Arirang (아리랑)

Arirang was originally a part of the refrain of a very popular folk song, but now the word means almost everything typical of old Korea. There are a number of mountain, passes that are called arirang gogae (gogae meaning “hill way”), reminding people of the difficulty of travel in the old days. The fully decorated Korean dress is called an arirang dress, and many snug tea houses are named arirang. The word never fails to trigger Korean nostalgia.