TOMBOY — (G)I-DLE: meaning, key lines and pronunciation
First verse: the song, every line and what it means — in sync뭘 그리 찡그려 너?mwol geu·ri jjing·geu·ryeo neo?Why are you frowning so much?Listen to this line with the translationNo sign-upWhat the song is about
(G)I-DLE’s “TOMBOY” is a defiant self-portrait of women who refuse to be shaped into anyone’s idea of a pretty doll. They brush off a sulking guy raised like a prince, treat love as too small to leave a mark, and claim their own pleasures: dancing, friends, whiskey, and a TikTok instead of a back-and-forth game. The mood is cheeky and unbothered, and it ends with a shrug at labels.
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.
뭘 그리 찡그려 너?Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): mwol geu·ri jjing·geu·ryeo neo?
Meaning: Why are you frowning so much?
Words in this line- 뭘mwolwhy
- 그리geu·riso much
- 찡그려jjing·geu·ryeofrown
- 너?neo?you
Word for word: why so much frown you
Why it doesn't translate word for word: Korean fronts the question word and drops the subject to the end, so 뭘 그리 (why so much) leads and 너 (you) trails — the reverse of English order. It simply asks why the listener is frowning so hard. 찡그려 means to frown.
너의 썩은 내 나는 향수나 뿌릴 바엔Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): neo·ui sseo·geun nae na·neun hyang·su·na ppu·ril ppa·en
Meaning: Rather than spray on perfume that reeks of your rot...
Words in this line- 너의neo·uiyour
- 썩은sseo·geunrotten
- 내naesmell
- 나는na·neunemanating
- 향수나hyang·su·naperfume
- 뿌릴ppu·rilspray
- 바엔ppa·enrather than
Word for word: your rotten smell emanating perfume spray rather than
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 바엔 is an ending meaning "rather than doing X," leaving the clause open for what she'd do instead. 썩은 내 나는 (rotten-smelling) stacks two modifiers directly before "perfume," where English needs a relative clause. It means she'd rather not wear perfume that reeks of someone else's rot.
사랑 그깟 거 따위 내 눈에 눈물 한 방울 어림없지Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): sa·rang geu·kkat geo tta·wi nae nu·ne nun·mul han bang·ul eo·ri·meop·jji
Meaning: Love? Such a trivial thing — I won't shed a single tear over it
Words in this line- 사랑sa·ranglove
- 그깟geu·kkatthat mere
- 거geothing
- 따위tta·wisuch things
- 내naemy
- 눈에nu·nein (my) eyes
- 눈물nun·multears
- 한hanone
- 방울bang·uldrop
- 어림없지eo·ri·meop·jjino way
Word for word: Love that-mere-thing such-and-such, in-my eyes tears one drop no-way-at-all
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 그깟...따위 is a dismissive intensifier that shrinks 'love' down to something trivial before the sentence gets to its point. 어림없다 literally means 'not even a rough guess is possible', but means 'no way, not a chance'.
너의 하찮은 말에 미소나 지을 바엔Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): neo·ui ha·cha·neun ma·re mi·so·na ji·eul ppa·en
Meaning: Rather than even crack a smile at your worthless words...
Words in this line- 너의neo·uiyour
- 하찮은ha·cha·neunworthless
- 말에ma·reat (your) words
- 미소나mi·so·naeven a smile
- 지을ji·eulto put on
- 바엔ppa·enrather than
Word for word: At-your worthless words a-smile-even to-make rather-than
Why it doesn't translate word for word: The pattern '-을 바엔' means 'rather than X' and expects a follow-up 'I'd rather do Y' — that follow-up is completed by the song's whole attitude, not one word.
Lyrics © their rights holders. “TOMBOY” — (G)I-DLE. Quoted for commentary and learning.
Mini-lesson: fill in the missing word
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Try the lessonAsk Sori 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 SoriSong vocabulary
Words from the song in Korean alphabetical order, with pronunciation and meaning.
| Word | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 감당해 | gam·dang·hae | handle |
| 기분은 | gi·bu·neun | mood |
| 까보라고 | kka·bo·ra·go | dig in |
| 말해 | ma·rae | say it's |
| 몸에 | mo·me | on body |
| 미친 | mi·chin | crazy |
| 사정없이 | sa·jeong·eop·ssi | mercilessly |
| 상처 | sang·cheo | scar |
| 싫다 | sil·ta | hate it |
| 씹으라고 | ssi·beu·ra·go | trash-talk (they say) |
| 연이라 | yeo·ni·ra | fate |
| 이름 | i·reum | name |
| 좋아 | jo·a | it's fine |
| 척이라 | cheo·gi·ra | pretense |
| 하나도 | ha·na·do | not even one |
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Questions about “TOMBOY”
What is “TOMBOY” by (G)I-DLE about?
(G)I-DLE’s “TOMBOY” is a defiant self-portrait of women who refuse to be shaped into anyone’s idea of a pretty doll.
What does “뭘 그리 찡그려 너?” mean in “TOMBOY”?
Why are you frowning so much? Korean fronts the question word and drops the subject to the end, so 뭘 그리 (why so much) leads and 너 (you) trails — the reverse of English order.
What does “너의 썩은 내 나는 향수나 뿌릴 바엔” mean in “TOMBOY”?
Rather than spray on perfume that reeks of your rot... 바엔 is an ending meaning "rather than doing X," leaving the clause open for what she'd do instead.
How do you pronounce “사랑 그깟 거 따위 내 눈에 눈물 한 방울 어림없지”?
In the song it sounds roughly like “sa·rang geu·kkat geo tta·wi nae nu·ne nun·mul han bang·ul eo·ri·meop·jji”: that's how it's actually sung by (G)I-DLE, not the textbook romanization.
Where can I see every line of “TOMBOY” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Sori goes through all 51 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
- (G)I-DLE
- Official video
- i-dle (아이들) · 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.