GLOSSARY

ARMY speaks a language. Here's the dictionary.

Every fandom has a language. ARMY has a galaxy. Below: the words you'll hear at concerts, in tweets, and across Weverse, what they mean, where they came from, how to use them, and how confident we are in the origin. Every entry has its own anchor link.

41 of 41 terms.

A

Aegyo

애교

Reputable media
Meaning
A cute, exaggerated display of charm, pouty voice, finger hearts, baby-talk. A K-pop variety-show staple, often demanded of idols on cue.
Origin
Standard Korean term; widely embedded in K-pop entertainment culture.
Example
"Watching Jin do aegyo while clearly suffering is the joke."
Related
Run BTS!

Anti

Anti-fan

Reputable media
Meaning
Someone who actively works to harm an idol or group, defamation, harassment campaigns, organized downvoting. A real and policed phenomenon in K-pop.
Origin
Standard K-pop term; treated as a security and PR issue by labels.
Example
"Reporting an anti's hate post is its own ARMY chore."

ARMY

Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth

Official
Meaning
The official name of the BTS fandom, both the collective and an individual fan.
Origin
Announced by BIGHIT MUSIC on July 9, 2013, a month after BTS debuted.
Example
"I've been ARMY since 2017, Spring Day pulled me in."

ARMY Bomb

Official
Meaning
The official BTS lightstick, a purple-glowing orb that syncs with stage lighting at concerts via Bluetooth. Owning one is a fandom milestone.
Origin
Released by BIGHIT MUSIC starting in 2015 (Ver.1); the current generation (Ver.4 SE / Special Edition) syncs with the BTS Official Lightstick app.
Example
"The full stadium of ARMY bombs turning purple at the same time, that's the moment."

B

BANGTAN BOMB

Official
Meaning
Short behind-the-scenes video clips of BTS, backstage, dance-practice goofs, dorm moments, released via BANGTANTV on YouTube.
Origin
Series launched by BIGHIT MUSIC on the BANGTANTV YouTube channel in 2013; hundreds of episodes archived.
Example
"The Bangtan Bomb where they ruin Jin's birthday cake is required ARMY viewing."

BANGTANTV

Official
Meaning
BTS's official YouTube channel, music videos, dance practices, BANGTAN BOMBs, and behind-the-scenes content. One of the most subscribed K-pop channels.
Origin
Launched by BIGHIT MUSIC on December 17, 2012, six months before BTS officially debuted.
Example
"Subscribe to BANGTANTV, that's where the dance practices live."

Bias

Reputable media
Meaning
Your favorite member of the group, the one you're most drawn to. A K-pop fandom universal.
Origin
General K-pop fandom vocabulary, in use since the 2000s.
Example
"My bias is RM, but the whole group has my heart."

Bias Wrecker

Fan culture
Meaning
The member who keeps tempting you to switch biases, the one who "wrecks" your loyalty to your current bias.
Origin
General K-pop fandom vocabulary, popularized in the 2010s.
Example
"Jimin is my bias, but j-hope is constantly wrecking me."
Related
BiasOT7

Big Hit

Big Hit Entertainment / BIGHIT MUSIC

Official
Meaning
The label that signed and debuted BTS, founded by Bang Si-hyuk. Now operates as BIGHIT MUSIC under HYBE.
Origin
Founded by Bang Si-hyuk in 2005; rebranded to HYBE in March 2021, with BIGHIT MUSIC continuing as the BTS-specific label.
Example
"Big Hit was a small company when they took a chance on a hip-hop group from Daegu."

Bon Voyage

Official
Meaning
A travel reality series following BTS on group trips with minimal staff intervention. Four seasons aired (Northern Europe, Hawaii, Malta, New Zealand).
Origin
Produced by BIGHIT MUSIC; Season 1 (Northern Europe) premiered June 2016 on V Live.
Example
"Bon Voyage Season 4 in New Zealand was peak member-only chaos."

Borahae

보라해 / I Purple You

Official
Meaning
A fan-favorite expression meaning "I'll trust and love you for a long time," because purple is the last color of the rainbow.
Origin
Coined by V (Kim Taehyung) at the 3rd BTS Muster on November 12, 2016.
Example
"Stay safe, eat well, borahae 💜"

BTS o'clock

Fan culture
Meaning
The chaotic time-of-day fans recognize when BIGHIT drops a tweet, Weverse post, or surprise content, usually inconvenient for everyone's local timezone.
Origin
Fan-coined nickname for the time-zone math the fandom does to catch live moments.
Example
"It's BTS o'clock somewhere, better check Weverse."

C

Chapter 2

Official
Meaning
BTS's post-2022 phase, solo releases, military service, and the period leading to the group's full reunion. Officially framed by the members and BIGHIT.
Origin
Framed by BTS in the June 2022 FESTA dinner video and reiterated in BIGHIT MUSIC's subsequent announcements.
Example
"Chapter 2 is where each member got to show us who they are alone."

Comeback

Reputable media
Meaning
A K-pop term for an artist's return with new music, a new album, single, or mini-album, accompanied by promotional performances. Not a literal absence.
Origin
Standard K-pop industry vocabulary.
Example
"ARIRANG is the first full-group comeback since Chapter 2 began."

Concept Photo

Reputable media
Meaning
Pre-release promotional photos for an album, styled around the album's visual concept. Usually released in batches across several days before a comeback.
Origin
Standard K-pop comeback rollout vocabulary.
Example
"The concept photos for Map of the Soul: 7 broke the internet."

Cupsleeve

Fan culture
Meaning
A fan-organized birthday or anniversary event at a cafe, fans get themed cup sleeves, photocards, and posters with their drink. Bias birthday tradition.
Origin
Fan-organized celebration format that originated in Korean K-pop fandom and spread globally.
Example
"There's a cupsleeve event for Jimin's birthday at three different cafes this weekend."

D

Daesang

대상

Reputable media
Meaning
The grand prize at a Korean year-end music awards show, Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, etc. The highest industry honor.
Origin
Standard Korean music-industry term; BTS won their first Daesang at the 2016 MAMA (Artist of the Year).
Example
"They swept the daesangs at MAMA that year."
Related
Comeback

F

Fancam

Reputable media
Meaning
A fan-shot video focused on a single member during a performance, usually full-song, single-camera, posted to social. A K-pop fandom infrastructure.
Origin
Standard K-pop fandom format; fan-cam culture predates BTS and remains a major content stream on social platforms.
Example
"The Jimin Filter fancam from a 2019 show is still one of the most-viewed."

Fansign

팬싸

Reputable media
Meaning
An official album-signing event where lottery-winning fans get a few seconds at a table with each member to chat and have their album signed.
Origin
Standard K-pop comeback-promotion format; access is typically tied to album purchases.
Example
"I cried at my first fansign, Jung Kook gave me a finger heart."

FESTA

Official
Meaning
An annual BTS anniversary celebration in June, a multi-day event around the June 13 debut anniversary, with free content, group photos, family portraits, and (some years) a free song.
Origin
Run by BIGHIT MUSIC since 2014 to mark each year since BTS's June 13, 2013 debut.
Example
"FESTA week is when ARMY camps on the timeline waiting for the family photo."

G

Golden Maknae

Fan culture
Meaning
Affectionate nickname for Jung Kook because he's the youngest member yet excels at singing, dancing, drawing, sports, and almost everything else he tries.
Origin
Coined within the fandom in the early HYYH era; widely picked up by Korean and international media.
Example
"Of course he nailed the high note on the first take, golden maknae."
Related
Maknae

H

HYBE

Official
Meaning
The parent entertainment company that owns BIGHIT MUSIC and BTS's recording contracts. Publicly listed on KOSPI.
Origin
Rebranded from Big Hit Entertainment in March 2021; IPO'd on the Korean Stock Exchange in October 2020.
Example
"HYBE owns Weverse, BIGHIT MUSIC, and several other K-pop labels."

Hyung

형

Reputable media
Meaning
Korean term used by a younger male to address an older male, translates loosely as "older brother." In BTS, the four oldest (Jin, SUGA, j-hope, RM) are the hyung line.
Origin
Standard Korean honorific.
Example
"Jung Kook teasing his hyungs is the entire premise of Run BTS."
Related
Maknae

I

In the SOOP

인 더 숲

Official
Meaning
A laid-back reality series where BTS retreats to a forested house ("soop" = forest in Korean) to cook, paint, fish, and decompress. Two seasons aired.
Origin
Produced by HYBE; Season 1 premiered August 2020, Season 2 in October 2021.
Example
"In the SOOP is BTS without a schedule, that's the whole appeal."

M

Maknae

막내

Reputable media
Meaning
Korean term for the youngest member of a group or family. In BTS, this is Jung Kook.
Origin
Standard Korean kinship term; used across all K-pop groups.
Example
"Watch the maknae try to out-dance his hyungs, classic Run BTS."

Muster

Official
Meaning
An official fan-meeting event held by BIGHIT MUSIC where BTS performs, plays games, and interacts directly with ARMY. Numbered by edition (1st Muster, 2nd Muster, etc.).
Origin
Official BIGHIT event series; the 1st Muster was held in Seoul on March 29, 2014.
Example
"Borahae was first said on stage at the 3rd Muster."

O

OT7

One The 7 / All Seven

Fan culture
Meaning
Loving and supporting all seven members of BTS equally, with no ranking. A core ARMY value.
Origin
Fandom shorthand that became a covenant; widely used across ARMY spaces from the early years onward.
Example
"I have a bias, but I'm OT7, every member matters."

P

Pajeon

파전

Fan culture
Meaning
Korean scallion pancake, and inside the fandom, a callback to a Run BTS cooking-game disaster involving Jin and Jimin trying to make pajeon.
Origin
The food is a Korean staple; the fandom meme traces back to a Run BTS! episode.
Example
"I made pajeon for dinner and immediately thought of the Run BTS episode."
Related
Run BTS!

Photocard

PC

Reputable media
Meaning
A small collectible card with a member's photo, randomly included with album purchases. Traded between fans like sports cards.
Origin
Standard K-pop album-inclusion item since the late 2000s.
Example
"I'd trade three of my Jin PCs for one of your Yoongi PCs."

Pomichodai

Fan culture
Meaning
Fan in-joke from BTS's Japanese activities, a mispronunciation/playful version of "motto kudasai" ("more please") that lives in fandom memory.
Example
"Pomichodai, give us more behind-the-scenes content please."

R

Run BTS!

달려라 방탄

Official
Meaning
A variety show starring the seven members playing increasingly elaborate games, doing chaotic challenges, and roasting each other. The fandom's comfort watch.
Origin
Produced by BIGHIT MUSIC; first episode aired August 1, 2015 on V Live (now hosted on Weverse).
Example
"When I have a bad day, I rewatch Run BTS Ep. 70."

S

Sasaeng

사생팬

Reputable media
Meaning
An obsessive fan who violates an idol's privacy, stalking, hacking, following hotels and airports. Not fandom. Reported on, never celebrated.
Origin
Standard Korean fandom term, used by Korean media and idols themselves.
Example
"Sasaeng behavior is not ARMY. We don't share flight info, and we don't follow."
Related
Anti

Solo Stan

Fan culture
Meaning
A fan who supports only one BTS member and actively tears down the others. Distinct from someone who simply has a bias. Treated as the opposite of OT7.
Origin
Fandom-coined; the term carries a strongly negative valence in ARMY spaces.
Example
"Solo stans aren't ARMY, ARMY is OT7."

Sope

소프

Fan culture
Meaning
Ship/unit name for the duo SUGA + j-hope, "SO" from SUGA and "PE" / "HOPE" from j-hope. Best known for the song "Cypher PT.2: Triptych" and Hwagae Marketplace.
Origin
Fan-coined nickname, embraced by the members themselves; SUGA and j-hope have referenced "Sope-ME" repeatedly across content.
Example
"The Sope ad-libs in Cypher PT.2 still go unmatched."
Related
OT7

Stream

Reputable media
Meaning
To play a song or video on a streaming platform, used as a verb in fandom organizing ("stream Spring Day," "stream the MV"). Streams count toward charts.
Origin
Standard music-industry verb that became core fandom vocabulary as streaming overtook physical sales.
Example
"Stream Dynamite responsibly, no looping on mute."

T

Trainee

연습생

Reputable media
Meaning
A young person signed to a K-pop label who undergoes years of singing, dancing, language, and media training before potentially debuting in a group.
Origin
Standard K-pop industry term. Most BTS members trained for 2–3 years before debut.
Example
"Jung Kook joined Big Hit as a trainee at 14."

W

Weverse

Official
Meaning
HYBE's official fan-community app where BTS members post directly to fans, official content is published, and live-streams happen. Replaced V Live in 2022.
Origin
Launched by HYBE (then Big Hit Entertainment) in June 2019; absorbed V Live's content and features in early 2022.
Example
"Jung Kook went on Weverse Lives at 3am again."

Weverse Shop

Official
Meaning
The official HYBE merchandise and album store, the safest place to buy BTS albums, official merch, and Muster/FESTA exclusives.
Origin
Launched by HYBE as the official sales channel for HYBE artists.
Example
"I pre-ordered the ARIRANG vinyl from Weverse Shop the second it dropped."

Worldwide Handsome

Official
Meaning
Self-deprecating, self-aware nickname Jin gave himself, a running joke that the fandom (and his bandmates) cheerfully play along with.
Origin
Coined by Jin during a 2017 BBMAs red-carpet interview when asked how he stays so handsome.
Example
"Worldwide Handsome strikes again, that airport photo is unreal."
Related
Bias

Y

Yet To Come

Official
Meaning
The title track of Proof (2022) and a thesis statement for the group's next chapter, "the best moment is yet to come." Also the name of the Busan concert that closed Chapter 1.
Origin
Released by BIGHIT MUSIC on June 10, 2022 as part of the anthology album Proof; the Busan free concert followed in October 2022.
Example
"When they sing "the best is yet to come," the whole stadium believes it."

#

6/13

June 13

Official
Meaning
BTS's debut anniversary, June 13, 2013, the release date of the "No More Dream" single album. Annually celebrated during FESTA.
Origin
Official debut date per BIGHIT MUSIC; the foundation of all FESTA programming.
Example
"Every 6/13, I rewatch the No More Dream MV and feel old."

Missing a term?

ARMY's vocabulary grows every comeback. If we missed something, or got an origin wrong, let us know and we'll add it with credit.

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