Lost in Translation? Not Anymore!
When you first enter K-pop fandom, it can feel like learning a new dialect. Suddenly everyone’s saying things like “omg he’s my bias, but her aegyo is killing me, ISTG!” and you’re scratching your head.
Don’t worry, naiintindihan namin. We’ve all been there. Consider this your fandom dictionary 101, tailored for Pinoy stans. Allow us to introduce you to the fandom language and some of the words that are frequently used – from the cute and wholesome to the downright wild.
THE BASICS: STAN, BIAS, AND MORE
Let’s start at the very beginning. Stan—nope, it’s not the name of a random oppa. To stan someone means to be their passionate fan (the term actually comes from Eminem’s song “Stan,” but don’t worry about that trivia).
“I’m a huuuuge BTS stan!” basically means BTS is life. In Pinoy slang, you might say “Solid fan ako”—same lang.
Next up: bias. Your bias is your favorite member of a group—the one who stole your heart first. So if someone asks, “Who’s your bias in BLACKPINK?” you might answer “Jennie,” meaning she’s your fave. But uh-oh, enter the bias wrecker: that one member who keeps testing your loyalty! 😉
If Jennie’s your bias, but Lisa keeps wrecking your list every comeback with her charisma, Lisa is your bias wrecker (we feel you, ang hirap maging faithful). As Cosmo.ph quipped, a bias wrecker is “that one group member who keeps ruining your bias list.”
Now you’ll also hear ult or ult bias—that’s your #1 bias across all groups (short for “ultimate”). For example, you might bias Sunoo in ENHYPEN and Yeonjun in TXT, but your ult bias of all could be Taehyung (V) from BTS. And if you love an entire group above all, they become your ult group.
Many of us proudly say “ULT ko ang SB19!” or “Ult group ko ang TWICE,” meaning our one true love group.
FAN LIFE TERMINOLOGY: COMEBACKS, FANCAMS, AND FEELS
Moving on to everyday fandom terms: A comeback isn’t literally a return from hiatus (most of the time)—it’s what we call each new album or single release.
So when TWICE drops a new mini-album, we celebrate their comeback stage on music shows. Each comeback has a concept, or theme/style for that era (cute, girl crush, retro, etc.). We memorize fanchants—those synchronized fan shout-outs during songs—to show support at concerts.
For example, “Saranghaeyo, Kim Namjoon… Kim Seokjin…” (you know the rest if you’re ARMY 😜). A fancam is a fan-taken video, usually zoomed in on one member, that often goes viral on Twitter. (Who hasn’t been sidetracked watching a fancam compilation at least once, right?)
If you hang out on Stan Twitter, you’ll also see words like moots—meaning your mutual followers who are fellow fans (essentially your internet tropa in the fandom).
Fans often tweet “good morning to my NCT moots!” to greet their mutuals. We also use a lot of internet shorthand: ISTG = “I swear to God” (you’ll say this a lot when your idol does something unbelievably attractive—“ISTG, Jungkook’s new undercut will be the death of me”). And of course there’s LOL, OMG, TBH – those aren’t K-pop-specific, but you’ll see them sprinkled in fan memes and reactions all the time.
Don’t be surprised by some Korean words thrown in: aegyo means acting cute (and can make you weak when your bias does it). Maknae is the youngest member of a group, while unni/oppa/noona/hyung are terms for older sister/brother figures—fans sometimes call idols these based on age and gender (yes, we even accidentally yell “oppa!” at concerts even if they can’t hear us 🙈).
Hwaiting (or fighting!) is a cheer of encouragement—you’ll hear fans shout this to idols and to each other, like “Kaya mo yan – hwaiting!”
And what about merch? That’s short for merchandise—all the albums, lightsticks, photocard binders, shirts, etc., that drain our wallets. A true stan has at least a little merch collection (and many empty Shopee carts waiting for payday, amirite?).
WHEN FANDOM GETS INTENSE: DELULUS, SOLOS, AND SASAENGS
Not all fan lingo is sunshine and rainbows. Every fandom has some “extra” folks and issues, and of course we have terms for those too.
You might hear delulu, short for delusional, used playfully to tease a fan whose imagination is running wild—like that fan who jokes “omg oppa winked at me on stage, we’re basically married now” (uy, delulu si sis). It’s usually light banter, but can also describe someone who seriously believes they’ll date their idol one day.
If someone crosses into sasaeng territory, that’s no joke—sasaengs are the extreme, super obsessed fans who invade idols’ privacy. Sasaeng (사생) literally means “private life” in Korean, and these are the “fans” who don’t respect boundaries—the kind who stalk idols, invade their personal space, or leak private info. In other words, wag tularan! They give real fans a bad name. As one definition puts it, “Those sasaengs better not mess with my boys.” Exactly – we don’t claim them, okay?
You’ll also come across the term solo stan. This can mean two things: 1) a fan who only likes one member of a group, or 2) a fan who only stans solo artists (not groups).
In the first sense, it has a negative connotation—K-pop is all about group love, so if someone says “ugh she’s such a solo stan” they likely mean that fan only supports one member and might cause fandom drama.
Speaking of drama, fanwars are what happen when fandoms (or factions within fandoms) start fighting online—often over charts, awards, or whose oppa is better.
You’ve probably seen those Twitter trending tags or Facebook comment fights. Our advice: It’s usually not worth it. Stan culture is supposed to be fun! Unless someone’s spreading hate or misinformation, better to focus on loving your idols rather than fighting someone else’s.
One more: anti—basically a hater. If you see someone calling themselves an anti of a group, they’re proudly proclaiming they dislike them. (Medyo weird, ’no? Why spend energy on hate? But they exist.) In such cases, fan vocabulary comes in handy too: “Kalmado mga bes, report and block the anti.” We protect our faves at all costs, but we do it the right way—no need to stoop to the haters’ level.
STANNING IN TAGLISH – IT’S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES™
Filipino K-pop fans, of course, put our own makulay spin on things. We mix English, Tagalog, and fandom terms like it’s the most natural thing. You’ll see tweets like, “Grabe, Jungwoo is so pogi 😭 sana all bias ko.” (Translation: he’s so handsome, I wish everyone’s bias could be like mine—basically bragging with love).
We say “kilig to the bones” when our idols interact or do fan service. Many fangirls call their bias “asawa ko” or “jowa ko” jokingly—claiming them as a husband or boyfriend in a fantasy way.
You’ll also hear “luh, warla na ’to” (oh no, it’s war) when a fanwar is brewing, or “charot” after a bold statement to indicate we’re kidding (or half-kidding 😂).
This blend of fan lingo and Pinoy humor makes our community feel unique and homey. It’s like speaking in code that only fellow stans truly get, which makes us feel closer.
Even P-pop fans use much of this lingo now, because the fandom culture that K-pop popularized has intertwined with ours.
Terms like bias, comeback, and fandom names (shoutout to A’TIN, ACEs, Blooms and more!) are standard across both K-pop and P-pop scenes. It creates a sense of camaraderie—you could be at a café and overhear someone say “sobrang bias wrecker si Stell lately” and you’d know exactly what they mean (go ahead, make friends with them!).
EMBRACE YOUR INNER LINGUIST, STAN!
Learning fandom lingo is like unlocking a new level of stan life. Suddenly all those tweets and TikTok comments make sense. You start saying “OMG my heartu can’t handle, I’m soft stan na” out loud and your non-fan friends give you weird looks, but it’s okay—we got you.
The best part of this unique language is how it bonds us. When you tweet “anyoengz, let’s spazz later after the MV drops,” and someone replies with a barrage of keyboard smashes and “YAS!”—you’ve found a kindred spirit.
“Let’s spazz together on Twitter!” as one example in a fandom guide says—it means let’s fangirl/fanboy together, which is basically the motto of our lives.
So, don’t be shy. Use the slang. Teach it to your curious friends or even your parents (hey, some of our moms know “saranghae” and “annyeong” at least!).
Throw around “Daebak!” when something is awesome, or “sana all” when jealous in a lighthearted way. The lingo is all part of the fun of being in this global community. And when in doubt, bookmark this article or do a quick search—there are glossaries everywhere, and before you know it, you’ll be explaining to newbies what a “selca” is (a selfie, in K-pop speak) or why everyone is tweeting a certain hashtag at 12MN KST.
By speaking this language, we keep the fandom spirit alive and show our idols we’re united.
Even FanFlare (@fanflareapp) taps into this energy, using fandom terms as it rallies Filipino fans to promote K-culture. It’s a cultural thing now—our own little world of words that bring us kilig and belonging. 💖
Ready na ba kayo? Now that you’ve leveled up in lingo, go forth and tweet/post like the proud stan you are! Drop your favorite fan terms or any funny miscommunications you had as a newbie. Tag @fanflareapp and share the laughs. In the wise words of every K-drama character ever: Fighting! You’ve got this, and ISTG your bias would be proud. 😜
