These 10 Words And Phrases Are So Common In K-Pop Songs, Every Fan Should Know Them

How many of these do you recognize?
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If you listen to K-Pop for long enough, you’re bound to start to pick up words and phrases that appear in many different songs even if you don’t speak the language. While you don’t need to be able to understand the lyrics to enjoy K-Pop, it can be fun and interesting to learn what kinds of topics are often used in songs of the music genre! Here are 10 words and phrases that are so frequently used in K-Pop that every fan should know them.

1. “Areumdaun” (아름다운)

It probably won’t come as a surprise that this word shows up in a ton of K-Pop songs, especially love songs, because it means “beautiful”! A few of the countless songs that have this word are:

  • “View” by SHINee (“Such a beautiful view“)
  • “Colors” by IZ*ONE (“Beautiful color beautiful color beautiful color”)
  • “Beautiful” by Wanna One (“The beautiful you, I wanna hold you”)
  • “Epiphany” by Jin (“Though I may lack some things, I’m so beautiful”)
  • “Beautiful” by MONSTA X (“A beautiful rose can bloom”)

2. “Nan Molla” (난 몰라)

This phrase will appear in songs in which the artist isn’t certain of something, because it means “I don’t know”. Some examples include:

  • “Again & Again” by 2PM (“I don’t know why, I don’t know why”)
  • “Magic Girl” by Orange Caramel (“I don’t know, I don’t know”)
  • “I Only Know Love” by BTOB (“I only know love for you, why is it so hot”)
  • “What A Girl Wants” by 4MINUTE (“Don’t know, don’t know, don’t know”)
  • “Fake Love” by BTS (“Why you sad? I don’t know, I don’t know”)

3. “Solijilleo” (소리질러)

This word is often used in songs to get the listener more hyped and excited (especially during live performances), because it means “scream”! Some examples of songs that use it include:

  • “Dope” by BTS (“Girls, scream louder, let it ring”)
  • “Lotto” by EXO (“I’m shouting louder towards you”)
  • “Catellena” by Orange Caramel (“Scream until you lose your voice”)
  • “Crazy” by 4MINUTE (“Go crazy, scream, enjoy it“)
  • “Dance the Night Away” by TWICE (“Shout out to the other side of the sea”)

4. “Meolibuteo Balkkeutkkaji” (머리부터 발끝까지)

This phrase might come as a surprise for how often it appears in K-Pop songs: It means “from my head to my toes”! It might be so often used because it’s an expression that means a person is feeling something with their entire body. Here are some examples:

  • “I Love You” by TREASURE (“My heart can’t beat without you, from head to toe, I love you all”)
  • “I Got A Boy” by Girls’ Generation (“From head to toe, her style has changed”)
  • “Ponzona” by PURPLE KISS (“Shining from head to toe”)
  • “Bling Bling” by iKON (“From my head to my toes, extravagance on extravagance, yeah”)
  • “Thumbs Up” by MOMOLAND (“From my head to my toes, th-th-th-thumbs up”)

5. “Dorawa” (돌아와)

This word can be found in songs where the artist wants someone to return or follow them, as it means “come back”. Some songs with this word include:

  • “Come Back Home” by 2NE1 (“Come back to me”)
  • “Please Don’t” by K.Will (“Come back (come back), come back (come back)”)
  • “Come Back Again” by INFINITE (“Come back again, come back come back”)
  • “Crazy” by TEEN TOP (“Come back, come back, I will wait here”)

6. “Meomchul Su Eobsda” (멈출 수 없다)

This long phrase actually means something rather simple: “Can’t stop”! There are plenty of songs that have this in their lyrics, including the following:

  • “So Bad” by STAYC (“I can’t ever stop”)
  • “Changer” by A.C.E (“I can’t stop now”)
  • “Apple” by GFRIEND (“Nothing, no words can stop me here“)
  • “Chase Me” by Dreamcatcher (“No one can stop me“)
  • “Jungle” by BVNDIT (“I can’t stop, the fire is already spreading far away”)

7. “Eotteokhae” (어떡해)

When an artist is questioning what decision they should make in the lyrics of their song, they might use this phrase, which means “what should I do?”. This word can be found in the following songs:

  • “Gotta Go” by Chungha (“What to do? It’s already 12”)
  • “Crush” by Weki Meki (“I keep seeing you, what do I do?”)
  • “Kill This Love” by BLACKPINK (“What do I do? I can’t stand being this weak”)
  • “Good Day” by IU (“I like you, oppa, what do I do?”)

8. “Bogo Sipda” (보고 싶다)

You will come across this phrase often in songs where the lyrics express wanting to see someone again, because it means “I miss you”. Some well-known examples include:

  • “Spring Day” by BTS (“I miss you. When I say that, I miss you more”)
  • “I Miss You” by Girl’s Day (“Actually, I miss you so much”)
  • “On My Way” by 2PM (“I want to see you without needing to say much”)
  • “I Miss You” by Kim Bumsoo (“But I’ll miss you as you’re dead”)

9. “Michida” (미치다)

This (or words similar to it) is probably a more well-known word on this list, thanks to iconic songs such as 4MINUTE’s “Crazy”, because that’s what it means: “Crazy”! Here are some other songs with this word in their lyrics:

  • “Inception” by ATEEZ (“I search for you like a maniac”)
  • “Go Crazy” by 2PM (“Go crazy, tonight we are determined to go nuts”)
  • “Can’t Breathe” by BTOB (“I wanna go crazy”)
  • “Ex” by Stray Kids (“I must’ve been crazy back then, me without you”)

10. “Babocheoleom” (바보처럼)

If you’re familiar with the word babo, which means “stupid”, then you might be able to guess the meaning of this: It translates to “like a fool”, and apparently a lot of idols can relate to this feeling! Some song examples include:

  • “Chained Up” by VIXX (“Like an idiot, I freeze, I’m a slave”)
  • “Fire” by 2NE1 (“I-I-I-I will never cry like a fool”)
  • “Janus” by BOYFRIEND (“Like a fool, I just smile at you”)
  • “Eyes, Nose, Lips” by Taeyang (“Why am I a fool”)
  • “Dumb & Dumber” by iKON (“Let’s get dumb, let’s all get dumb”)
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