# Arirang: The Song That Follows Koreans Everywhere

Arirang · Culture · Korean Restaurant · Hong Kong · Est. 1964
https://www.arirang.com.hk/blog/arirang-the-song-that-follows-koreans-everywhere/

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/domy6ms4p/image/upload/v1778865974/ca0c99b0-5082-11f1-998f-63c4dc337238_bqzz7v.png)

아리랑 아리랑 아라리요 / 아리랑 고개를 넘어간다. Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo / Crossing over Arirang Pass. These lines, so simple, have been sung by Koreans for centuries - in every province, in every diaspora, in every longing for home.

Korea's most beloved folk song exists in as many versions as there are regions - some bright, some playful - yet it is the lament, a song of longing and endurance, that has travelled furthest and lasted longest. Found in Korean communities as far as China and Russia, its words carry the weight of home remembered and hardship endured.

The full verse: *나를 버리고 가시는 님은 / 십리도 못 가서 발병난다.* The one who abandons me / Will not go ten li before their feet give out. A gentle curse, born of heartbreak. That it has survived so long, and travelled so far, says everything about the Korean spirit.

We named our restaurant after this song. A piece of Korea that travels, that endures, and that always finds its way home.