8 things to shout at a K-pop concert in Korean, and when the crowd shouts them
A K-pop concert runs on two scripts. The fanchant is fixed and learned in advance, song by song. The shouts between songs are improvised, almost all in Korean, and nobody publishes them, which is what this list is for.
Everything here is polite 요 speech, which is how fans talk to the stage no matter who is older. The order follows a concert: the entrance, the middle, the bows, the encore.
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사랑해요.
saranghaeyo.
I love you.
The default thing to shout in any gap between songs. The 요 stays even though it is a shout; fans address the stage politely however young the idols are.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
보고 싶었어요.
bogo sipeosseoyo.
I missed you.
Literally: I wanted to see you.
For the moment the group first walks out, especially at a comeback show or in a city they have not toured in years. Past tense, because the missing is over now.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
멋있어요.
meosisseoyo.
You look amazing.
Cool, stylish and handsome in one word, and it works for any gender. 예뻐요 (pretty) is what you hear for girl groups; 잘생겼어요 (good-looking) is for one specific face.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
여기 봐 주세요.
yeogi bwa juseyo.
Look over here.
The line behind every fan sign. 봐 주세요 asks it as a favour; plain 여기 봐 sounds like you are giving an order.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
최고예요.
choegoyeyo.
You're the best.
Literally: (You are) the highest.
Usually with a member's name in front of it. Note the spelling 최고예요, not 최고에요, a mistake Koreans make too.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
수고했어요.
sugohaesseoyo.
You did great tonight.
Literally: You took on hardship.
The end-of-show shout, when the group lines up to bow. It thanks them for the effort rather than praising the result, which is a very Korean way to say well done.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
앙코르.
angkoreu.
Encore.
Korean crowds chant this in a steady three-beat rhythm, 앙-코-르, rather than just clapping. Sometimes it alternates with the group's name.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
다음에 또 와 주세요.
daeume tto wa juseyo.
Please come back again.
What a tour stop shouts at the last bow. 또 (again) carries the weight; drop it and it only means 'come next time'.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase →
If you only learn two, make them 사랑해요 for the middle and 수고했어요 for the end. Most groups answer the crowd in Korean too, so the same words will come back at you from the stage.