[KWotD] – What does 비켜 mean?

Kimchi Cloud | May 15, 2014 | No Comments | Word of the day

Meaning of 비켜

비키다: to step aside, to make way for

This is a popular word in Korean movies and dramas and it’s very easy to use – when someone is in your way, just look at them, raise your voice a little and tell them 비켜! (pi-kyeo). You’ve just told them to “move” or to “get out of my way”.

Please note that you shouldn’t ever use this phrase to someone who’s older than you, or if you aren’t close friends with them. You will sound very rude! But of course, if you’re upset with that person and you WANT to sound rude, it’s a perfect opportunity to use it!

비켜 is a conjugated form of 비키다 (pi-ki-da) which means “to step aside,” “to make way for.” You will also hear a lot of “비켜라” (pi-kyeo-ra) which is another way of saying the same thing (-어/아/여+라 is often used when someone gives a command to a younger person).

If you want to sound a bit more polite, you can say “”길 좀 비켜 주세요” (kil jom pi-kyeo ju-se-yo), but in most cases where you want to get through a crowd of people, it’s best to just use standard phrases like “잠시만요” (jam-si-man-yo) or “잠깐만요” (jam-kkan-man-yo).

Furthermore, this phrase can also be used in conjunction with 자리(ja-ri) – location or position, in the form of 자리를 비키다. In this case, it takes on the meaning of “to leave someone alone.” To say “would you leave us alone for a second,” you could say “자리를 좀 비켜줄래?” (ja-ri jom pi-kyeo-jul-lae?). A very useful phrase when you want some privacy!

You might have heard (chances are you haven’t though) the song “비켜” from Epic High. The title, as you might be able to guess by now, translates to “get out of my way.”