Palette – Bilingual Lyrics Korean/English

• By: IU

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language can be a journey of self-discovery, much like the one IU sings about in “Palette.” This song offers a window into the personal thoughts and feelings of a young adult in Korea, using simple yet profound lyrics to express a newfound confidence. By exploring the language of “Palette,” you can learn to express your own preferences and feelings about growing up, all while enjoying a beautifully crafted pop song.

[English]

Strangely, these days I just like the easy things

Still, I really like Korean music

I prefer a deeper purple than hot pink

What else, pajamas with buttons, a bit mischievous lipstick

I like it, I'm 25

I know you like me

Oh, I got this, I'm truly fine

I think I understand myself a little now

I prefer a neat bob cut over long hair

Still, I looked really pretty when singing good days

Oh, why is that? I like things a bit old-fashioned, hmm

A palette filled densely, the diary of times I fell asleep

I like it, I'm 25

I know you hate me

Oh, I got this, I'm truly fine

I think I understand myself a little now

When I was young, everything was hard, I was sad from the nagging

Just a foolish kid who only heard scolding

Barely past twenty, joy was short-lived, oh my

They say youth is painful

Jieun, I'm telling you, I'm just turning thirty now

I'm definitely not, but I'm becoming an adult

I'm still quite far from it

I'm only five years older than you

Right there, between twenty and thirty, at this moment

An age that's neither a child nor an adult, just me

Shining the brightest

Even when darkness falls, don't be afraid

So beautiful, with petals wide open

Always a beloved child, you

The diary of a palette, the times I fell asleep

I like it, I'm 25

I know you like me

Oh, I got this, I'm truly fine

I think I understand myself a little now (I still have a lot to say)

I like it, I'm 25

I know you hate me

Oh, I got this, I've truly found

I think I understand myself a little now

...

[Korean]

이상하게도 요즘엔 그냥 쉬운 게 좋아

하긴 그래도 여전히 코린 음악은 좋더라

Hot pink보다 진한 보라색을 더 좋아해

또 뭐더라 단추 있는 pajamas, lipstick 좀 짓궂은 장난들

I like it, I'm 25

날 좋아하는 거 알아

Oh, I got this, I'm truly fine

이제 조금 알 것 같아 날

긴 머리보다 반듯이 자른 단발이 좋아

하긴 그래도 좋은 날 부를 땐 참 예뻤더라

오 왜 그럴까 조금 촌스러운 걸 좋아해 hmm

그림보다 빼곡히 채운 palette 일기 잠들었던 시간들

I like it, I'm 25

날 미워하는 거 알아

Oh, I got this, I'm truly fine

이제 조금 알 것 같아 날

어려서 모든 게 어려워 잔소리에 매 서러워

꾸중만 듣던 철부지 애

겨우 스무고개 넘어 기쁨도 잠시 어머

아프니까 웬 청춘이래

지은아 오빠는 말이야 지금 막 서른인데

나는 절대로 아니야 근데 막 어른이 돼

아직도 한참 멀었는데

너보다 다섯 살 밖에 안 먹었는데

스물 위 서른 아래 고맘때 right there

애도 어른도 아닌 나이 때 그저 나일 때

가장 찬란하게 빛이 나

어둠이 드리워질 때도 겁내지 마

너무 아름다워서 꽃잎 활짝 펴서

언제나 사랑받는 아이 you

Palette 일기 잠들었던 시간들

I like it, I'm 25

날 좋아하는 거 알아

Oh, I got this, I'm truly fine

이제 조금 알 것 같아 날 (아직 할 말이 많아)

I like it, I'm 25

날 미워하는 거 알아

Oh, I got this, I've truly found

이제 조금 알 것 같아 날

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
좋아하다 /dʒoːhaːda/ A1	verb - to like
예쁘다 /jɛpːɯda/ A1	adjective - pretty
시간 /ɕiɡan/ A1	noun - time
아름답다 /aɾɯmdaːpda/ B1	adjective - beautiful
기쁨 /ɡipːɯm/ B1	noun - joy
어둠 /ʌdum/ B2	noun - darkness
청춘 /tɕʌŋtɕʰun/ B2	noun - youth
단발 /danbal/ B2	noun - bob cut (hairstyle)
팔레트 /pʰalɛtʰɯ/ B2	noun - palette
장난 /dʒaŋnan/ B2	noun - play, prank
어려움 /ʌɾʌum/ C1	noun - difficulty
서른 /sʌɾɯn/ C1	noun - thirty
철부지 /tɕʌlbuji/ C2	noun - foolish child

Key Grammar Structures

• 이상하게도 요즘엔 그냥 쉬운 게 좋아

  ➔ Adverb + noun + verb + adjective (used to express a general truth or tendency)

  ➔ Uses '이상하게도' ('strangely') as an adverb to modify the whole sentence, indicating an unusual tendency.

• 날 좋아하는 거 알아

  ➔ Verb stem + 는 + 거 + 알다 (to know that someone likes you)

  ➔ Uses the suffix '는 거' to nominalize the verb '좋아하는' ('liking'), creating a noun phrase meaning 'the fact that I am liked'.

• 이제 조금 알 것 같아 날

  ➔ Verb + 것 같다 (seems like / I think that)

  ➔ Expresses the speaker's assumption or feeling that something seems true or will happen.

• 어리서 모든 게 어려워 잔소리에 매 서러워

  ➔ Verb + 도 (also / even), Noun + 에 (in/at), Verb + 서러워 (feels sorrowful / sad)

  ➔ Uses '도' to indicate 'also' or 'even', showing an additional or intense feeling, and '에' to specify location or context.

• 김치도 좋아해요

  ➔ Noun + 도 (also / too)

  ➔ Uses '도' after a noun to indicate 'also' or 'another' item included, showing addition or agreement.

• 꽃잎 활짝 펴서 너무 아름다워서

  ➔ Verb stem + 어서 /아서 (connecting sentences / clauses)

  ➔ Uses '어서 /아서' to connect clauses, showing cause or reason for the next statement.