedly, like being in a traffic accident of fandom emotions.
- Muggle (머글): Borrowed from Harry Potter, this refers to non-fans who don’t understand the magic of K-pop.
- Eodeokhaengdeok (어덕행덕): “If you’re going to fangirl/boy, do it happily.”
- Deokgyemot (덕계못): “Fans can’t be lucky,” referring to the impossibility of meeting the idol in person.
- Saengil-shi (생일시): Celebrating an idol’s birthday by syncing the time to their birthdate. For example, Suga’s birthday (March 9) is celebrated at 3:09.
- Saengka (생카): Birthday cafes decorated to celebrate an idol’s special day.
- Ilko (일코): Short for ordinary person cosplay, which means pretending to be a non-fan to avoid judgment, stereotypes, or unwanted attention from society.
These terms are the tip of the iceberg in the world of K-pop fandom.
I hope this guide will help you navigate the fun K-pop community!