머글 (meogeul): what fans call non-fans

🪄 Meaning

A non-fan: someone outside the fandom who doesn’t know the members, the lore or the inside jokes. It’s usually neutral and often affectionate.

Origin

Borrowed from muggle, the Harry Potter word for people without magic. Korean fans of idols, webtoons and web novels adopted it for anyone who isn’t a 덕후 (superfan).

✍️ Examples

1. 머글 친구도 이 노래는 알더라.
   Meogeul chingu-do i norae-neun aldeora.
   Even my non-fan friend knows this song.

2. 머글한테 우리 애들 영업 중이야.
   Meogeul-hante uri aedeul yeongeop jung-iya.
   I’m busy recruiting a non-fan to my group.

💡 Usage tip

영업 (yeongeop, literally “sales”) is the fan word for convincing a 머글 to join your fandom. Calling someone 머글 isn’t an insult. It just means they haven’t been recruited yet.