Red Flavor — Red Velvet: meaning, key lines and pronunciation
First verse: the song, every line and what it means — in sync깨물면 점점 녹아든 strawberry 그 맛kkae·mul·myeon jeom·jeom no·ga·deun strawberry geu matBite into it, and it melts into that strawberry flavorListen to this line with the translationNo sign-upWhat the song is about
“Red Flavor” by Red Velvet is a breezy summer crush song about falling for someone and wanting their bold, sunny love to color everything. Fruit and sweets run through it: berries that melt on the tongue, a tangy peach drink, ice cream going soft in the heat, and palm shade on warm, windy nights. They tease a nervous crush, admit their heart keeps swelling, and ask to be tinted deeper by that person's color until the crush simply becomes their summer.
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.
깨물면 점점 녹아든 strawberry 그 맛Listen from this lineRomanization (as sung): kkae·mul·myeon jeom·jeom no·ga·deun strawberry geu mat
Meaning: Bite into it, and it melts into that strawberry flavor
Words in this line- 깨물면kkae·mul·myeonif I bite
- 점점jeom·jeomgradually
- 녹아든no·ga·deunmelted into
- 그geuthat
- 맛matflavor
Word for word: If-bite, gradually melted-into strawberry that taste
Why it doesn't translate word for word: Korean fuses 'if' onto 깨물면 (if you bite) and places the description 점점 녹아든 (gradually melted into) before the noun it modifies, slotting the English word 'strawberry' in before 그 맛 (that taste) at the end. It means biting in, the flavor melts into that strawberry taste. Key words: 깨물면 (if you bite), 녹아든 (melted into), 그 맛 (that taste).
너무 쉽게 사랑 빠져 버릴 nineteenListen from this lineRomanization (as sung): neo·mu swip·kke sa·rang ppa·jyeo beo·ril nineteen
Meaning: So easy to fall in love, nineteen
Words in this line- 너무neo·mutoo
- 쉽게swip·kkeeasily
- 사랑sa·ranglove
- 빠져ppa·jyeofall into
- 버릴beo·rilabout to
Word for word: Too easily love fall-will-end-up nineteen
Why it doesn't translate word for word: '빠지다' alone means 'to fall/sink' (into love), and adding '버리다' gives it a 'before-you-know-it' nuance — falling helplessly and irreversibly; alone '버리다' just means 'to throw away, finish'.
오늘 뭘 할 수 있을까Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): o·neul mwol hal ssu i·sseul·kka
Meaning: What can I do today?
Words in this line- 오늘o·neultoday
- 뭘mwolwhat
- 할halto do
- 수ssuway (can)
- 있을까i·sseul·kkais there
Word for word: Today what to-do way is-there?
Why it doesn't translate word for word: '할 수 있다' literally 'a way to do exists' — together it's the grammar for 'to be able to'. '수' alone means 'way', not 'can'; '-을까' turns it into a musing question to oneself.
내가 제일 좋아하는 건 여름의 너Listen to the first verse — freeRomanization (as sung): nae·ga je·il jo·a·ha·neun geon yeo·reu·mui neo
Meaning: What I like best is you, my summer
Words in this line- 내가nae·gaI
- 제일je·ilmost
- 좋아하는jo·a·ha·neunthat (I) like
- 건geonthe thing (that)
- 여름의yeo·reu·muisummer's
- 너neoyou
Word for word: I most liking thing — summer's you
Why it doesn't translate word for word: The line repeats the previous structure — '건' again contracting '것은' — but swaps 'summer's taste' for 'summer's you': the particle '의' makes 'you' belong to summer, i.e. 'you are summer itself,' mirroring the previous line.
Lyrics © their rights holders. “Red Flavor” — Red Velvet. Quoted for commentary and learning.
Mini-lesson: fill in the missing word
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Ask RenaSong vocabulary
Words from the song in Korean alphabetical order, with pronunciation and meaning.
| Word | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가는데 | ga·neun·de | keep going |
| 가질래 | ga·jil·lae | I'll take |
| 갈래 | gal·lae | I'll go |
| 강렬하게 | gang·nyeo·ra·ge | more intensely |
| 개의 | gae·ui | of (seven) |
| 궁금해 | gung·geum·hae | curious |
| 귀엽지 | gwi·yeop·jji | cute, right? |
| 귓속이 | gwit·sso·gi | inside my ear |
| 그늘 | geu·neul | shade |
| 그래 | geu·rae | yeah |
| 그러니 | geu·reo·ni | so |
| 그을려 | geu·eul·lyeo | scorched |
| 기분 | gi·bun | feeling |
| 긴장해 | gin·jang·hae | nervous |
| 말해 | ma·rae | say it |
| 빨간 | ppal·gan | red |
| 여름 | yeo·reum | summer |
| 찾아 | cha·ja | look for |
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Questions about “Red Flavor”
What is “Red Flavor” by Red Velvet about?
“Red Flavor” by Red Velvet is a breezy summer crush song about falling for someone and wanting their bold, sunny love to color everything.
What does “깨물면 점점 녹아든 strawberry 그 맛” mean in “Red Flavor”?
Bite into it, and it melts into that strawberry flavor. Korean fuses 'if' onto 깨물면 (if you bite) and places the description 점점 녹아든 (gradually melted into) before the noun it modifies, slotting the English word…
What does “너무 쉽게 사랑 빠져 버릴 nineteen” mean in “Red Flavor”?
So easy to fall in love, nineteen. '빠지다' alone means 'to fall/sink' (into love), and adding '버리다' gives it a 'before-you-know-it' nuance — falling helplessly and irreversibly; alone '버리다'…
How do you pronounce “오늘 뭘 할 수 있을까”?
In the song it sounds roughly like “o·neul mwol hal ssu i·sseul·kka”: that's how it's actually sung by Red Velvet, not the textbook romanization.
Where can I see every line of “Red Flavor” explained?
This page explains 4 key lines. In the theIDOL app Rena 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
- Red Velvet
- 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.