What does 고개 mean?
고개 (gogae) means: mountain pass / ridge.
In the context of Arirang ('아리랑 고개'), a mountain pass serves as a metaphor for overcoming difficult life obstacles or parting ways with a beloved. In daily life, it literally means a hill or mountain pass, but in literature and music, it carries a sense of physical and emotional struggle.
🔊 From the story above
아리랑 고개를 넘어가는 노래 가사가 가슴을 울려요. — arirang gogaereul neomeoganeun norae gasaga gaseumeul ullyeoyo, "The lyric about crossing the Arirang Pass touches my heart."
이 민요에는 우리 민족의 한이 서려 있어요. — i minyoeneun uri minjogui hani seoryeo isseoyo, "This folk song contains the deep sorrow (han) of our nation."
나를 버리고 가시는 임은 십리도 못 가서 발병 난다. — nareul beorigo gasineun imeun simnido mot gaseo balbyeong nanda, "My beloved who abandons me will suffer foot pain before walking even ten miles."
How it's actually used
- 아리랑 고개를 넘어가는 노래 가사가 가슴을 울려요.
The lyric about crossing the Arirang Pass touches my heart.