Boy group SEVENTEEN have newly released a video on their YouTube channel for the song ‘Smile Flower’ with the members each explaining their own interpretations of the song before the nostalgic music video begins. Smile Flower appeared as the last track on their latest album entitled Going Seventeen and was written with their fans, Carats, in mind and carries a message of hope and remembering to smile even when SEVENTEEN and their fans may be apart.
The song title 웃음꽃 (useumkkot) is a traditional Korean expression which symbolizes how a smile blooms into laughter on your face. The literal translation of this expression is ‘smiling flower’ or ‘laughing flower’, which may sound a little strange if you say it in English, but in Korean this beautiful and untranslatable expression captures the movement from a smile to a laugh and how laughter and happiness can take over your whole body.
그녀에 얼굴에 웃음꽃이 피었다 (geun-yoe-ye / ol-gur-re / useum-kkochi / pi-ott-da)
This is a the expression used in a sample sentence. Literally it means ‘On her face, a smile flower bloomed.’ English sentences such as ‘She has a bright smile’ or even just simply ‘She laughed’ can be said in Korean by using the 웃음꽃 expression!
Vocab!
웃음 (useum) – Laughter.
꽃이 (kkochi) – Flower.
피다 (pi-da) – To Bloom.
꽃이 피었다 (kkochi / pi-ott-da) – The Flower has bloomed.
Okay! Now that we have the basics down, lets look at the song’s lyrics more in depth!
이렇게나 행복하고 (ireo-kena / haeng-bok-hago)
This is a song with emotions at its core, from the beginning of the song and throughout there are numerous references to the feelings of the singer. This sentence means ‘Like this, I’m happy.’ The song also speaks about thinking about a time when they may have to be apart, and it makes them sad to think about it.
함께라서 웃을 수 있고 (ham-kke-ra-seo / useul / su / it-go)
This means ‘I can smile because we are together.’
우린 늘 그렇듯 웃음꽃 피워요 (urin / neul /geu-reo-teut / useumkkot / pi-weo-yo)
‘As always, our smile flowers will bloom.’
Vocab!
행복해요 (haeng-bok-hae-yo) – Happy or I’m Happy.
불행해요 (buraeng-hae-yo) – Unhappy/Miserable or I’m unhappy/I’m Miserable.
웃을 (useul) – Smile.
울다 (ulda) – Cry.
함께 (ham-kke) – Together.
우리들 (oori-dul) – Us.
봄 (bom) – Spring.
그대 미소에 봄이 돼줄게요 (geu-dae / mi-so-eh / bomi / dwae-jul-ge-yo)
This beautiful last line of the song means ‘Ill be the spring to your smile.’ As Spring is the season in which all of the flowers bloom, SEVENTEEN are going to be the reason that makes the smiles on their fans faces blossom into smile flowers or laughter.
