韩流
hán liú
Kpop in Chinese is 韩流 (hán liú).
In casual conversation and on social media, Chinese speakers often use the English term 'K-pop' directly instead of the Chinese term 韩流.
Which one should you use?
While 韩流 (hánliú) is a broader term used to describe the entire 'Korean Wave' phenomenon, including music, dramas and fashion, the formal way to say Kpop is 韩国流行音乐, which translates to popular music from Korea.
How do you pronounce it?
hán liú
Did you know?
- While 韩流 is the general term, fans often use the word 欧巴 (ōubā) to refer to male idols. This is a direct phonetic loan of the Korean word 'oppa', which means 'older brother'.
- Chinese fans often refer to 'stanning' a K-pop group as 追星 (zhuīxīng), which literally means 'chasing stars'. This evokes the image of physically following an idol to events.
- The character 流 (liú) in 韩流 is the same character used in the word for 'flu' (流感), though in this context it refers to a flow of culture rather than a virus.
Examples in context
- 小明特别喜欢韩流音乐。Xiao Ming really loves Kpop music.
- 我很喜欢韩流音乐。Wǒ hěn xǐhuan hánliú yīnyuè.I really like K-pop music.
- 他在学习韩流舞蹈。Tā zài xuéxí hánliú wǔdǎo.He is learning K-pop dance.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their music tastes.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen晓雯，你最近在听什么歌？Xiǎowén, nǐ zuìjìn zài tīng shénme gē?Xiaowen, what songs have you been listening to lately?
- 俊杰 Junjie我最近在听韩流歌曲。Wǒ zuìjìn zài tīng hánliú gēqǔ.I've been listening to K-pop songs recently.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen俊杰，你也喜欢韩流吗？Jùnjié, nǐ yě xǐhuān hánliú ma?Junjie, do you like K-pop too?
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，我觉得韩流很时尚。Shì de, wǒ juéde hánliú hěn shíshàng.Yes, I think K-pop is very fashionable.
