BTS · Korean · 40 words

The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2

Released in November 2015, this EP closes the first half of BTS's 화양연화 era and is the record that broke them commercially, led by the single "Run". The songs move between reckless young love, loneliness, hometown pride and anger at a rigged society, so the Korean ranges from everyday verbs like 멈추다 and 다치다 to the withering, collapsing imagery of 시들다 and 무너지다. Learners will pick up common adverbs (어차피, 어느새, 문득), useful emotion words, and a few slang terms Korean twenty-somethings actually use.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	Example
어느새	before you know it; already, without realizing	어느새 나는 가족의 자랑이 됐고Before I knew it, I'd become my family's pride
문득	suddenly; out of nowhere (of a thought or memory)	생각이 나네 문득It suddenly comes back to me
부딪히다	to crash into; to collide with	부딪힐 것 같으면 더 세게 밟아If it looks like you're going to crash, hit the gas harder
쫄다	to get scared; to chicken out (casual slang)	쫄지 마 우리는 잘못한 게 없어Don't be scared — we haven't done anything wrong
괜찮다	to be okay; to be all right	넘어져도 괜찮아It's okay even if I fall
다치다	to get hurt; to be injured	좀 다쳐도 괜찮아It's fine even if I get hurt a little
멈추다	to stop; to come to a halt	난 멈출 수가 없어I can't stop
어쩔 수 없다	there's nothing you can do about it; to be unavoidable	난 어쩔 수가 없어There's nothing I can do about it
어차피	anyway; either way (since the outcome is already decided)	어차피 이것밖에 난 못해This is all I can do anyway
목마르다	to be thirsty; to long for something	널 향해 피었지만 난 자꾸 목말라I bloomed toward you, but I'm still thirsty
웃다	to smile; to laugh	그냥 내게 웃어줘Just smile for me
그냥	just; simply, for no particular reason	난 그냥 이대로 증발하고 싶어I just want to evaporate like this
사라지다	to disappear; to vanish	사라지려 하지마Don't try to disappear
아름답다	to be beautiful	너무 아름다워 두려워You're so beautiful that it frightens me
부서지다	to break apart; to shatter	손 대면 날아갈까 부서질까If I touch you, will you fly away, will you shatter
닿다	to touch; to reach something	손 닿으면 널 잃을까If my hand reaches you, will I lose you
넓다	to be wide; to be vast	이 넓은 바다 그 한가운데Right in the middle of this vast ocean
외롭다	to be lonely	한 마리 고래가 나즈막히 외롭게 말을 해A single whale speaks quietly, all alone
소리치다	to shout; to cry out	아무리 소리쳐도 닿지 않는 게No matter how loud I shout, it never reaches
머물다	to stay; to remain somewhere	외로움이란 녀석만 내 곁에서 머물 때When only loneliness stays here by my side
살다	to live; to reside	니가 어디에 살건No matter where you live
달리다	to run	나 다시 또 한참을 달렸네I ran for a long while again
어린 시절	childhood; one's early years	어린 시절 날 키워낸 후곡 학원촌The cram-school district that raised me in my childhood
안다	to hug; to hold someone in your arms	작아도 훨씬 포근히 안아준다고Even though it's small, it holds you far more warmly
잃다	to lose (something or someone)	내가 나를 잃는 것 같을 때When it feels like I'm losing myself
태어나다	to be born	금수저로 태어난 내 선생님My teacher, born with a golden spoon
바꾸다	to change something; to swap	룰 바꿔Change the rules
원하다	to want; to desire	황새들은 원해 원해 maintainThe storks want, they want to maintain things
노력	effort; hard work (here, the tired advice to "just try harder")	아 노력 노력 타령 좀 그만둬Ah, quit going on and on about effort
맨날	always; every single day (colloquial form of 매일)	언론에선 맨날 몇 포 세대The media always calls us the give-up generation
낙엽	fallen leaves; autumn leaves	떨어져 날리는 저기 낙엽처럼Like those leaves falling and scattering over there
떨어지다	to fall; to drop	제발 떨어지지 마라Please don't fall
제발	please (pleading, when you badly want something)	제발 떨어지지 마라Please, don't fall
멀어지다	to grow distant; to drift away	니 맘이 멀어져만 가Your heart just keeps drifting away
시들다	to wither; to wilt (also of feelings fading)	관계는 시들어만 가는 게 보여I can see our relationship only withering
위태롭다	to be precarious; to be on the edge of falling apart	또 위태로워 또 위험해It's shaky again, dangerous again
버티다	to hold out; to endure	더 버티기도 지탱하기도 안 돼We can't hold out or prop it up any longer
무너지다	to collapse; to fall apart	또 무너지는 걸It's collapsing again
망가지다	to break down; to become ruined	더 망가져가기만 해It only keeps falling apart
바라다	to hope for; to wish for	그래도 난 계속 바래Even so, I keep hoping