Korean karaoke, or 노래방, is really popular among Koreans of all ages. Friends, family, or colleagues use karaoke as a sort of social gathering, usually drinking beer at the same time.
Some of the etiquette rules governing 노래방:
- Do not queue several songs at once, but let other people queue their own songs.
- Avoid looking at your phone frequently, as it is considered rude.
- If you see that you do not know a song as much as you thought, skip it (press 취소 followed by 시작 on the remote)
One of the barriers of entry to 노래방 for foreigners is probably the seemingly overly complicated remote. Learn the various features of the remote prior to going to 노래방 so that you can make the most of your time there! Check the picture (divided by zone) and the corresponding vocabulary below. You can also download this information and print it to take it with you to your next 노래방 session! If you live too far from a karaoke place, you can also buy a Korean karaoke machine for home use.
Tips
To play a song, search a song using the buttons in Zone F (navigate the list with the controls in Zone D), or enter a song number and press 시작 to start the song.
While a song is playing, search and queue another song by pressing 예약 instead of 시작. Press 우선예약 instead of 예약 to put the song at the start of the queue instead of at the end.
Press 예약 확인 to display the song queue. Once the list is displayed, select a song with the arrows and press 예약 취소 to delete a song from the list.
Press 점수제거 to disable the score display at the end of each song.
Press 한/영 when typing to switch from 한글 to English when typing song information.
Zone A: Music Controls
| 음정 | pitch adjust |
| 템포 | tempo adjust |
| 멜로디 | melody adjust |
| 뮤직 | music (volume) |
| 마이크 | microphone (volume) |
| 에코 | echo adjust |
| 리버브 | reverb adjust |
Zone B: Misc. Controls
| 남/여음정 | man/woman pitch |
| 리듬변환 | rhythm change |
| 메들리 | medley |
| 악보표출 | music sheet display |
| 정밀채점 | precise grading |
| 박수 | applause |
| 음성검색 | voice search |
| 애창곡 | favorite songs |
| 신곡연습 | practice of new songs |
| 신곡안내 | list of new songs |
| 인기차트 | popular charts |
| 테마곡 | songs by theme |
Zone C: Playback Controls
| 간주 점프 | interlude jump |
| 육성제거 | voice removal |
| 점수제거 | grade removal |
| 1절연주 | first verse performance |
| 영상선택 | background video choice |
| 절 점프 | verse jump |
| 마디점프 | bar jump |
| 일시정지 | pause |
Zone D: Navigation
| 선택 | search |
| 쪽이동 | scroll direction |
| 이벤트 | event |
| 녹음 | recording |
| 퍼펙트 스코어 | perfect score |
Zone E: Song Management
| 취소 | cancel |
| 시작 | start |
| 예약 확인 | reservation list |
| 예약 취소 | reservation cancellation |
| 우선 예약 | priority reservation |
| 예약 | reservation |
Zone F: Song Search
| 제목 | title search |
| 가수 | artist search |
| 가사 | lyric search |
| 국가별 | country change |
| 한/영 | writing system switch |
Download the sheet with the 노래방 controls here
Korean Karaoke Machines on Amazon US
Finding good karaoke machines in the US can be challenging. Below are links to some Korean karaoke machines available on Amazon
Popular Norebang Pages for KPOP Artists on KoniKorean
The pages below include the norebang machine numbers for the artists' most popular songs. Print them and sing to your heart's content!
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BLACKPINK - 블랙핑크
Songs: Kill This Love, 뚜두뚜두, 마지막처럼, Stay, 붐바야, 휘파람...
See more songs on the BLACKPINK page. -
Seventeen - 세븐틴
Songs: 독: Fear, HIT, Home, 어쩌나 (Oh My!), 아주 NICE, 울고 싶지 않아...
See more songs on the Seventeen page.