TXT's will make MOAs so emotional.
With so many K-pop groups and singers in the world, it's important for new and existing fans alike to brush up on the backstory behind each fandom. Before rocking merch exclusive to one artist or repping your faves with their signature light stick at a show, get to know what the fandom names represent — and how they started. This list of K-pop group fandom names shows all of the biggest artists have a nickname they call their followers, and they're always packed with so much underlying meaning.
As any K-pop lover can tell you, fandom names make fans feel so connected with each other. Often, they’re related to the artist's name, or they reference a special song by them. Knowing the backstory behind each makes you feel like you’re in on a very cool secret.
There are so many K-pop artists with big followings, so it may be hard to remember every single fandom name out there. That's where this little guide comes in. Whenever you find yourself joining a new fandom, keep this list bookmarked. It will provide a much-needed intro to your new community.
BTS is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which J-Hope once explained means to be "resistant to [the] bullets" society aims at teens. It was only fitting, then, that the group named their fandom ARMY, aka, Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth.
While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in July 2021, RM revealed they almost called their fans “The Bells” because, in Korean, it sounds like “bang wool,” which is similar to their group name, Bangtan Sonyeondan. “Thank God that [it changed]. ARMY is so much better,” he said.
This one is pretty self-explanatory: BLINK is a combination of "black" and "pink."
A month after TXT debuted in March 2019, they revealed the original name for their fans, “Young One,” which is a play on the Korean word for “forever.” However, in May 2019, they announced they changed it due to similarities with another fandom name. That August, TXT finally announced their fans are called “M.O.A,” which stands for “moments of alwaysness,” because they believe they’ll be with fans “always and forever.” Thankfully, things ended up working out because now, fans can’t imagine being called anything other than “M.O.A.”
"If you love us even once, we will repay your love with twice of our love," TWICE said of their fandom name, adding ONCE and TWICE "go together like needle and thread."
Monsta X has one of the most endearing names for their fans. In French, Monbebe is the equivalent of "my baby,” “my darling,” “my lover,” or “my soulmate.”
To officially kick off his solo career after his departure from Monsta X in October 2019, Wonho declared his fans as Wenee, which is short for "WE are NEw ending" or "We need."
Before SEVENTEEN's debut in 2015, they performed a song called "Shining Diamonds," so to honor their early days, they dubbed their fans carats, who help them shine.
Seven is a lucky number and represents the number of members in the group, so "iGOT7," means to be lucky to have each other. In Korea, the fandom name is shortened to "AhGaSe," which means a baby bird, as seen on the group's light stick.
As you may have guessed, ReVeluv is a combination of "Red Velvet" and "love." "We chose it because we wanted the name to represent the loving relationship that Red Velvet has with all of you. So let’s love each other and treasure each other for a really long time," the group explained in an April 2017 Instagram post about the name.
NCTzen is a play on of "citizen," so calling yourself an NCTzen means you're loyal to NCT.
Apart from being a clever reference to their name, STAY also represents how Stray Kids always wants to stay by their fans' side.
MIDZY has a double meaning because it not only rhymes with ITZY, but it also references the Korean word for trust, 믿지 (midji).
If you mash "ATEEZ" with "destiny," you get "ATINY," which means the group and their fans were meant to be together.
MooMoo adorably plays on the group's name. Since the word also means radish in Korean, their light stick is shaped like the vegetable, too.
L stands for love because EXO loves and appreciates all their fans. It's also located between K and M in the alphabet, so EXO-L is always surrounded and protected by two of the group's sub-units EXO-K and EXO-M.
(G)I-DLE's Korean name includes the words "girl" and "children," so naming their fans after Peter Pan's Neverland — the place where children remain young forever — was a perfect idea. "The meaning is that we will be with our fans for a long time and not change," the group said in their October 2018 announcement about the name.
E.L.F is an acronym for everlasting friend, representing Super Junior and their fans' tight bond.
Since fans mean everything to the group, Pentagon considers them their universe. "You are my universe, I can be your pentagon," they sing in their self-titled debut EP.
Besides being a play on the word "iconic," iKONIC means that fans are part of iKON, hence why the words are so close in spelling.
The people you consider the closest to you are part of your inner circle, so it's a fitting name for WINNER's fans, who are always there for them.
For the first two years after Day6's debut in 2015, fans referred to themselves as "Sunday." Finally, in 2017, the group announced their fans will officially be called "My Day," named after their song of the same name released that year. It means Day6 and their fans are the sources of energy that make each other's day.
If WIZ*ONE made you think of wizard, that's because IZ*ONE's fans are "making a magical future" with them.
"Bits" means light in Korean, so "orbits" are the lights that surround LOONA.
Since MOMOLAND wants people of all ages and genders to enjoy their music, their fandom name perfectly represents that message because to them, Merry Go Round is a "ride that people who usually can’t go on rides go on," and "once you get on, you can’t get off."
The B stands for The Boyz's Vitamin because fans give the group energy like vitamins.
In Korean, "Young Ones" translates to forever, so apart from referencing her last name, the title symbolizes how Young will be with fans for eternity.
The group thought of Shawol by combining "SHINee" and "world" together.
It's obvious why GFRIEND calls their friends "buddies": they consider them close like friends.
Pink Panda references both APINK's name and the Korean word for "fan" (paen).
CRAVITY, the rookie K-pop group from Starship Entertainment, calls their fans “LUVITY.” During a May 2020 VLIVE, they explained the name is for “people who love CRAVITY.”
The same day they debuted on Nov. 20, 2020, Aespa announced their fandom name is called “MY.” Based on the Korean word “Hwangya,” which means wilderness, Aespa uses the term Kwangya to describe fans as “the most precious friend” in the fictional, virtual world that appears across their artwork and videos.
If you love ENHYPEN, consider yourself an ENGENE. According to a press release by the group’s agency, Belift Lab, the name is a combination of the words "engine" and "gene,” and it has two meanings. First of all, it represents how fans are the engine that drives ENHYPEN’s growth and development. Secondly, it represents the belief that the group shares a "gene" with their fans to connect, discover, and grow with each other.
"It means the future of being together forever with fans who exist for EVERGLOW," the group told their followers.
No matter how big or small a fandom is, having a name for it is important because it creates a sense of belonging for people who share the same love for an artist. Luckily, the next time you chat with other K-Pop fans, you'll know what each of their fandom names signifies.
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