Dictionary — Entry No. 0559
머리
mori · noun
머리
mori
[moh-REE]
nounbeginner
Meaning
Means ‘head’ or ‘hair’ depending on context. In everyday Korean, 머리 fluidly refers to the physical head or one’s hair, making it uniquely versatile among body-part words. Korean speakers rely on context to distinguish the two meanings.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
K-Pop fans use 머리 constantly when reacting to idol hair transformations — color changes, cuts, and new styles go viral instantly. BTS’s Jungkook and V are famous for bold 머리 changes that trend worldwide. In ‘Boys Over Flowers,’ Gu Jun-pyo’s iconic curly 머리 became one of K-Drama’s most recognizable looks.
Example Sentences
머리가 아파요.
Meori-ga apayo.
My head hurts. (Used for both literal headaches and metaphorical stress.)
머리를 잘랐어요.
Meori-reul jallasseoyo.
I got a haircut. (Literally ‘I cut my hair’ — the go-to phrase after a salon visit.)
BTS 정국이 머리를 염색했어요.
BTS Jeongguk-i meori-reul yeomsaekaesseoyo.
BTS’s Jungkook dyed his hair. (Fan forums use this sentence structure constantly.)
⚠️ Don’t use mori when…
머리가 나쁘다 means ‘to be unintelligent’ (bad head/brain), NOT that someone’s hair looks bad — saying this about an idol is a serious insult. Also, 헤어 (borrowed from English ‘hair’) is common in beauty/fashion contexts, so 머리 and 헤어 overlap but aren’t always interchangeable.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Boys Over Flowers — Gu Jun-pyo’s voluminous curly 머리 became so iconic that salons received requests to recreate it across Asia.
- K-Pop: BTS — ‘Butter’ (Jungkook’s platinum-blonde 머리 during this era remains one of the most iconic idol hair moments in K-Pop history)
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.