앙코르 (angkoreu) — Why Nobody Leaves Even After the Lights Go Out
앙코르
앙코르 (angkoreu) is the word for clapping and cheering for performers at the end of a show to ask them to do it “one more time.” Anyone who has been to a K-pop concert even once knows the exact moment this word arrives. The final song ends, the members take their bows, and the stage lights cut out. And yet nobody stands up. Nobody grabs their coat or shoulders their bag. Instead the same three syllables come bursting out from all over the hall: 앙코르, 앙코르, 앙코르. In a way, that’s when the concert starts all over again.
The happy news for Korean learners is that the pronunciation is already familiar. It shares a root with English encore, Japanese アンコール, and Chinese 安可. So the meaning sticks right away. The tricky part is where you use it. The word looks like a request — “please do it again” — but its temperature is closer to praise than to a request. When an audience shouts 앙코르, what they mean is, “your stage is too good to end like this.” Which is why a bad performance never gets one. It’s applause with a price tag on it.
The meaning splits into two branches. One is the request for a repeat performance we just described; the other is re-screening or re-airing a movie or drama that got a great response. The first is a hot word that flies up out of the seats; the second is a calm word printed on a broadcast schedule. Same word, very different temperature.
Checking the National Institute of Korean Language dictionary
앙코르 「noun」
- The act of asking a performer for one more performance at a concert, etc., by cheering and applauding after they finish playing. [en] encore — The act of asking for another performance in a concert, etc., by applauding and cheering to the musician after he/she finishes his/her performance. [ja] アンコール — 音楽会などで演奏を終えた演奏者に聴衆が掛け声や拍手で再演を望むこと。 [es] repetición, otra vez, de nuevo — En un concierto musical, etc., acción de pedir al artista la inmediata repetición de una actuación con vítores y aplausos. [zh] 安可，再唱，再来一个 — 在音乐会等演出结束后，向演出者欢呼拍手，并要求再一次演奏。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
앙코르 「noun」 2. The act of screening or broadcasting again a movie, drama, etc., that was highly rated by audiences. [en] encore — The act of showing or broadcasting again a movie or soap opera, etc., which received a positive response from the audience. [ja] アンコール。さいじょうえい【再上映】。さいほうそう【再放送】 — 観客に高い評価を受けた映画やドラマなどを再び上映・放送すること。 [es] reposición — Acción de volver a poner en escena o transmitir una obra dramática o cinematográfica ya una vez estrenada y aclamada por el público. [zh] 重播，重演，重映 — 重新放映或播放获得观众好评的电影或电视剧等。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
The dictionary doesn’t carry a Portuguese gloss. For reference only, it would be something like bis / repetição — but we should be clear that this is our own translation, not dictionary material.
Below are the dictionary’s actual usage examples, quoted as they appear, with a note on the situation behind each one.
가수의 열정적인 무대에 감동한 관객들은 앙코르를 외쳤다. gasuui yeoljeongjeogin mudaee gamdonghan gwangaekdeureun angkoreu-reul oechyeotda. (Moved by the singer’s passionate performance, the audience shouted for an encore.) — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
This is the most typical setting. The pairing to notice is 앙코르를 외치다 (angkoreu-reul oechida). You don’t say 앙코르 quietly — you shout it. And notice what comes before it: 감동한, “moved.” The emotion comes first, the shouting second.
나는 콘서트가 끝나고 앙코르 무대가 이어질 때까지 자리를 뜨지 않고 관람했다. naneun konseoteuga kkeutnago angkoreu mudaega ieojil ttaekkaji jarireul tteuji anko gwallamhaetda. (After the concert ended, I stayed in my seat and watched right through the encore stage.) — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
Here it’s used as the chunk 앙코르 무대 (angkoreu mudae). It goes beyond the audience’s act of asking and points to the extra performance that actually happens as a result. And the phrase 자리를 뜨지 않고 (“without leaving my seat”) captures the scene at a Korean concert hall exactly.
김 감독의 연극이 앙코르로 다시 공연된대. gim gamdogui yeongeugi angkoreu-ro dasi gongyeondoendae. (I hear Director Kim’s play is being staged again as an encore run.) — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
This is the second meaning. It’s not about doing one more song then and there — it’s about a show being put back on stage entirely because the response was so good. The ending -대 is casual reported speech, the tone you’d use passing news along to a friend.
앙코르로 상영하다. / 앙코르로 공연하다. angkoreu-ro sangyeonghada. / angkoreu-ro gongyeonhada. (to screen as an encore / to perform as an encore) — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
This pair shows that the adverbial form 앙코르로 (angkoreu-ro) has settled into fixed use. Not 앙코르 때문에 (“because of the encore”), not 앙코르를 위해 (“for the encore”) — just 앙코르로. Easiest to memorize as one piece.
앙코르 영화. / 앙코르 연극. / 앙코르 드라마. angkoreu yeonghwa. / angkoreu yeongeuk. / angkoreu deurama. (encore film / encore play / encore drama) — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)
You can simply attach it to the following word to make “the one being put on again.” This pattern is still alive today — flip through a broadcast schedule and you’ll easily spot things like 앙코르 방송 (angkoreu bangsong).
A real conversation
Setting: a big concert venue in Seoul. The last song of the main set has ended and the lights have gone dark. The two of them are still standing at their seats.
Jun-kyung: 야, 아직 가지 마. 지금부터가 진짜야. Hey, don’t leave yet. The real thing starts now.
Emily: 알아, 알아. 나 여기 산 지 15년이야. I know, I know. I’ve lived here for fifteen years.
Jun-kyung: (소리치며) 앙코르! 앙코르! (shouting) Encore! Encore!
Emily: 목소리 좀… 귀 바로 옆이야. 근데 오늘 앙코르 몇 곡 할 것 같아? Your voice… it’s right next to my ear. Anyway, how many encore songs do you think they’ll do tonight?
Jun-kyung: 보통 세 곡인데, 오늘 투어 마지막 날이잖아. 네 곡은 하지 않을까? Usually three, but today’s the last day of the tour. Won’t they do four?
Emily: 그럼 나 응원봉 배터리 아껴야겠다. 아까 다 써 버렸는데. Then I should save my lightstick battery. I used it all up earlier.
This sounds unnatural
✗ (A coworker finishes presenting the quarterly results in a team meeting) 와, 앙코르! (wa, angkoreu!) ✓ (A coworker finishes a song at the company year-end talent show) 와, 앙코르! (wa, angkoreu!) → 앙코르 attaches to something performed on a stage. Use it for a work report and it doesn’t land as praise — it lands as a sarcastic joke. If the presentation really was good, go with “발표 정말 좋았어요 (balpyo jeongmal joasseoyo)” instead.
✗ (Wanting more side dishes at a restaurant) 사장님, 앙코르요! (sajangnim, angkoreu-yo!) ✓ (Wanting more side dishes at a restaurant) 사장님, 이것 좀 더 주세요. (sajangnim, igeot jom deo juseyo.) → Just because a word is borrowed doesn’t mean you can use it anywhere for “one more.” What 앙코르 asks for is a performance, not food or service. For a drink refill you want “리필 (ripil)”; for food, “더 주세요 (deo juseyo).”
Example sentences by situation
① Texting a friend the night a concert ends
오늘 앙코르 때 부른 마지막 곡이 제일 좋았어. oneul angkoreu ttae bureun majimak gogi jeil joasseo. (The last song they sang during the encore was the best today.)
When you’re talking about what happened during the encore stage, the form to use is 앙코르 때 (angkoreu ttae). It’s short and natural, which is why it shows up more than anything else in concert write-ups.
② A fan-meeting MC on stage, in polite speech
여러분, 다 함께 앙코르 부탁드립니다! yeoreobun, da hamkke angkoreu butakdeurimnida! (Everyone, let’s all ask for an encore together!)
앙코르 is a noun, so it carries no politeness of its own. The politeness is handled by the verb that follows. Attach something like 앙코르 해 주세요 (angkoreu hae juseyo) or 앙코르 부탁드립니다 (angkoreu butakdeurimnida) and it becomes polite.
③ Wanting to catch a drama episode you missed
그 드라마 앙코르 방송 언제 해요? geu deurama angkoreu bangsong eonje haeyo? (When is the encore broadcast of that drama?)
Here the dictionary’s second meaning is alive and well. There’s nothing to raise your voice about in this situation — it’s a completely matter-of-fact expression.
Politeness levels and similar expressions
| Expression | Temperature / intensity | Where it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| 앙코르 (angkoreu) | Hot and excited; mixed with praise | Concert seats; re-screening and re-broadcast announcements |
| 앵콜 (aengkol) | Same meaning, more colloquial | Fan chats and social media. The standard spelling is 앙코르, so it isn’t used in official documents |
| 재방송 (jaebangsong) | Neutral and businesslike; no emotion | Broadcast schedules, program notices. Says nothing about how well it was received |
| 한 번 더요! (han beon deoyo) | A gentle request | Karaoke, class, anywhere that isn’t a performance |
The thing to watch in this table is the difference between 앙코르 and 재방송. Both mean “playing it again,” but 재방송 is just scheduling, while 앙코르 carries the reason “because the response was so good” built into it. That’s why broadcasters go out of their way to label a rerun of a popular episode an 앙코르 방송. It’s the same act with a medal pinned on it.
One more thing: 앵콜 is overwhelmingly common in fan communities, but it isn’t the standard spelling. As a learner, it’s safest to be able to read it while writing 앙코르 yourself.
Cultural background — the few minutes after the lights go out
앙코르 comes from the French encore, which originally means “again, still.” What European audiences shouted in theaters rode into performance cultures all over the world, and in Korea it settled in as a loanword — one that is now a noun listed in the Korean dictionary.
What’s interesting is how the word changed inside Korean K-pop concerts. Originally an encore is an “unscheduled extra performance.” It’s supposed to be an unplanned gift, something that only happens when the audience is enthusiastic enough. But at a Korean concert today, the encore stage is effectively a fixed part of the program. It’s in the setlist, there’s a separate outfit prepared for it, and the performers usually come out in tour merch T-shirts instead of stage costumes. The audience knows all this. And they still shout until their voices give out. Those few minutes — shouting while knowing full well it’s a scheduled segment — may be the most honest stretch of time in Korean concert culture. Because it isn’t a request so much as a thank-you.
There’s a derived term, too. 앙코르 콘서트 (angkoreu konseoteu) refers to an extra show held in the same city after a tour wraps, because the response was so strong. That’s why fans who lost out in the ticketing rush write “제발 앙코르 콘서트 해 주세요” (“please, please do an encore concert”). If you’re planning to browse Korean ticketing sites, this is a word you really want to know.
And one last thing. During the encore stage, idols frequently turn the mic toward the audience. In that moment, the people carrying the song are the fans. So there’s a half-joking saying among Korean fans: “앙코르는 팬이 부르는 무대” — the encore is the stage the fans sing. Meaning the person who closes out the show isn’t on stage at all. They’re in the seats.
Today’s quiz
Which of the following sentences uses 앙코르 naturally?
- 커피 다 마셨어요. 앙코르 주세요. (keopi da masyeosseoyo. angkoreu juseyo. — “I’ve finished my coffee. Encore, please.”)
- 반응이 좋아서 그 연극을 앙코르로 다시 공연한대. (baneungi joaseo geu yeongeugeul angkoreu-ro dasi gongyeonhandae. — “I hear that play is being staged again as an encore because the response was so good.”)
- 부장님 보고가 끝나자 회의실에서 앙코르가 터져 나왔다. (bujangnim bogoga kkeutnaja hoeuisireseo angkoreuga teojyeo nawatda. — “When the manager finished his report, cries of ‘encore’ burst out in the meeting room.”)
Show the answer
Answer: 2
Sentence 1 is asking for more of a drink, so “리필 해 주세요 (ripil hae juseyo)” is what you want — 앙코르 isn’t used for things you drink. Sentence 3 is a work report, not a performance, so it reads as sarcasm rather than praise. Sentence 2 is exactly the dictionary’s second meaning: putting a well-received work back on stage — and it uses the fixed form 앙코르로 (angkoreu-ro) correctly, too.
If you end up watching a K-pop concert video tonight, don’t stop playback the moment the lights go down after the last song. This word lives in the few minutes that come next.
Definitions and example sentences are from the National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr); that portion of this post, including our translations, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.