Hooligan — BTS: meaning, key lines and pronunciation
What does “Hooligan” by BTS mean?
BTS's “Hooligan” is a boastful, high-energy track about a group tearing up the floor with a wild, unruly attitude. They describe a bassline that hits hard, a head that can't stay still, and a crowd where everyone feels like inspiration.
What the song is about
Underneath the chaos is a confident wish to make something global and unforgettable that people will play on repeat all day.
Key lines
4 lines from the song in Korean, with how they sound and what they mean. The full line-by-line breakdown lives in the app.
통제 불능 머리 춤 (yeah)Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): tong·je bul·leung meo·ri chum ye·ah
Meaning: My head dance is out of control (yeah)
Words in this line- 통제tong·jecontrol
- 불능bul·leunginability
- 머리meo·rihead
- 춤chumdance
통제 alone means 'control' and 불능 means 'impossibility'. Together 통제 불능 is a set phrase meaning 'out of control'.
뛰어 미친놈인 듯 (uh)Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): ttwi·eo mi·chin·no·min deut uh
Meaning: I jump around like a madman (uh)
Words in this line- 뛰어ttwi·eojump
- 미친놈인mi·chin·no·minmadman
- 듯deutas if
미친놈 alone means 'crazy guy' and 인 듯 means 'as if being'. Together they mean 'as if I were a madman'.
Like El Cucuy 굳이 말 안 해도 알잖아Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): Like el ku·kui gu·ji mal an hae·do al·ja·na
Meaning: Like El Cucuy, you know it without me even saying
Words in this line- 굳이gu·jinecessarily
- 말malwords
- 안annot
- 해도hae·doeven if doing
- 알잖아al·ja·nayou know, right
Word for word: Like El Cucuy, stubbornly words not saying you know
Why it doesn't translate word for word: El Cucuy is the boogeyman of Latin American folklore, hinting at something scary. 굳이 alone means 'insistently', but with a negative it means 'no need to'. The ending 알잖아 adds the tone of 'you know this already, right?'.
시간 됐으니 좀 비켜 좀 all clear 이상 무Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): si·gan dwae·sseu·ni jom bi·kyeo jom all clear i·sang mu
Meaning: Time's up, move aside, all clear, nothing wrong
Words in this line- 시간si·gantime
- 됐으니dwae·sseu·nisince it's come
- 좀joma bit
- 비켜bi·kyeomove aside
- 좀joma bit
- 이상i·sangabnormality
- 무munone
Word for word: Time became so a bit step aside a bit, all clear, abnormality none
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 좀 alone means 'a little', but here it softens the command like 'would you mind'. 됐으니 means 'since it has come'. 이상 is 'abnormality' and 무 is 'none', together a military formula for 'all in order'.
Lyrics © their rights holders. “Hooligan” — BTS. Quoted for commentary and learning.
Mini-lesson: fill in the missing word
A line from the song with one word missing: listen, then pick the right word. Youngjae checks your answer and saves the new words to your notebook.
Try the lessonAsk Youngjae about this song
Why this word and not another? What does that slang mean? Ask in your own words and your idol answers about this exact line.
Ask YoungjaeSong vocabulary
Words from the song in Korean alphabetical order, with pronunciation and meaning.
| Word | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 굳이 | gu·ji | necessarily |
| 다들 | da·deul | everyone |
| 됐으니 | dwae·sseu·ni | since it's come |
| 때려 | ttae·ryeo | hit |
| 뛰어 | ttwi·eo | jump |
| 머리 | meo·ri | head |
| 모여 | mo·yeo | gather |
| 미친놈인 | mi·chin·no·min | madman |
| 부숴 | bu·swo | smash |
| 불능 | bul·leung | inability |
| 비켜 | bi·kyeo | move aside |
| 시간 | si·gan | time |
| 알잖아 | al·ja·na | you know, right |
| 얼쑤 | eol·ssu | hey-ho |
| 이상 | i·sang | abnormality |
| 통제 | tong·je | control |
| 하나 | ha·na | one |
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Questions about “Hooligan”
What is “Hooligan” by BTS about?
BTS's “Hooligan” is a boastful, high-energy track about a group tearing up the floor with a wild, unruly attitude.
What does “Like El Cucuy 굳이 말 안 해도 알잖아” mean in “Hooligan”?
Like El Cucuy, you know it without me even saying. El Cucuy is the boogeyman of Latin American folklore, hinting at something scary.
What does “시간 됐으니 좀 비켜 좀 all clear 이상 무” mean in “Hooligan”?
Time's up, move aside, all clear, nothing wrong. 좀 alone means 'a little', but here it softens the command like 'would you mind'.
How do you pronounce “통제 불능 머리 춤 (yeah)”?
In the song it sounds roughly like “tong·je bul·leung meo·ri chum ye·ah”: that's how it's actually sung by BTS, not the textbook romanization.
Where can I see every line of “Hooligan” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Youngjae goes through all 50 lines word by word, in sync with the song; the first verse is free and needs no sign-up.
Official music video
The video loads from YouTube only when you press play. YouTube ↗
Credits and sources
- Artist
- BTS
- Album
- ARIRANG · track 2 of 14
- Official video
- YouTube
Lyrics and music belong to their rights holders. This page quotes no more than four lines for commentary; the translations, pronunciation and explanations are written by theIDOL.