(G)I-DLE’s Soyeon Touches On The Meaningful Reason As To Why Their Group Name Is Pronounced With A Silent “G”

(G)I-DLE is one of the top girl groups in the K-Pop industry at the moment. They are unique in many ways, from their self-produced albums to their group name.

Leader Soyeon explained the interesting meaning behind the latter in an interview with Billboard. Their name, “(G)I-DLE,” is pronounced as “yeoja aideul” (girl idol) in Korean. The letter “G” inside the parentheses, she said, was chosen because it is the first letter of the world “girl” since they are a group with only female members.

As you know, the ‘G’ represents yeoja, or ‘girl’ [in Korean], right?

— Soyeon

Though it is present in the official name, the “G” is actually silent in pronunciation. This was a deliberate choice they made and not just for stylistic reasons. They did away with it in order to signify that they are more than the “girl” part of their identity as artists. By making their name “Idle” for all intents and purposes, they are highlighting the individuality of the members.

We came from a mindset that we do not want to conform to any kind of social boundary or prejudice.

— Soyeon

After all, they try not to be too conscious of the fact that they are a “girl” group, instead hoping to transcend boundaries that have to do with expected gender roles. Thus, the “G” is present but not the focus of the group’s name, just like how they are more than what meets the eye.

It doesn’t just have to do with gender but that was one of the easiest ways of showing that mindset, especially since we have the ‘G’ in our names. That’s just one of our ways of showing that we don’t want to be stuck in any boundaries, regardless of gender—and not just gender but prejudices in general.

— Soyeon

Recently, the CUBE Entertainment girl group released their latest title track, “Nxde,” a song about baring one’s true self. Check it out below!