BTS · Korean · 35 words

BE

BE (2020) is the album BTS wrote while the pandemic froze their touring life, and the members handled much of the writing, producing and art direction themselves. The Korean tracks move from a stopped world and an empty street in "Life Goes On" to burnout in "병 (Dis-ease)" and the ache of being apart in "잠시 (Telepathy)". The vocabulary here is the everyday language of that year: stopping, waiting, hiding, getting worn out, missing someone, and needing a break.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	Example
멈추다	to stop; to come to a halt	어느 날 세상이 멈췄어One day the world just stopped.
예고	advance notice; a warning that something is coming	아무런 예고도 하나 없이Without a single word of warning.
눈치	social awareness; the sense to read a situation (눈치 없이 = without reading the room)	눈치 없이 와버렸어It showed up anyway, without reading the room.
젖다	to get wet; to be soaked	흠뻑 젖어버렸네I've ended up completely soaked.
넘어지다	to fall down; to trip and fall	여기 넘어져있는 나Me, lying here where I fell.
숨다	to hide (oneself)	어둠에 숨지 마Don't hide away in the dark.
떠오르다	to rise (like the sun); to come up again	빛은 또 떠오르니깐Because the light will rise again.
감다	to close (one's eyes)	잠시 두 눈을 감아Close your eyes for a moment.
방	room	이 방이 내 전부This room is everything I have.
답답하다	to feel stifling or suffocating; frustrating (of a situation or feeling)	답답해 미치겠어It's so stifling I'm going crazy.
뺏기다	to have something taken away from you	올해 다 뺏겼어This whole year got taken from me.
바꾸다	to change something; to turn one thing into another	여길 내 세상으로 바꿔보지I'll turn this place into my own world.
괜히	for no particular reason; needlessly	괜히 추억에 잠겨For no reason, I sink into old memories.
날아가다	to fly away; to fly off somewhere	날아가 멀리I fly far away.
잘못되다	to go wrong; to turn out badly	어디서부터 잘못됐는지 잘 모르겠어I don't really know where it started going wrong.
괜찮다	to be okay; to be fine (often said to reassure someone)	괜찮다고 하지 마Don't tell me you're fine.
차갑다	cold (to the touch); cold-hearted	차가운 날 녹여줘Melt me — I've gone so cold.
감추다	to hide; to conceal (feelings, things)	웃음에 감춰진 나의 색깔My true colors, hidden behind a smile.
지치다	to get worn out; to be exhausted	지친 하루의 한숨뿐Nothing left but the sigh of a draining day.
눈물	tears	거울에 비친 눈물의 의미는The meaning of the tears reflected in the mirror.
잠시	for a moment; briefly	괜한 걱정들은 잠시Set the pointless worries aside for a moment.
행복하다	to be happy	너를 만날 때 가장 난 행복해I'm at my happiest when I get to see you.
떠나다	to leave; to set off somewhere	자 떠나자 푸른 바다로Come on, let's take off for the blue sea.
마음	heart; mind; how one feels	우리 마음만은 똑같잖아At least our hearts are the same.
생각하다	to think; to think of someone	거릴 거닐며 생각해I think of you while I wander the streets.
멀어지다	to grow distant; to drift apart	비록 지금은 멀어졌어도Even if we've grown far apart for now.
병	illness; sickness (also used for something that feels like a chronic condition)	불안전해 이건 병I'm not steady — this is a sickness.
아프다	to be sick; to hurt	내가 아파서 그래It's because I'm sick.
잠자다	to sleep	하루 종일 잠자도Even if I sleep the whole day through.
놓치다	to miss; to let something slip away	뭔가 놓친듯해It feels like I've missed something.
헷갈리다	to be confused; to get mixed up	병든 게 세상인지 난지 헷갈려I can't tell if it's the world that's sick, or me.
방학	school vacation; a break from work or study	마음에도 방학이 필요해Your mind needs a break too.
꿈	dream (both while sleeping and something you hope for)	꿈이었을까Was it a dream?
불다	to blow (of wind)	찬바람이 불어와A cold wind comes blowing in.
모르다	to not know	나도 모르겠어Even I don't know.