maknae line

English

Etymology

From Korean 막내 라인 (mangnae rain), composed of 막내 (mangnae, “maknae; youngest person in a group”) and 라인 (rain, “members with a shared characteristic”), ultimately from English line. By surface analysis, maknae +‎ line.

Refer to 라인 (rain, “members with a shared characteristic”) for more information.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

maknae line (plural maknae lines)

1. (South Korean idol fandom) The younger members of a K-pop group as a collective.

   Coordinate terms: hyung line, unnie line

   • 2017, Fefe Ho, KPOP 101: Korean Pop Explained Step By Step To Kpop Fans Worldwide, page 21:

     The younger members can form the maknae line.

   • 2019, Erin Kinsella, Heart and Seoul, unnumbered page:

     Tessa and Sung Soo watched the maknae line bundled up together on the couch, grins across their faces.

   • 2019, Trish Millburn, Sing Me a Love Song, unnumbered page:

     And how was she making the maknae line so comfortable so quickly?

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:maknae line.

Translations

Translations

• Japanese: マンネライン (manne rain)
• Korean: 막내 라인 (mangnae rain)