maknae line

noun

The younger members of a K-pop group as a collective.

OriginKorean 막내 라인 →
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Meanings

nounmaknae line (plural maknae lines)

plural maknae lines

  1. South Korean idol fandomThe younger members of a K-pop group as a collective.

    The younger members can form the maknae line.

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

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

    2019, Erin Kinsella, Heart and Seoul, unnumbered page

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

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

Origin

  1. Korean막내 라인
  2. Englishmaknae line

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.

More words from Korean

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Japanese マンネライン
  • マンネラインTranslations
Korean 막내 라인
  • 막내 라인Translations
Cite this entry
APA

maknae line. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maknae%20line

MLA

“maknae line.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maknae%20line. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “maknae line,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maknae%20line.

Source: maknae line on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.