A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children. <Eeny, meeny, miny, moe>, for example, is a nursery rhyme in the United States and England. As a nursery rhyme has relatively simple and lyrics and melodies, it will be fun to practice Korean by singing a nursery rhyme. Today we are going to learn some of the Korean nursery rhymes!
곰 세마리 / Three Bears [Gom Se-ma-ri]
| 곰 세마리가 한 집에 있어 | [gom se-ma-ri-ga han jip-e iss-eo] | Three bears are in a house |
| 아빠곰, 엄마곰, 아기곰 | [a-ppa-gom eom-ma-gom a-gi-gom] | Daddy Bear, Mommy Bear, Baby Bear |
| 아빠곰은 뚱뚱해 | [a-ppa-gom-eun ttung-ttung-hae] | Daddy bear is fat |
| 엄마곰은 날씬해 | [eom-ma-gom-eun nal-ssin-hae] | Mommy bear is slim |
| 아기곰은 너무 귀여워 | [a-gi-gom-eun neo-mu gwi-yeo-wo] | Baby bear is so cute |
| 으쓱, 으쓱, 잘한다! | [eu-sseuk, eu-sseuk, jal-han-da!] | Eu-sseuk (strutting), eu-sseuk, good job! |
곰 세마리 is one of the most famous Korean nursery rhymes. Children sing this song at home or in kindergarten with dance. As the lyric consists of the grammar structure [Subject + Subject Complement], children can learn how to describe people or things by singing this song.
눈 / Snow [nun]
| 펄, 펄, 눈이 옵니다 | [peol, peol, nun-i op-ni-da] | Peol (Large Snowflakes), peol, the snow is falling |
| 하늘에서 눈이 옵니다 | [ha-neul-e-seo nun-i op-ni-da] | The snow is falling from the sky |
| 하늘 나라 선녀님들이 | [ha-neul na-ra seon-nyeo-nim-deul-i] | The heavenly Seon-nyeos (Taoist fairy) |
| 송이 송이 하얀 솜을 | [song-i song-i ha-yan som-eul] | The white cotton |
| 자꾸 자꾸 뿌려 줍니다 | [ja-kku ja-kku ppu-ryeo jup-ni-da] | Keeping sprinkling (The heavenly Seon-nyeos keep sprinkling the white cotton) |
눈 is a Korean nursery rhyme that elementary school students sing in winter. As the lyric contains a metaphor for the snow, students learn how to refer to one thing by using metaphor. You can also see the Taoist influence in the word “선녀,” which is a Taoist fairy (similar to angels in other religions).
솜사탕 / Cotton Candy [Som-sa-tang]
| 나뭇가지에 실처럼 날아든 솜사탕 | [na-mus-ga-ji-e sil-cheo-reom nal-a-deun som-sa-tang] | The cotton candy, flying to the branch like a silk |
| 하얀눈처럼 희고도 깨끗한 솜사탕 | [ha-yan-nun-cheo-reom hui-go-do kkae-kkeus-han som-sa-tang] | The cotton candy, white and clean like a white snow |
| 엄마 손 잡고 나들이 갈 때 먹어 본 솜사탕 | [eom-ma son jap-go na-deul-i gal ttae meok-eo bon som-sa-tang] | The cotton candy, that I had when I went on a picnic with my mom |
| 훅 훅 불면은 구멍이 뚫리는 커다란 솜사탕 | [huk huk bul-myeon-eun gu-meong-i tdulh-ri-neun keo-da-ran som-sa-tang] | The big cotton candy, that I blew off |
솜사탕 is a song that children sing when they are on picnics or in amusement parks. This song describes the cotton candy and the memory related to it. I feel quite nostalgic when I think of cotton candy. Maybe it is because of this song!
텔레비전 / Television [tel-le-bi-jeon]
| 텔레비전에 내가 나왔으면 | [tel-re-bi-jeon-e nae-ga na-wass-eu-myeon] | If I was on the television, |
| 정말 좋겠네, 정말 좋겠네 | [jeong-mal joh-gess-ne, jeong-mal joh-gess-ne] | It would be really cool, really cool |
| 춤추고, 노래하는, 예쁜 내 얼굴 | [chum-chu-go, no-rae-ha-neun, ye-ppeun nae eol-gul] | Dancing, singing, my beautiful face |
| 텔레비전에 내가 나왔으면 | [tel-re-bi-jeon-e nae-ga na-wass-eu-myeon] | If I was on the television, |
| 정말 좋겠네, 정말 좋겠네 | [jeong-mal joh-gess-ne, jeong-mal joh-gess-ne] | It would be really cool, really cool |
텔레비전 is a modern song that got popular in the late 20th century. At that time, television was a luxury, and getting a chance to be on TV was more difficult than now. Soon being on TV became a synonym of wealth and fame. Singing this song, children were dreaming of being actors and singers!
원숭이 엉덩이는 빨개 / Red monkey butt
| 원숭이 엉덩이는 빨개 | [won-sung-i eong-deong-i-neun ppal-gae] | A monkey’s butt is red |
| 빨가면 사과, 사과는 맛있어 | [ppal-ga-myeon sa-gwa, sa-gwa-neun mas-iss-eo] | Red is an apple, an apple is delicious |
| 맛있으면 바나나, 바나나는 길어 | [mas-iss-eu-myeon ba-na-na, ba-na-na-neun gil-eo] | Delicious a banana is, a banana is long |
| 길면 기차, 기차는 빨라 | [gil-myeon gi-cha, gi-cha-neun ppal-ra] | Long is a train, a train is fast |
| 빠르면 비행기, 비행기는 높아 | [ppa-reu-myeon bi-haeng-gi, bi-haeng-gi-neun nop-a] | Fast is an airplane, an airplane flies high |
| 높으면 백두산 | [nop-eu-myeon baek-du-san] | High is the Baek-du mountain |
원숭이 엉덩이는 빨개 is a song that children sing when playing. This song starts with a word and moves to another word that has similar attributes. Children would modify or lengthen the lyrics for fun.
Conclusion
Today we learned 5 Korean nursery rhymes. Which one was the most interesting? Knowing and singing Korean nursery rhymes will give you an understanding of both Korean grammar and culture. So why don’t you sing Korean nursery rhymes today!
