KPOP A–Z
B
Behind the Scenes · Billboard 200 · Billboard Global 200 · Billboard Hot 100 · Bonsang (Main Prize) · Boy Group · Bugs
E
K
K-Chart · K-pop · Killing Part · Korean Age · KST
M
O
S
Sasaeng · Setlist · Shipping · Show Champion · Soloist · Song of the Year · Stan
Charts and records (21 terms)
- All-Kill (AK)
- A song reaching No. 1 on all six major Korean music services at once, as defined by iChart. List: 66 ()
- Perfect All-Kill (PAK)
- An iChart record for a song that is No. 1 on iChart's real-time and weekly charts while also achieving an All-Kill. List: 137 ()
- Album Sales
- How many copies of an album have sold; Korea has both shipment-based and store-sales figures.
- Billboard 200
- Billboard's weekly ranking of the most popular albums in the United States, measured in album-equivalent units.
- Billboard Global 200
- Billboard's weekly song chart covering more than 200 territories, launched in September 2020.
- Billboard Hot 100
- Billboard's weekly ranking of the most popular songs in the United States.
- Bugs
- A Korean music streaming service run by NHN Bugs.
- Certified All-Kill (CAK)
- A fan term for topping Korea's major music services and iChart's real-time chart at once; the conditions vary from article to article.
- First-week Sales (Chodong)
- How many copies an album sells in the seven days after release, as tracked by Hanteo Chart.
- Circle Chart
- South Korea's official music chart, run by a music industry association and formerly called Gaon Chart.
- Daily Chart
- A ranking compiled one day at a time, published by Korean streaming services and Hanteo Chart.
- Genie
- A Korean music streaming service run by KT-affiliated Genie Music.
- Hanteo Chart
- A Korean music chart that tallies actual sales from partner stores in real time.
- iChart
- A South Korean chart that merges the rankings of six major music streaming services into one score.
- Melon Chart
- The song rankings of Melon, a major Korean music streaming service; its main chart is the TOP100.
- Realtime All-Kill (RAK)
- A fan term for topping Korean real-time music charts at once; no official body defines or tracks it.
- Chart Reverse Run
- An older song climbing the charts well after release because it gains new popularity.
- Unique Listeners
- A count of how many different people played a song in a given period, with each person counted once however often they listen.
- View Count
- How many times a video or song has been played, which YouTube calls views.
- 100 Million Views
- A music video passing 100 million views, a milestone reported by the press.
- 24-hour Views
- How many times a music video is watched in its first 24 hours.
Awards (8 terms)
- Daesang (Grand Prize)
- The top prize at a Korean music award show; the number and names of daesang categories differ by ceremony. List: 47 ()
- Album of the Year
- An award for the most successful album of the year, usually a ceremony's top honor. List: 9 ()
- Artist of the Year
- An award for the most successful singer or group of the year, usually a ceremony's top honor. List: 9 ()
- Bonsang (Main Prize)
- A prize given to several artists at a Korean music award show to honor the year's work; the daesang ranks above it. List: 88 ()
- Rookie Award
- An award for recently debuted singers and groups, given at Korean music award shows. List: 29 ()
- Song of the Year
- An award a music ceremony gives to the one song that defined the year. List: 11 ()
- The Fact Music Awards (TMA)
- A Korean music award show hosted by the media outlet The Fact since 2019.
- Year-end Award Shows
- The cluster of Korean music award shows held from November into January, as the press calls it.
Programs (11 terms)
- Music Show Win
- First place on a Korean weekly music show, given to the song with the highest score under the show's official formula. List: 488 ()
- Encore Stage
- The closing performance on a Korean music show where the week's winner sings the winning song again.
- First Win
- A singer or group's first-ever music show win after debut.
- Comeback Stage
- A music show performance an artist gives as part of promoting new music after a comeback.
- Ending Fairy
- The member shown alone in close-up at the very end of a music show performance.
- Goodbye Stage
- The last music show performance that closes an artist's promotions for a new song.
- Pre-recording
- Filming some stages before a live music show airs; Korean "sanok".
- Show Champion
- A live K-pop music show from MBC PLUS that names a "Champion Song" as its No. 1 each week.
- Grand Slam (music shows)
- A Korean press term for one song winning first place on every major music show of its promotion period.
- K-Chart
- The name of KBS Music Bank's weekly ranking, which decides the show's first-place song. List: 127 ()
- Triple Crown (music shows)
- Winning first place three times with the same song on the same Korean music show.
Releases and songs (4 terms)
- Featuring
- Bringing another artist onto one act's song as a guest to take a vocal or other part.
- Killing Part
- A short moment in a song that leaves a strong impression.
- OST
- Music made for a drama, film or other work; short for "original soundtrack".
- Debut Song
- The first song a singer or group releases at their debut.
Groups and careers (9 terms)
- Boy Group
- A group of young male singers performing popular music.
- Dance Line
- The members of a group who mainly handle the dancing.
- Girl Group
- A group made up of young female singers of popular music.
- Hiatus
- A period when a group or singer stops their activities.
- MBTI
- A questionnaire that describes personality preferences as one of 16 four-letter types.
- Pre-debut
- Releasing songs or performing before an official debut.
- Rap Line
- The members of a group who mainly handle the rapping.
- Soloist
- A singer who performs and releases music under their own name alone.
- Vocal Line
- The members of a group who mainly handle the singing.
Fandom (7 terms)
- Anti
- Someone who dislikes an artist and tries to hurt them or damage their popularity.
- Fan Cafe
- An online community where a star's fans gather, hosted on a Korean portal site.
- Fan Service
- Gestures and extras an artist offers to delight fans, such as encores, blown kisses and signing events.
- Homma
- A fan who photographs idols at concerts and commutes and posts the photos online.
- Sasaeng
- An obsessive fan who intrudes on an artist's private life; from Korean 사생팬.
- Shipping
- Imagining or hoping that two people are in a romantic relationship, or the pair itself.
- Stan
- A very enthusiastic fan, or to support someone that way; probably from Eminem's 2000 song "Stan".
Concerts and events (2 terms)
Videos and performances (5 terms)
- Behind the Scenes
- A video of what happens off camera at an MV or other shoot, showing the members between takes.
- Dance Break
- A section partway through a song given over to showing off the choreography.
- Fancam
- Stage footage shot by a fan, or posted under the same name by a music show's official channel.
- MR Removed
- A stage video with the backing track (MR) taken out, leaving only the singing.
- Relay Dance
- An M2 video series in which a group's members line up and take turns dancing the choreography of their new song.
Industry (3 terms)
- Hallyu (Korean Wave)
- The spread of Korean culture abroad, and the consumption of cultural products that comes with it.
- K-pop
- Popular music made in Korea.
- Rookie
- A singer or group that has recently debuted.
Language and forms of address (1 terms)
- Korean Age
- Korea's traditional age count: one at birth, plus a year every January 1.
Japan (2 terms)
- Japan Debut
- The release or event an artist who debuted in Korea presents as its debut in Japan.
- NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen
- NHK's New Year's Eve music show in Japan, with singers split into a red team and a white team.