Korean Wave

See also: Korean wave

English

K-pop fans in Egypt in 2011.

Alternative forms

• Korean wave, Hallyu, K-wave

Etymology

Calque of Korean 한류(韓流) (hallyu, “Korean current”), from Korean +‎ wave.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kəˈɹɪən ˈweɪv/

Proper noun

the Korean Wave

1. The rise in popularity of South Korean popular culture in other countries since the 1990s.
   • 2020, Hyesu Park, Understanding Hallyu: The Korean Wave Through Literature, Webtoon, and Mukbang‎^[1], Taylor & Francis, →ISBN:

     The spread of South Korean (hereafter Korean/Korea) popular culture across borders, that is, the Korean Wave or hallyu, whose origin dates back to the late 1990s, is no longer a new phenomenon to media users and scholars of media, communications, cultural, and narrative studies alike.

   • 2005, Norimitsu Onishi, Roll Over, Godzilla: Korea Rules‎^[2], The New York Times:

     By the time almost all restrictions on Japanese culture were lifted in January 2004, the Korean Wave—a term coined in China—had washed across Asia.

   • 2012, Barack Obama, Remarks by President Obama at Hankuk University‎^[3], The White House:

     ...with your smart phones and Twitter and Me2Day and Kakao Talk. It’s no wonder so many people around the world have caught the Korean Wave, Hallyu.

Translations

popularity of South Korean culture elsewhere

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 韓流／韩流 (hon⁴ lau⁴)

  Hokkien: 韓流／韩流 (hân-lâu)

  Mandarin: 韓流／韩流 (zh) (Hánliú)

• Finnish: korealainen aalto
• French: Hallyu f, vague coréenne f
• German: Koreanische Welle f
• Italian: onda coreana f
• Japanese: 韓流 (ja) (かんりゅう, Kanryū, ハンりゅう, Hanryū)
• Korean: 한류(韓流) (ko) (hallyu)
• Polish: koreańska fala f
• Portuguese: onda coreana f
• Russian: коре́йская волна́ f (koréjskaja volná), ха́ллю́ f or n (xálljú)
• Spanish: ola coreana f
• Vietnamese: Hàn lưu

Further reading

• Korean Wave on Wikipedia.Wikipedia