Wife — (G)I-DLE: meaning, key lines and pronunciation
What does “Wife” by (G)I-DLE mean?
“Wife” by (G)I-DLE is a cheeky song about a woman playing the perfect housewife for her partner while keeping firm control of the game. Creamy soup, a tidy room and a cherry-topped cake carry a teasing, suggestive double meaning, and she offers a song and a graceful mermaid-like dance to whoever does well.
What the song is about
Under the playful surface, she acts out the role without truly wanting it.
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.
자기야 한입 크게 맛봐 (ah)Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): ja·gi·ya ha·nip keu·ge mat·ppwa ah
Meaning: Honey, take a big bite and taste it (ah)
Words in this line- 자기야ja·gi·yahoney
- 한입ha·nipone bite
- 크게keu·gebig
- 맛봐mat·ppwataste it
한입 on its own means one mouthful and 크게 means big or wide. Together they mean take a generous bite.
좀 더 줄 테니 그만 침좀 닦아Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): jom deo jul te·ni geu·man chim·jom da·kka
Meaning: I'll give you more, so wipe your drool
Words in this line- 좀joma bit
- 더deomore
- 줄julwill give
- 테니te·niso
- 그만geu·manenough
- 침좀chim·jomdrool a bit
- 닦아da·kkawipe
줄 테니 means I will give, so… and it is a promise that also gives the reason for the next action.
어떤지 맛 표현도 들려 보여줘 (hey)Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): eo·tteon·ji mat pyo·hyeon·do deul·lyeo bo·yeo·jwo hey
Meaning: Let me hear and see how it tastes (hey)
Words in this line- 어떤지eo·tteon·jihow it is
- 맛mattaste
- 표현도pyo·hyeon·doexpression too
- 들려deul·lyeolet me hear
- 보여줘bo·yeo·jwoshow me
들려 보여줘 means let me hear it and see it, a request to express the taste in voice and face.
물 만난 인어처럼 예쁜 춤도 춰줄 거야Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): mul man·nan i·neo·cheo·reom ye·ppeun chum·do chwo·jul kkeo·ya
Meaning: And I'll dance prettily, like a mermaid in her element.
Words in this line- 물mulwater
- 만난man·nanwho met
- 인어처럼i·neo·cheo·reomlike a mermaid
- 예쁜ye·ppeunpretty
- 춤도chum·doa dance too
- 춰줄chwo·julwill dance for you
- 거야kkeo·yawill
물 만난 literally means met water, from the saying about a fish that has met water, meaning someone in their element. 인어 is a mermaid, so the phrase means a mermaid completely in her element.
Lyrics © their rights holders. “Wife” — (G)I-DLE. Quoted for commentary and learning.
Song facts
- Lines
- 35
- Key lines explained
- 4
- Words explained
- 18
- Length
- 2:01
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 과감하게 | gwa·gam·ha·ge | boldly |
| 구웠어 | gu·wo·sseo | baked |
| 그래 | geu·rae | right |
| 그럴 | geu·reol | like that |
| 기분 | gi·bun | mood |
| 깊숙이 | gip·ssu·gi | deeply |
| 깨끗이 | kkae·kkeu·si | cleanly |
| 나도 | na·do | me too |
| 나빠 | na·ppa | bad |
| 너네 | neo·ne | your |
| 너는 | neo·neun | you |
| 너도 | neo·do | you too |
| 노래도 | no·rae·do | a song too |
| 다가 | da·ga | everything |
| 닦아놔 | da·kka·nwa | wipe and leave |
| 닿아 | da·a | reaches |
| 부르고 | bu·reu·go | sing and |
| 잘한다면 | ja·ran·da·myeon | you do well |
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Questions about “Wife”
What is “Wife” by (G)I-DLE about?
“Wife” by (G)I-DLE is a cheeky song about a woman playing the perfect housewife for her partner while keeping firm control of the game. Creamy soup, a tidy room and a cherry-topped cake carry a teasing, suggestive double meaning, and she offers a song and a graceful mermaid-like dance to whoever does well. Under the playful surface, she acts out the role without truly wanting it.
What does “자기야 한입 크게 맛봐 (ah)” mean in “Wife”?
In “Wife” by (G)I-DLE, “자기야 한입 크게 맛봐 (ah)” means: Honey, take a big bite and taste it (ah).
What does “좀 더 줄 테니 그만 침좀 닦아” mean in “Wife”?
In “Wife” by (G)I-DLE, “좀 더 줄 테니 그만 침좀 닦아” means: I'll give you more, so wipe your drool.
How do you pronounce “어떤지 맛 표현도 들려 보여줘 (hey)”?
“어떤지 맛 표현도 들려 보여줘 (hey)” from “Wife” by (G)I-DLE is romanized as “eotteonji mat pyohyeondo deullyeo boyeojwo (hey)”. In the recording it sounds like “eo·tteon·ji mat pyo·hyeon·do deul·lyeo bo·yeo·jwo hey”: that is how it is actually sung, sound changes included, not the textbook spelling.
Where can I see every line of “Wife” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Sori goes through all 35 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 ↗
How we make these breakdowns
theIDOL builds every breakdown with AI assistance and automated checks, and publishes a page only after it passes them. An AI model writes the meaning of each line and the word-by-word glosses from the song's timed lyrics. The pronunciation comes from our own rule-based Korean transcriber, which spells how the words sound when sung, sound changes included, not a letter-by-letter romanization. Pages that fail the audio-sync or translation checks are not published, and we quote only a few key lines. If you spot a mistake, write to support@theidol.ai and we will fix it.
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.