A Day – Bilingual Lyrics Korean/English

• By: Suzy
• Album: EXchange4, Pt. 4 (Original Soundtrack)

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the tender world of Korean ballads with Suzy's 'A Day' (*Haru*). This melancholic OST masterfully captures the universal feeling of enduring love and longing, offering a wonderful opportunity to experience high-level emotional vocabulary and the poetic nature of the Korean language through its heartfelt lyrics.

[English]

What makes me get through a day

are small memories and tiny traces.

The power to endure today, it’s

the one I loved,

only you who aren’t by my side.

Why are there so many tiring nights?

It's hard even when I close my eyes.

I don't know, mm.

Today, too, I spend a day without you.

What does love even mean?

Someday, you and I,

if we were to meet, what would I feel?

I think about it and live in different times.

Even as time passes, you

will be in my heart.

Even if I try to erase it with words like

“It will all pass,” “It will all pass,”

my heart is still the same.

Mm, the day is passing.

What does farewell even mean?

And someday, you and I,

if we were to meet, what would I feel?

I think about it and live in different times.

[Korean]

하루를 살아가게 하는 건

작은 기억들과 아주 작은 흔적

오늘을 버텨내는 힘 그건

내가 사랑했던？

곁에 없는 그대뿐이죠

왜 이리 지치는 밤이 많은지

눈 감아도 힘드네요

난 모르겠어요, mm

오늘도 난 그대 없는 하루를 보내요

사랑이라는게 무슨 의미일까요

그 언젠가, 그대와 나

마주친다면 어떤 맘일지

떠올리며 서로 다른 시간을 살겠죠

시간이 지나도 그대는

나의 맘에 있을텐데

다 지나갈 거란 다 지나갈 거란

그런 말들로 지워내봐도

내 맘은 그대로인데

Mm, 하루가 가네요

이별이라는건 어떤 의미일까요

또 언젠가 그대와 나

마주친다면 어떤 맘일지

떠올리며 서로 다른 시간을 살겠죠

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - a period of twenty-four hours
memory /ˈmɛməri/ A2	noun - the ability to remember or the total of what one remembers
endure /ɪnˈdjʊər/ B1	verb - to remain in existence or remain in operation despite difficulties
strength /strɛŋθ/ A2	noun - the quality or state of being physically strong
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a strong feeling of affection verb - to have strong affection for someone
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise
eye /aɪ/ A1	noun - the organ of sight in humans and animals
spend /spɛnd/ A1	verb - to use time
mean /miːn/ A1	verb - to indicate or represent something
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the central or most important part
pass /pæs/ A2	verb - to move past or by something or someone
erase /ɪˈreɪs/ B1	verb - to remove or delete something
parting /ˈpɑːrtɪŋ/ B1	noun - the act of leaving or separating
tiring /ˈtaɪərɪŋ/ A2	adjective - causing fatigue or exhaustion
hard /hɑːrd/ A1	adjective - requiring great physical effort
different /ˈdɪfərənt/ A1	adjective - not the same as something or someone else
trace /treɪs/ B1	noun - a sign or evidence of something that existed or happened

Key Grammar Structures

• 하루를 살아가게 하는 건

  ➔ Causative verb form (-게 하다)

  ➔ This uses the causative form '하게 하는' to indicate making someone or something perform an action, here 'making one live through a day', where '하게' modifies the verb.

• 오늘을 버텨내는 힘 그건

  ➔ Emphatic particle 그건 (that's what)

  ➔ The phrase '그건' emphasizes the subject, meaning 'that's what', highlighting that the following noun is the true answer.

• 왜 이리 지치는 밤이 많은지

  ➔ WH-clause with -(는)지 (wondering why)

  ➔ This uses '많은지' to form a wh-question clause expressing wonder or doubt about 'why there are so many tiring nights'.

• 난 모르겠어요, mm

  ➔ Polite declarative ending -요 (I don't know)

  ➔ '모르겠어요' ends with '-요', a polite declarative suffix used in Korean to show respect when stating 'I don't know'.

• 사랑이라는게 무슨 의미일까요

  ➔ Quotative -(이)라는 것으로 (what's the meaning of what is called love)

  ➔ This uses '이라는게' as a quotative construction meaning 'what is called love', turning '사랑' into a quoted or referred concept whose 'meaning' is questioned.

• 그 언젠가, 그대와 나 마주친다면

  ➔ Future conditional -(느)다면 (if we meet someday)

  ➔ '마주친다면' attaches '-다면' to '마주치다' (to meet), creating a future conditional meaning 'if we meet', indicating a hypothetical situation in the future.

• 시간이 지나도 그대는 나의 맘에 있을텐데

  ➔ Concessive even though (아/어도) with future (을/를)텐데 (but you will still be in my heart)

  ➔ '지나도' uses concessive '-아/어도' meaning 'even though time passes', combined with '-을/를텐데' for future conjecture: 'will still be in', expressing unlikely expectation.

• 그런 말들로 지워내봐도

  ➔ Even if/although conditional (아/어도) (even if I try to erase with those words)

  ➔ '지워내봐도' employs '-아/어도' for concessive meaning 'even if I try to erase', indicating an action that doesn't lead to the expected result despite the effort.