The story behind Arirang
Nobody wrote Arirang. It grew out of folk singing over hundreds of years, and every region has its own version with its own verses. The one most people mean today is the Seoul or "standard" Arirang (본조 아리랑), which became famous across the country after the 1926 silent film Arirang used it as its theme.
The words "arirang" and "arariyo" have no fixed meaning. They work like "la la la" or "fa la la" in English songs, which is why translators usually leave them as they are. Arirang Pass (아리랑 고개) is not a real place on a map; it stands for any hill a loved one walks over when they leave.
The verse below is from the point of view of someone who has been left behind. They tell their departing lover that if they abandon them, their feet will hurt before they have gone ten li, about four kilometres. It is half a curse and half a joke, which is very typical of Korean folk songs. In 2012 UNESCO added Arirang to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Words to learn from the song
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 고개 | gogae | a hill pass, the high point of a road over a hill |
| 넘어가다 | neomeogada | to go over, to cross |
| 님 | nim | beloved, dear one (old poetic word) |
| 버리다 | beorida | to throw away, to abandon |
| 하늘 | haneul | sky |
| 별 | byeol | star |
| 가슴 | gaseum | chest, heart |
Singing tip
Sing "아라리요" as a-ra-ri-yo with the last syllable stretched out. In the second line, 넘어간다 is sung neo-meo-gan-da: the ㅇ in 어 is silent, so the ㅁ slides into the next syllable.
The romanization follows the official Revised Romanization, which shows sound changes inside a word but not between words, so the tip above matters when you sing. Paste any line into the romanizer to see which sound rule is at work, or learn the letters themselves with the Hangul chart.
Questions
What does Arirang mean?
Arirang is the song almost every Korean knows. It is sung at weddings, football matches and farewells, and both North and South Korea treat it as an unofficial anthem.
How do you sing the first line of Arirang?
The first line is 아리랑 아리랑 아라리요, sung "arirang arirang arariyo". It means "Arirang, arirang, arariyo".
Is Arirang copyrighted?
No. Arirang is a traditional folk song with no known author, so its words are in the public domain. Modern recordings and arrangements can still be copyrighted.
More Korean folk songs
- Jindo Arirang (진도아리랑): lively and playful, from Jindo Island
- Miryang Arirang (밀양아리랑): bright and bold, from Miryang
- Jeongseon Arirang (정선아리랑): slow and sorrowful, from Jeongseon
- Doraji Taryeong (도라지 타령): light and cheerful, from Gyeonggi Province
- Saeya Saeya Parangsaeya (새야 새야 파랑새야): quiet and mournful, from Jeolla Province
Want to sing a K-pop song instead? Paste its Korean lyrics into the lyrics romanizer and print your own sing-along sheet.