Cheshire — ITZY: meaning, key lines and pronunciation
What does “Cheshire” by ITZY mean?
In “Cheshire,” ITZY brush off questions about love and what's on their mind, since they don't fully know the answer themselves. They liken themselves to the Cheshire cat, playful and hard to pin down, with a strange smile that lingers when everything else fades.
What the song is about
Sparkling eyes in the dark hint that someone may follow them as a guide, while the song urges the listener to relax and take things lightly.
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.
원한다면 힌틀 줄게 나머진 free 하게 날Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): won·han·da·myeon hin·teul jul·kke na·meo·jin free ha·ge nal
Meaning: If you want, I'll give you a hint; the rest, take me freely.
Words in this line- 원한다면won·han·da·myeonif you want
- 힌틀hin·teulhint
- 줄게jul·kkeI'll give
- 나머진na·meo·jinthe rest
- 하게ha·ge-ly
- 날nalme
Word for word: If you want, hint I'll give, the rest free-ly me.
Why it doesn't translate word for word: On its own 원한다면 means 'if you want', 줄게 means 'I'll give', and 날 is just 'me'. The ending -ㄹ게 carries a promise, and 'free하게 날' reads as 'take me freely' even though no verb is there. Korean often drops the verb and lets tone fill in the meaning.
봐 봐 봐 봐 잘 찾아봐 yeah yeahListen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): bwa bwa bwa bwa jal cha·ja·bwa yeah yeah
Meaning: Look, look, search carefully (yeah, yeah)
Words in this line- 봐bwalook
- 봐bwalook
- 봐bwalook
- 봐bwalook
- 잘jalwell
- 찾아봐cha·ja·bwatry finding
Word for word: See-see, see-see, well find-see.
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 봐 alone means 'see', and at the start it is just repetition for punch. But in 찾아봐 the same 봐 becomes a helper meaning 'try', so the clumsy 'find-see' really means 'go on, try searching'.
심각해지지 마Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): sim·ga·kae·ji·ji ma
Meaning: Don't get so serious
Words in this line- 심각해지지sim·ga·kae·ji·jibecome serious
- 마madon't
Word for word: Serious-becoming don't.
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 심각 is 'seriousness', -해지다 is 'to become', and 마 is 'don't'. Alone they are three scraps, together they form the soft advice 'don't turn gloomy'. The literal version breaks word order because Korean puts the negation at the very end.
이 순간을 즐기면 돼 이대로 heyListen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): i sun·ga·neul jeul·gi·myeon dwae i·dae·ro hey
Meaning: Just enjoy this moment as it is (hey)
Words in this line- 이ithis
- 순간을sun·ga·neulmoment
- 즐기면jeul·gi·myeonif you enjoy
- 돼dwaeit's fine
- 이대로i·dae·rojust as is
즐기면 돼: 즐기다 means "enjoy", -면 means "if", 돼 means "it works/is fine". Together: "all you need to do is enjoy", a gentle nudge to relax.
Lyrics © their rights holders. “Cheshire” — ITZY. Quoted for commentary and learning.
Song facts
- Lines
- 59
- Key lines explained
- 4
- Words explained
- 18
- Length
- 3:02
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Ask YoonaSong vocabulary
Words from the song in Korean alphabetical order, with pronunciation and meaning.
| Word | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가려진 | ga·ryeo·jin | hidden |
| 감음 | ga·meum | if closed |
| 그대로 | geu·dae·ro | as it is |
| 그래도 | geu·rae·do | even so |
| 그런 | geu·reon | that kind of |
| 길을 | gi·reul | the road |
| 나도 | na·do | I too |
| 나타나 | na·ta·na | appears |
| 남겨둘게 | nam·gyeo·dul·kke | I'll leave |
| 너는 | neo·neun | you (topic) |
| 느낌을 | neu·kki·meul | feeling |
| 머리 | meo·ri | head |
| 몰라 | mol·la | don't know |
| 미소는 | mi·so·neun | smile |
| 믿어봐 | mi·deo·bwa | try believing |
| 보이는 | bo·i·neun | what's seen |
| 생각 | saeng·gak | thinking |
| 어렵게 | eo·ryeop·kke | difficultly |
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Questions about “Cheshire”
What is “Cheshire” by ITZY about?
In “Cheshire,” ITZY brush off questions about love and what's on their mind, since they don't fully know the answer themselves. They liken themselves to the Cheshire cat, playful and hard to pin down, with a strange smile that lingers when everything else fades. Sparkling eyes in the dark hint that someone may follow them as a guide, while the song urges the listener to relax and take things lightly.
What does “원한다면 힌틀 줄게 나머진 free 하게 날” mean in “Cheshire”?
In “Cheshire” by ITZY, “원한다면 힌틀 줄게 나머진 free 하게 날” means: If you want, I'll give you a hint; the rest, take me freely. On its own 원한다면 means 'if you want', 줄게 means 'I'll give', and 날 is just 'me'. The ending -ㄹ게 carries a promise, and 'free하게 날' reads as 'take me freely' even though no verb is there. Korean often drops the verb and lets tone fill in the meaning.
What does “봐 봐 봐 봐 잘 찾아봐 yeah yeah” mean in “Cheshire”?
In “Cheshire” by ITZY, “봐 봐 봐 봐 잘 찾아봐 yeah yeah” means: Look, look, search carefully (yeah, yeah). 봐 alone means 'see', and at the start it is just repetition for punch. But in 찾아봐 the same 봐 becomes a helper meaning 'try', so the clumsy 'find-see' really means 'go on, try searching'.
How do you pronounce “심각해지지 마”?
“심각해지지 마” from “Cheshire” by ITZY is romanized as “simgakaejiji ma”: that is how it is actually sung, sound changes included, not the textbook spelling.
Where can I see every line of “Cheshire” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Yoona goes through all 59 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
- ITZY
- Official video
- JYP Entertainment · 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.