🎵 K-Culture A2 ✓ Native Reviewed

한류

hallyu

Korean Wave / global spread of Korean culture

Share on X

What it means

한류 means the "Korean Wave" — the global spread of South Korean culture including K-pop, K-dramas, Korean food, fashion, beauty, and language. 한 = Korean, 류 = flow/wave.

Nuance & when to use

Started in the late 1990s with Korean dramas spreading across Asia, then exploded globally with K-pop (BTS, BLACKPINK), films (Parasite), and recently K-beauty and Korean food. 한류 is arguably the most successful cultural export of the 21st century. Learning Korean is often a direct result of 한류.

⚠ Common mistake

한류 is a noun — say 한류 팬이에요 (I'm a Korean Wave fan). Don't say 한류해요 — it's not a verb.

Example sentences

한류 덕분에 한국어 배우고 싶어졌어요. Hallyu deokbune hangugeor baeugu sipeeojyeosseoyo. Thanks to the Korean Wave, I want to learn Korean.
한류가 세계적으로 인기 있어요. Hallyu-ga segyejeogeuro ingi isseoyo. The Korean Wave is popular worldwide.
BTS가 한류를 이끌고 있어요. BTS-ga hallyu-reul ikkkulgo isseoyo. BTS is leading the Korean Wave.

See also

케이팝 케이드라마 케이뷰티
References Naver Korean Dictionary ↗ 국립국어원 표준국어대사전 ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Next lesson →

More A2 lessons

대박 daebak Awesome / jackpot (slang, very common in K-content) 잠깐만요 jamkkanmanyo Just a moment / Excuse me 오늘 어땠어요? oneul eottaesseoyo How was your day?
← 하지만 해봐 →

FAQ

When is this used?

Started in the late 1990s with Korean dramas spreading across Asia, then exploded globally with K-pop (BTS, BLACKPINK), films (Parasite), and recently K-beauty and Korean food. 한류 is arguably the most successful cultural export of the 21st century. Learning Korean is often a direct result of 한류.

What's a common mistake?

한류 is a noun — say 한류 팬이에요 (I'm a Korean Wave fan). Don't say 한류해요 — it's not a verb.

Ready to learn more Korean?

Get one free Korean lesson every day — straight to your inbox.

Get Daily Korean Free →

Free forever · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime