韓流はんりゅう

also: かんりゅう

ハ

ン

りゅ

う

Meanings

noun

Korean Wave; Hallyu

Refers to the global surge in popularity of South Korean pop culture, including K-pop, K-dramas, movies, and fashion, since the late 1990s.

韓流はんりゅうドラマが世せ界かい中じゅうで人にん気きを集あつめている。
Korean Wave dramas are gaining popularity around the world.
彼かの女じょは韓流はんりゅうアイドルの大だいファンだ。
She is a huge fan of Korean Wave idols.

Written forms

韓流Usage100%
- ハンりゅう
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading ハンりゅう is the most common pronunciation.
- かんりゅう
  Alternate reading using the kanji's on'yomi; less common than ハンりゅう.
かんりゅう

Kanji

韓Korea
流current, a sink, flow

Similar words

日にち流りゅう
日流 refers to the spread of Japanese pop culture abroad, analogous to 韓流 but for Japan. It is less commonly used.
華か流りゅう
華流 refers to the wave of Chinese pop culture, similar in concept but focused on Chinese entertainment.

Etymology

From Korean 한류 (hallyu), literally 'Korean current/flow', coined in the late 1990s. The Japanese form 韓流 uses the kanji 韓 (Korea) and 流 (current/flow), with the reading ハンりゅう reflecting the Korean pronunciation of 韓 (한).