MINZY
Calling — MINZY: meaning, key lines and pronunciation
First verse: the song, every line and what it means — in sync쳐다보지 말아 난 지쳤어chyeo·da·bo·ji ma·ra nan ji·chyeo·sseoDon't look at me, I'm tired.Listen to this line with the translationNo sign-upWhat the song is about
MINZY's “Calling” follows a worn-out singer who has lost the music inside and is pulled back to life by someone's steadying hand. Dust gives way to a sun coming up and a flame that grows hotter and refuses to die down. A road opens ahead, and a beckoning voice reaches the singer from past a stretch of life lived in suspended breath. The mood is tender but fierce, a quiet renewal that hardens into confidence.
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.
쳐다보지 말아 난 지쳤어Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): chyeo·da·bo·ji ma·ra nan ji·chyeo·sseo
Meaning: Don't look at me, I'm tired.
Words in this line- 쳐다보지chyeo·da·bo·jidon't look
- 말아ma·ra(don't) do
- 난nanI
- 지쳤어ji·chyeo·sseogot tired
Word for word: Look-not do. I tired.
Why it doesn't translate word for word: 쳐다보지 말아 literally splits into 'to stare/look' (쳐다보다) and 'don't do' (말다) — the negative-command grammar '~지 말다' fuses into one request, 'don't look,' so the word-for-word version reads like two separate commands even though it's a single plea.
먼지 속에 쌓인 날 일으켜 세운 네 손Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): meon·ji so·ge ssa·in nal i·reu·kyeo se·un ne son
Meaning: Your hand lifted me up out of the dust.
Words in this line- 먼지meon·jidust
- 속에so·geinside
- 쌓인ssa·inpiled up
- 날nalme
- 일으켜i·reu·kyeoraised (me) up
- 세운se·unset (me) up
- 네neyour
- 손sonhand
Word for word: Dust inside piled-up me raised stood your hand.
Why it doesn't translate word for word: Word-for-word this piles up participles: 쌓인 ('buried/piled up') describes 'me,' while 일으켜 세운 is a double verb 'raised' + 'stood up' that together mean 'brought back to life,' not literally 'made stand.'
네 곁에 선 내가Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): ne gyeo·te seon nae·ga
Meaning: I, standing beside you.
Words in this line- 네neyour
- 곁에gyeo·tebeside
- 선seonstanding
- 내가nae·gaI
Word for word: Your beside standing I.
Why it doesn't translate word for word: Korean word order is reversed: the modifier 'standing beside you' comes before 'I,' which is why the literal version sounds backwards in English.
막을 수 없게 끝 없이 타올라Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): ma·geul ssu eop·kke kkeut eop·ssi ta·ol·la
Meaning: Burning endlessly, impossible to stop
Words in this line- 막을ma·geulto block
- 수ssuway
- 없게eop·kkeso there's none
- 끝kkeutend
- 없이eop·ssiwithout
- 타올라ta·ol·lablazes up
Word for word: Block way none-so-that end without-ly burns-up
Why it doesn't translate word for word: '막을 수 없게' is a grammar pattern meaning 'in such a way that it cannot be stopped,' not a literal chain of separate words like 'block-way-none.'
Lyrics © their rights holders. “Calling” — MINZY. Quoted for commentary and learning.
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Ask MinaSong vocabulary
Words from the song in Korean alphabetical order, with pronunciation and meaning.
| Word | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 고갤 | go·gael | head (contr.) |
| 꺼졌던 | kkeo·jyeot·tteon | that had gone out |
| 나와 | na·wa | comes out |
| 뒤에 | dwi·e | behind |
| 뜨겁게 | tteu·geop·kke | hotly |
| 마음이 | ma·eu·mi | heart |
| 보여 | bo·yeo | is showing |
| 살아 | sa·ra | living |
| 살아나 | sa·ra·na | comes alive |
| 위로 | wi·ro | along/over |
| 전보다 | jeon·bo·da | than before |
| 죽인 | ju·gin | suppressed/killed |
| 태양처럼 | tae·yang·cheo·reom | like the sun |
| 터져 | teo·jyeo | bursts |
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Questions about “Calling”
What is “Calling” by MINZY about?
MINZY's “Calling” follows a worn-out singer who has lost the music inside and is pulled back to life by someone's steadying hand.
What does “쳐다보지 말아 난 지쳤어” mean in “Calling”?
Don't look at me, I'm tired. 쳐다보지 말아 literally splits into 'to stare/look' (쳐다보다) and 'don't do' (말다) — the negative-command grammar '~지 말다' fuses into one request, 'don't look,' so the…
What does “먼지 속에 쌓인 날 일으켜 세운 네 손” mean in “Calling”?
Your hand lifted me up out of the dust. Word-for-word this piles up participles: 쌓인 ('buried/piled up') describes 'me,' while 일으켜 세운 is a double verb 'raised' + 'stood up' that together mean…
How do you pronounce “네 곁에 선 내가”?
In the song it sounds roughly like “ne gyeo·te seon nae·ga”: that's how it's actually sung by MINZY, not the textbook romanization.
Where can I see every line of “Calling” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Mina goes through all 56 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
- MINZY
- Official video
- MINZY TV · 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.