AKMU · Korean · 37 words

사춘기 上

사춘기 上 (2016) was the first half of a two-part adolescence project, released under the duo's original credit 악동뮤지션 and written entirely by Lee Chan-hyuk. The songs are about a teenager noticing things for the first time — how strange it is that bodies move, how a nothing friendship might already be something, how it feels to circle the edge of every group. The vocabulary leans on feeling adjectives and the verbs for hovering, hiding, and misreading people.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	Example
미련	lingering attachment; the part of you that can't quite let go	미련 없이 손을 흔들어Wave goodbye without looking back
익숙하다	to be familiar; to be used to something	익숙해 날 오고 가는 발걸음I'm used to it — footsteps coming and going past me
미숙하다	to be inexperienced; not yet good at something	미숙해 보이는 것만큼 부끄러운 게 없는 걸Nothing is as embarrassing as looking like a beginner
야속하다	to be cold and unfeeling toward you — said when someone's behavior leaves you feeling wronged	주위 모든 여자 날 야속해 해Every girl around me thinks I'm heartless
자욱하다	to be thick with fog or smoke	자욱한 안개만 남을 뿐Only thick fog is left behind
뒤돌아서다	to turn one's back and walk away	뒤돌아서면 그걸로 THE ENDTurn your back and that's the end of it
신기하다	to be fascinating in a curious, almost magical way	사람들이 움직이는 게 신기해It's fascinating how people move
들이쉬다	to breathe in; to inhale	숨 크게 들이쉬면When you take a big breath in
내쉬다	to breathe out; to exhale	내쉬면 앞사람이 인상 팍 쓰며Breathe out and the person in front scrunches up their face
인상을 쓰다	to scowl; to screw up one's face in displeasure (fixed expression)	앞사람이 인상 팍 쓰며the person in front scowling hard
다행이다	to be a relief; "thank goodness"	인간이라서 참 다행이야I'm so glad I was born human
끔찍하다	to be horrifying; awful to imagine	생각만 해도 끔찍해Just thinking about it is horrifying
새삼스럽다	to act suddenly unlike yourself after a long time of not — "why now, all of a sudden?"	새삼스럽게 왜 그러는 거야Why are you being like this out of nowhere?
눈치	the social radar for reading a room and picking up what isn't said — a prized skill in Korea	넌 눈치가 없는건지Maybe you just can't take a hint
눈짓	a signal made with the eyes; a meaningful glance	백 번의 눈짓에도Even after a hundred glances
끄덕이다	to nod	고개 한 번 끄덕하지 않았는데You never nodded even once
오해하다	to misunderstand; to read something the wrong way	내가 오해할까 봐 그래It's because I'm afraid I'll get the wrong idea
농담	a joke	안 하던 농담도 하고Cracking jokes you never used to make
둥실둥실	bobbing and floating along (reduplicated 의태어 — keep both halves)	구름 위 둥실둥실floating along above the clouds
험하다	to be rough and hard going (of a road, or of a life)	좁고 멀고 험해It's narrow and far and rough
속상하다	to be upset; to have something eat at you inside	맘 뜻대로 안 돼 속상하지It doesn't go the way you want, and it eats at you
간절히	earnestly; with everything you have	간절히 원하면 이뤄내리라는that if you want it badly enough it'll come true
행운을 빌다	to wish someone luck (fixed expression)	행운을 빌어줄게 그래 믿어봐I'll wish you luck, so go on, believe
낙담하다	to lose heart; to be discouraged	낙담한 지 오래인걸I lost heart a long time ago
하품	a yawn	잠은 꽤나 잔 것 같은데 또 나오는 하품I feel like I slept plenty, and here comes another yawn
앙상하다	to be bare and scrawny; stripped down to the bones or stems	금방 티나는 앙상한 화초a scrawny houseplant that shows it right away
미처	(not) yet; before one gets around to it — always with a negative	미처 발견 못 하고 지나치는 사람들people who walk right past without ever noticing
식상하다	to be stale; tired from overuse	다소 식상해 보였던 것 안에inside the things that looked a bit played out
일상	everyday life; the ordinary routine	당연한 일상을 돌아본다면if you looked back at the everyday you take for granted
고뿔	a cold — the old native-Korean word, warmer and more folksy than 감기	빈틈없는 지하철에서 옮아 온 고뿔a cold caught off a packed subway train
맴돌다	to hover around something without going in; to circle	그 주변에서 맴돌다 맴돌다circling the edge of it, circling
서성이다	to pace about restlessly, unable to settle	주변에서 서성이다 서성이다가pacing around the edge, pacing
벗어나다	to get out of; to escape something	그렇다고 벗어날 수도 없는 걸And yet I can't get out of it either
애써	with real effort; going out of one's way to	애써 감추려 하던 걸the thing you were working so hard to hide
감추다	to hide; to conceal	애써 감추려 하던 걸 어쩌다 보게 된 기분the feeling of accidentally seeing what someone tried hard to hide
멀리하다	to keep something at a distance; to stay away from	알게 될수록 멀리하고 싶은 세상a world I want to keep further away the more I learn of it
착각하다	to be under a mistaken impression; to have it wrong	아님 내가 착각해?Or have I just got it wrong?