Bangtan Lexicon: Why, How, and Why Now?
Bangtan. Tannies. Run. Memories. Festa. Muster.
People who identify as ARMY can define all of these words in a matter of seconds.
But learning the definitions of these words—and others, like Rkive, Jintro, Min PD, Hope World, Diminie, Vante, and GCF—can initially be a confusing, perhaps even frustrating, endeavor for those who are new the world of BTS.
One day in 2019, I was chatting with some friends about how ARMY has, over time, created its own vocabulary. Though this isn’t a new phenomenon for a fandom, the language we use day in and day out to talk about BTS is not always easily accessible for those who are curious about the group or are new to ARMY. (I mean, not even Hoseok knew what Hixtape was.)
While talking about the world of words we’ve collectively amassed and created to talk about our favorite group of musicians, I joked that we need a lexicon.
And then rather quickly that joke became a, “What if someone actually made one?”
And then that turned into, “Maybe I should do it.”
I envisioned the lexicon as a resource — something that could be as useful for Baby ARMYs as for people who have been around since debut. I also wanted it to be informative, factual, and straight-forward, with links to references and source material.
As I compiled the content over several months, I sent it to friends who vetted and edited the entries, and who suggested new ones.
As the Google doc grew, it morphed beyond definitions of fan-created portmanteaus and names of BTS content to include emoji, celebratory milestones, uncomfortable growing pains, and tear-jerking turning points.
Because of this, not all of the entries are fun to remember. But they’re all part of the story of BTS and ARMY.
Once a large working list of definitions was in place, it was time to start building the online space where the lexicon would live. For this, I enlisted the help of a few ARMYs who know way more about websites and design than I do, and we worked together over the months to create what is now the home of the Bangtan Lexicon.
During the process, even more words were added, definitions continued to be honed, and the team contributed great ideas about how to make the website as accessible and user-friendly as possible when operating on a budget of zero dollars.
That brings us to today: the day we launch the lexicon!
As exciting as it is, putting something you’ve worked hard on for more than a year is also nerve-wracking – especially when launching the week of comeback. We had hoped to have the site ready to go earlier this year, but…well. This year hasn’t been what any of us expected it would be.
We hope that by introducing the Bangtan Lexicon now, it is available for the ARMYs who have joined in the last few months and who may still be finding their footing in the fandom, as well as for those who will be attracted by BE.
Though we’ve done our best to make the lexicon as comprehensive as possible, we also know there are likely entries that we have yet to consider. To that end, if there are definitions that you want to see added, please let us know.
Our aim is that this project is a constant work-in-progress that evolves as BTS and ARMY evolve. We hope that ARMYs find the lexicon useful and that the fandom actively contributes in helping us make it even more robust. Enjoy perusing the Bangtan Lexicon!
