BOSS — NCT U: meaning, key lines and pronunciation
First verse: the song, every line and what it means — in syncWorld, 이 공간 속에 비밀 (shimmy, shimmy)World, i gong·gan so·ge bi·mil shi·mi shi·miWorld, there's a secret inside this space (shimmy, shimmy)Listen to this line with the translationNo sign-upWhat the song is about
“BOSS” by NCT U is a swaggering song about taking charge and drawing someone into a shared world, face to face. They treat screen-deep closeness and fingertip messages as a hollow mask, and say they will show up in person, even at the door. They break through a wall bigger than sound, warm whatever they touch, and invite everyone into an open circle, bold yet welcoming.
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.
World, 이 공간 속에 비밀 (shimmy, shimmy)Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): World, i gong·gan so·ge bi·mil shi·mi shi·mi
Meaning: World, there's a secret inside this space (shimmy, shimmy)
Words in this line- 이ithis
- 공간gong·ganspace
- 속에so·geinside
- 비밀bi·milsecret
내가 손대면 뭐든지 가지게 돼 나의 온기Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): nae·ga son·dae·myeon mwo·deun·ji ga·ji·ge dwae na·ui on·gi
Meaning: Whatever I touch takes on my warmth
Words in this line- 내가nae·gaI
- 손대면son·dae·myeonif I touch
- 뭐든지mwo·deun·jianything
- 가지게ga·ji·geto come to have
- 돼dwaebecomes
- 나의na·uimy
- 온기on·giwarmth
나만 따라와 저 멀리 널 데리고 난 겁 없이Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): na·man tta·ra·wa jeo meol·li neol de·ri·go nan geop eop·ssi
Meaning: Just follow me far away, I'll take you along without fear
Words in this line- 나만na·manonly me
- 따라와tta·ra·wafollow
- 저jeothat
- 멀리meol·lifar
- 널neolyou
- 데리고de·ri·gotaking along
- 난nanI
- 겁 없이geop eop·ssifearlessly
겁 means 'fear' and 없이 means 'without'; together 겁 없이 means 'fearlessly'.
손끝의 소통 이건 fake 때려 쳐Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): son·kkeu·tui so·tong i·geon fake ttae·ryeo chyeo
Meaning: Fingertip communication is fake — quit it
Words in this line- 손끝의son·kkeu·tuiof the fingertips
- 소통so·tongcommunication
- 이건i·geonthis
- 때려ttae·ryeosmash
- 쳐chyeohit
손끝의 소통 means 'communication at the fingertips', i.e. texting and social media. 때려 쳐 comes from 때려치우다, 'to quit, to chuck it'.
Lyrics © their rights holders. “BOSS” — NCT U. 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. Jaemin checks your answer and saves the new words to your notebook.
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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 JaeminSong vocabulary
Words from the song in Korean alphabetical order, with pronunciation and meaning.
| Word | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가까움은 | ga·kka·u·meun | closeness |
| 가까워진 | ga·kka·wo·jin | grown closer |
| 가까이 | ga·kka·i | closely |
| 가면 | ga·myeon | mask |
| 가져 | ga·jyeo | take it |
| 가지고 | ga·ji·go | to have |
| 감아 | ga·ma | close |
| 거야 | geo·ya | going to |
| 것처럼 | geot·cheo·reom | as if |
| 그대로 | geu·dae·ro | as is |
| 깨버리지 | kkae·beo·ri·ji | will smash |
| 너와 | neo·wa | you and |
| 다른 | da·reun | other |
| 대로 | dae·ro | as, the way |
| 세계 | se·gye | world |
| 움직인 | um·ji·gin | moving |
| 이끄는 | i·kkeu·neun | leading |
| 직접 | jik·jjeop | directly |
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Questions about “BOSS”
What is “BOSS” by NCT U about?
“BOSS” by NCT U is a swaggering song about taking charge and drawing someone into a shared world, face to face.
What does “World, 이 공간 속에 비밀 (shimmy, shimmy)” mean in “BOSS”?
World, there's a secret inside this space (shimmy, shimmy).
What does “내가 손대면 뭐든지 가지게 돼 나의 온기” mean in “BOSS”?
Whatever I touch takes on my warmth.
How do you pronounce “나만 따라와 저 멀리 널 데리고 난 겁 없이”?
In the song it sounds roughly like “na·man tta·ra·wa jeo meol·li neol de·ri·go nan geop eop·ssi”: that's how it's actually sung by NCT U, not the textbook romanization.
Where can I see every line of “BOSS” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Jaemin goes through all 71 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
- NCT U
- Official video
- SMTOWN · 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.