Korean Phrases for a K-Pop Fan Group Order
Slogans, photocard binders, birthday goods — most fan-made merch never sits in a shop. One fan opens a 공구 (gonggu), short for 공동구매 (gongdonggumae), a group order: they collect everyone's form, everyone's payment, and send the whole batch out at once. The fan running it is the 총대 (chongdae). Getting in is two questions long — 공구 아직 열려 있어요? (gonggu ajik yeollyeo isseoyo?), "Is the group order still open?" and 해외 배송도 되나요? (haeoe baesongdo doenayo?), "Does it ship overseas too?"
- Check it is open: 공구 아직 열려 있어요? (gonggu ajik yeollyeo isseoyo?), "Is the group order still open?"
- Ask about shipping: 해외 배송도 되나요? (haeoe baesongdo doenayo?), "Does it ship overseas too?"
- Ask the deadline: 입금 언제까지예요? (ipgeum eonjekkajiyeyo?), "When is the payment due?"
- Order more than one: 두 개 신청해도 돼요? (du gae sincheonghaedo dwaeyo?), "Can I sign up for two?"
- Close the loop: 입금했어요, 확인 부탁드려요 (ipgeumhaesseoyo, hwagin butakdeuryeoyo), "I've sent the payment, please confirm."
How do you get your name onto the list?
A 공구 is one person doing admin for two hundred strangers, so short questions get answered and long ones get scrolled past.
- 공구 아직 열려 있어요? before anything else, because the form usually closes days before the merch is made.
- 해외 배송도 되나요? next, since some 총대 ship only inside Korea and it is better to know in the first minute.
- 두 개 신청해도 돼요? if you are picking one up for a friend, asked before you fill the form rather than after.
- 입금 언제까지예요? so your slot does not get released to whoever is on the waiting list.
- 입금했어요, 확인 부탁드려요 once the transfer is out, which is what actually moves you onto the 명단 (myeongdan), the confirmed list.
| Moment | Say this |
|---|---|
| Check it is open | 공구 아직 열려 있어요? (gonggu ajik yeollyeo isseoyo?) |
| Ask about shipping | 해외 배송도 되나요? (haeoe baesongdo doenayo?) |
| Ask the deadline | 입금 언제까지예요? (ipgeum eonjekkajiyeyo?) |
| Order more than one | 두 개 신청해도 돼요? (du gae sincheonghaedo dwaeyo?) |
| Close the loop | 입금했어요, 확인 부탁드려요 (ipgeumhaesseoyo, hwagin butakdeuryeoyo) |
Practice this out loud with SULSUL — the app says it, you repeat it →
What do Korean speakers say back?
The replies are clipped, because the 총대 is answering the same thing forty times that night.
You: 공구 아직 열려 있어요? — gonggu ajik yeollyeo isseoyo? — "Is the group order still open?"
Them: 네, 아직 열려 있어요. 오늘 밤에 마감이에요 — ne, ajik yeollyeo isseoyo. oneul bame magamieyo — "Yes, it's still open. It closes tonight."
You: 해외 배송도 되나요? — haeoe baesongdo doenayo? — "Does it ship overseas too?"
Them: 해외는 배송비가 따로 있어요. 폼에 주소 영어로 적어 주세요 — haeoeneun baesongbiga ttaro isseoyo. pome juso yeongeoro jeogeo juseyo — "Overseas shipping is charged separately. Write your address in English on the form."
You: 입금했어요, 확인 부탁드려요 — ipgeumhaesseoyo, hwagin butakdeuryeoyo — "I've sent the payment, please confirm."
Them: 입금 확인했어요. 명단에 올려 드릴게요 — ipgeum hwaginhaesseoyo. myeongdane ollyeo deurilgeyo — "Payment confirmed. I'll add you to the list."
That last line is the one you are waiting for. For the other way fandom merch changes hands, see Korean phrases for trading K-pop photocards.
What usually goes wrong in a group order?
The most common one is going quiet after sending money. The 총대 matches transfers by 입금자명 (ipgeumjamyeong), the depositor name on the transfer, and an overseas payment often arrives under a name that looks nothing like the one on your form. 입금했어요, 확인 부탁드려요 with your form name next to it saves both of you a night of searching.
The other is asking about shipping last. Once you are on the list and the batch is packed, 해외 배송도 되나요? is too late to be a useful question — ask it while the form is still open, along with 입금 언제까지예요?, and the rest is just waiting for a parcel. If you would rather buy in person while you are in Seoul, see Korean phrases when shopping for K-pop albums in Korea.
Say it out loud, not just in your head
These start as typed messages, but the moment the batch arrives at a pickup, a pop-up, or a fan sign, the same sentences have to come out of your mouth to someone holding a box.
SULSUL is a speaking gym for exactly that moment: pick a survival pattern, say it out loud, get an instant fix from the AI pronunciation coach, then run the real situation as a mission. The 100-pattern PDF workbook comes along as a bonus.
