So for a side project I made a small website that worked like a kpop term dictionary and to my surprise people really liked it. Ever since I’ve been thinking maybe I should actually brainstorm it properly and turn it into a real product. Not to make money or anything but I just have this weird OCDish urge where collecting scattered info online into one neat place makes me feel oddly at peace. I know r/kpop already has a glossary (shoutout to this one), but that is mostly the basics. What I want to build is closer to a real dictionary: up to date with the latest slang and with synonyms. For example, take the word 감다살 (gamdasal). It literally comes from “감 다 살았네,” meaning "phew, the persimmon remained whole", but people actually use it when something turns out way better than expected. In idol fandoms you see comments like 감다살 when performance, photo or stage blows fans away. A synonym for it would be 느좋 (neujoht), an abbreviation formed by taking the first syllables of “느낌 좋다,” which basically means “it feels good.” If a photo came out super aesthetic, fans might just comment 느좋 While building my prototype dictionary, I realized how many kpop slang terms I didnt even know myself. It made me wonder if all native korean fans automatically know these or if some terms are more niche. And sure translations exist in english but we all know a straight translation, even the AI often miss the nuances. To really get it, you need to know why the word was created and how it is actually used. That is why I think gathering everything into one properly maintained dictionary could actually be meaningful. Of course I’m not the first to think of this. I have seen some glossaries people made before but most of them stopped getting updated at some point. My plan would be different. I would crawl data and update on a monthly basis so it always stays fresh. But here is where I hesitate: would fans really use it? When exactly would it be useful for the community? Personally, I would love it since I am learning Korean and it is a fun way to memorize words but it only matters if there is actual demand beyond just a few. So if I built a fully fleshed out kpop slang dictionary, would it get traction? Or is this one of those things fans think is cool in theory but do not actually use? Curious to hear honest opinions submitted by /u/Independent-Meet-970 [link] [comments]
Most kpop glossaries stop at basics. What if we had a real, always updated slang dictionary?
- reddit.com language
- 2025-09-16 21:46 event
- 2 hours ago schedule