[Korean Culture & Language] Johnny

Hello, this is Uptempo!

너는 지금 뭐해, 자니, 밖이야?
What are you up to? Are you asleep? Are you out?

뜬금없는 문자를 보내보지 난
I send you random text messages

어떻게 해볼까란 뜻은 아니야
I wasn't messaging for any particular reason or intended to be rude,

그냥 심심해서 그래 아니 외로워서 그래
I was simply bored. I mean, I'm lonely.

아 진짜 술만 들어가면 왜 이렇게 들뜨는지
I'm not sure what it is about drinking that makes me so excited.

나도 잘 몰라 난 왜 그녀들을 부르는지 갑자기 허전해
I’m not sure why I call them on the phone. Suddenly, I feel an emptiness in my heart.

전 여친한테 더럽게 달라붙어 봤지만 그녀는 버럭해
I tried to cling to my ex-girlfriend, but she got angry.

너 진짜 철없게 언제까지 이럴래
You’re acting childish. When will you stop acting like a kid?

미안해 갑자기 외로운걸 어떡해
I’m sorry. I got lonely.

Above are lyrics for a famous song ‘자니(Johnny)’ by Primary. Its English title is ‘Johnny’ because ‘자니’ is pronounced ‘Jonny’. However, ‘자니’ actually means ‘Are you asleep?’. 


The title is meant to be relatable and humorous to a wide range of Koreans because it’s a well-known cliché phrase to receive from or send to an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend in Korea. 

Many people have reported receiving or sending ‘자니?’ to their ex-partners before. However, sending such a message is not socially acceptable and is considered embarrassing. Ha Seok-jin, a famous Korean actor, once jokingly remarked, ‘How about a 깼니?(Did you wake up yet?) instead of a ‘자니?(Are you asleep?)’. 

Have you ever sent an embarrassing message to your ex? What did you say in your message?

 

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