Here’s How The Most Popular K-Pop Groups Determined Their Fandom Names
1. Wanna One’s Wannable
Wannable is a portmanteau that combines “Wanna One” and “able” and it means to be able to achieve everything together.
2. BTS’s A.R.M.Y.
A.R.M.Y. stands for “Adorable Representative M.C for Youth”. The name is significant in that BTS and their fans will always go hand in hand as body armor (bangtanbok) and the army go hand in hand. In addition, the fans are the army that continues to faithfully fight for BTS.
3. Red Velvet’s Reveluv
The term Reveluv stems from back when “level up” was one of the group’s catchphrases during their song “One of These Nights”. It is also a play on words as it sounds very similar to “level up”, which was the name of their two reality show programs, while also standing for “Revel (Red Velvet’s nickname)” and “love”. The fandom is often referred to as simply “Luvies”.
4. EXO’s EXO-L
EXO-L came about because the “L” is between the letters “K” and “M” for the subunits EXO-K and EXO-M (originally). L is also the 12th letter of the alphabet and EXO had 12 members. Moreover, L stands for “love” which correlates to EXO’s chant “let’s love”.
5. BIGBANG’s V.I.P
BIGBANG’s fandom was named VIP because they are “very important people” to the band.
6. 2NE1’s Blackjack
Blackjack seems like the perfect fandom name for 2NE1 since getting 21 points is the goal of the game.
7. TWICE’s ONCE
TWICE’s fandom is named ONCE because if you love the group once, they’ll repay you with “twice” that love!
8. GOT7’s iGOT7
iGOT7 means that fans have gotten GOT7. Not only will fans receive love from the group but they’ll also have their luck since 7 is a lucky number. It is usually referred to by the shortened “AhGaSe” in Korean which means “baby bird”. Their lightsticks are shaped like a bird for this very reason.
9. BLACKPINK’s BLINK
BLACKPINK’s BLINK is a combination of “black” and “pink”.
10. Girls’ Generation’s SONE
SONE (pronounced “So One” which also means “wish” in Korean) means that Girls’ Generation (“S” for SNSD) and their fans will forever be one (“ONE”).
11. SHINee’s SHINee World (Shawol)
Shawol combines “SHINee” and “world”, which is also the name of their first album as well as their first concert.
12. Super Junior’s E.L.F
Super Junior’s E.L.F stands for “everlasting friends”.
13. NCT’s NCTzen
NCTzen means that all fans are citizens of NCT which sounds like “N City”. The fandom is often called “Ci-Zenie”.
14. (G)I-DLE’s Neverland
(G)I-DLE’s fans are known as Neverland because they feel like they will stay with their fans forever and not change.
Neverland is the place of imagination in ‘Peter Pan,’ where people do not change and live forever as children. Just as artists live together with their fans, (G)I-DLE will live together with Neverland and stay forever as (G)I-DLE. The meaning is that we will be with our fans for a long time and not change.
— (G)I-DLe
15. Mamamoo’s MooMoos
Aptly named MooMoos, fans even brought actual Moo (Radish in Korean), to cheer for the group prior to the release of their official lightstick. And now their official lightstick even looks like a radish!
