BTS · Korean · 35 words

MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA

Released in April 2019, MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA opened BTS's Jungian-themed era and turned the group's attention outward — away from pure self-analysis and toward the people who love them. Its seven tracks run from RM's self-questioning intro through the stadium pop of "Boy With Luv" to the quiet gratitude of "Mikrokosmos" and "HOME" and the drunk-on-art roar of "Dionysus". The Korean here is the everyday language of curiosity, doubt and affection: verbs like 궁금하다 and 허전하다, plus the star, shadow and shining imagery that ties the album together.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	Example
누구	who	나는 누구인가Who am I?
질문	question	평생 물어온 질문The question I've been asking my whole life
정답	the right answer	정답을 찾지 못할won't be able to find the right answer
그림자	shadow (also one's hidden self)	내 그림자, 나는 망설임이라 쓰고My shadow — I wrote it down as hesitation
웃다	to laugh; to smile	예전보단 자주 웃어I laugh more often than I used to
궁금하다	to be curious; to wonder about	모든 게 궁금해I'm curious about everything
행복하다	to be happy	뭐가 널 행복하게 하는지what it is that makes you happy
습관	habit	사소한 작은 습관들까지right down to your trivial little habits
알다	to know; to come to understand	이제 조금은 나 알겠어Now I understand myself a little
작다	to be small	너무 작던 내가me, who used to be so small
높다	to be high; to be tall	이제 여긴 너무 높아It's too high up here now
날다	to fly	저 하늘을 높이 날고 있어I'm flying high in that sky
별	star	한 사람에 하나의 별One star for every person
빛나다	to shine; to glow	우린 빛나고 있네We're shining
어둡다	to be dark	어두운 밤a dark night
사라지다	to disappear; to vanish	사라지지 마Don't disappear
역사	history (here, a person's own life story)	한 사람에 하나의 역사One history for every person
건너다	to cross; to go across	사막과 바다들을 건너Crossing deserts and seas
헤매다	to wander; to roam around lost	헤매어 다녔어I wandered around
잡다	to hold; to take hold of	손 내가 잡아도even if I take your hand
돌아가다	to go back; to return	돌아가기 위해in order to go back
집	house; home	온 세상이 내 집The whole world is my home
이루다	to achieve; to make something come true	모든 걸 이룬 자가someone who has achieved everything
허전하다	to feel empty; to feel like something is missing	뭔가 허전한something feels missing
채우다	to fill (something) up	뭔가 채울수록 더 비어가The more I fill it, the emptier it gets
지다	to lose (a game or a fight)	또 져버린 것 같아It feels like I've lost again
화가 나다	to get angry	넌 화가 나 보여You look angry
아프다	to hurt; to be in pain	늘 처음인 것처럼 아파It hurts like it's the first time, every time
무섭다	to be frightening; to be afraid	내 미시감에 무서워지고I grow afraid of my own jamais vu
넘어지다	to fall down; to trip	또 다시 뛰고 또 넘어지고Running again and falling again
예술	art (the album's central pun: 예술 contains 술, 'liquor')	예술도 술이지 뭐Well, art is liquor too
마시다	to drink	마시면 취해Drink it and you get drunk
취하다	to get drunk; to be intoxicated (by something)	예술에 취해drunk on art
고통	pain; suffering	창작의 고통the pain of creating
기록	record (as in a record that gets broken)	새 기록a new record