매튜의 한국어 연습 블로그

A post over at my history blog got me thinking. What about free Korean language material? Surely it is more plentiful?

Like mentioned in my Self-Study Advice post, I am critical of cheap or free resources are they are often repeats of other resources. Either that or they're just garbage. However, this week I was proven wrong (it's been known to happen from time to time). Two of the best free resources I have recently come across are these two textbooks available for free from Monash University. They are My Korean 1 & 2 by Young-A Cho, In-Jung Cho and Douglas Ling (Book I and Book II in pdf). These textbooks might actually rival my personal favorites, the KLEAR series. Download them now and thank yourself later.

Clearly other free resources include blogs like the one you are reading now or listed in my sidebar but if I were to pick a few favorites, I would pick the up-and-coming but very promising TalkToMeInKorean, the recently resurrected Luke Park's Korean Grammar Guide, and the exceedingly altruistic BusyAtom's video series.

NOTE: This should have been posted a month ago but got lost in the pile of drafts. It's still pretty rough as "역시" is a strange bird. Below is what I wrote:
I spent almost an entire hour talking about this with a friend today and I still don't fully grasp it. This is my feeble attempt at starting to understand the versatility and not-quite-the-same-in-English glory that is '역시'. Bear with me.

As Naver points out, it means a whole lot of nothing. More specifically, it's misleading. It makes me think it's something that it isn't. It's like those purple sweet potatoes in Korea. They look like they'll taste like a grape but no. Just a sweet potato taste. You big fat lying potato. Why do you taste just like all the other sweet potatoes?

What was I saying? oh yeah. '역시' has many uses. They aren't exactly related to each other but all of them seem to essentially revolve around the speaker's inner monologue and/or to the end of a  We'll go over each dictionary definition and give an example:

1) 또한 too, as well, also, likewise
This seems to be a way to agree with someone's opinion. I'm already already familiar with "나도 그렇게 생각해요" (I think so, too). and in this situation, one can add the optional  "나도 역시 그렇게 생각해요" but what I don't know is what nuance changes...any help?

2) 그래도 but then, notwithstanding, nevertheless, though, however, in spite of, none the less
how does this differ from 그래도? don't know. The example given was that a couple is searching for a restaurant. They can't agree on anything because all restaurants don't sound appetizing. This place is too expensive, that place is too greasy, that place is too bland, etc. So, the couple agrees to simply go to 김밥천국 without really expecting anything. it was just a last minute compromise. Just eat and go. Once there, the food is surprisingly good. You say with a tiled head to your partner "흠...역시 김밥천국이야". What I don't know is the nuance. What exactly does that mean? "good choice, honey?"

3) 예전히 still, all just the same
the example was two friends meet after a long time apart. Say, three years. Back then, the friend lived in 명동. The other friend, in excitement of meeting his friend after such a long time asks "Hey, where are you living now?" and the friend replies "Still in 명동" to which the other friend replies "아! 역시..." Apparently this also requires a finger shake or a shit-faced grin to gain full effect.

4) 생각했던 대로 as expected, true to one's expectation
The example given was that if my friend wanted to go to England for a long time and he read a lot about England and dreamt all about going to England. England was on his mind. Once he got there, he was happy that it was exactly what he imagined. He simply said quietly to himself "아...역시" as in "I knew it".
Another example is a friend who setting you up with a blind date. He describes the girl you're going to meet as pretty, smart, playful, quick and from a nice family. Your imagination dreams up what she must look like. Once you finally meet her, she's everything you imagined and more. Again, you say to yourself "아...역시"

5) 결국 after all is said and done
If a guy didn't study for a test, prays to the heavens for a good grade but only receives a 15 out of a 100 on the test. In that case, he can say 역시 but I don't know what it means. It seems that it's practically the same as the more common definition above (#4)
- - - - - - - -

If you read this and feel that you have something to add, as always, please leave a comment!

For lack of a more accurate grammatical explanation, 되다 is conjugated as 돼 in usual speech. Examples include 해도 돼요?" (Can I do it?) and "만지면 안 돼요" (Don't touch [that]) . The opposite is when the verb is used in connection with other forms such as "교수이 되고 싶어요" (I want to be a professor) and "...안되면..." (...if you don't do it...) My confusion comes when to use which spelling? For all intents and purposes, the pronunciation is the same.

정민, fellow Korean history nerd, friend and diligent corrector of all mistakes Korean, taught me this really helpful mental trick to think of when confused with which spelling to use. Here's the trick:


If you can replace '되' with '하' then you have the right spelling
ex) 안 하다 -> 안 되다
ex) 안 하면 -> 안 되면
ex) 하지만 -> 되지만
ex) 하잖아 -> 되잖아
ex) 항거야 -> 될거야

Like some other students of Korean, I have an interest in 한자 (Hanja, Sino-Korean characters). Not because I like to make life more difficult than it has to be but because I want my Korean vocabulary skills to improve. I want to be able to decode new words. So why would Hanja help me do that?

Not quite Korean, not quite Chinese and certainly not quite Japanese, Hanja used to be the de facto writing system back in the day. The idea behind learning Hanja is that through the combination of a few familiar characters leads to new ideas and expressions. Each character represents an idea or thought instead of a sound. As Koreans eventually embraced Hangul over Hanja, old Hanja words were Hangulized using just their pronunciation. It's still a little tricky but if one were to see "정", without proper context, it could mean lots of things including "鄭", "丁", "定" "正" or "町". This could mean anything between "January" "rights" "decide" "quiet" or "measure" among others. See the possible confusion?

This concept is not exclusive to Hanja or to Korean by any means. In English, to decode a new word, it is quite common to subtly decode via Latin or Greek roots. If I offer you the word "hemophobia" a native English speaker will be quick to recognize that it means "fear of blood" due to knowledge of other words such as "homostat, hemoglobin" and "arachnophobia, claustrophobia"

While this can be helpful, it also can lead to some misinterpretations as I have found out. Below is a sample of some of my real life misinterpretations. Hope it makes you laugh. I actually confidently said these in conversation.

What I thought I heard	What I thought it meant at the time	What it really was in that context	What it really means in proper context
물(이)	water	무리	danger, harmful
이 사	twenty four	이사하다	to move
은행 나무	tree bank	은행 나무	Ginkgo Biloba tree
기타	guitar	기타	other information
산책	mountain book	산책(가다)	take a walk
산오징어	mountain squid	산오징어	live squid (살다+ㄴ)
추어탕	cold stew (춥다)	추어탕	loach (fish) stew
감자탕	potato stew	감자탕	pork on the bone stew
개	dog	게	crab
어른(이)	adults, older people	어린이(가)	young people
안내	guide, information	아내	wife
신정	Swine flu	신정	solar new year, Jan 1st
짜증나	annoying	잘 있나! (사투리)	Okay!, Good!, Nice!
잘 못하다	To not be able to do it	잘못 하다	To make a mistake

* The Potato Stew/ Pork Stew debate is kind of interesting, actually. There's plenty of theories discussed here and here.

** This is my wife's favorite. This past 설날 I introduced myself to her grandfather over the phone. He is from 부산 and speaks a particularly strong dialect (사투리) and when I nervously introduced myself over the phone it went a little like this:

부인: 할어버지~ 바꿔 줄게요!
나: (takes the phone) 할어버지 안녕하세요! 새해 복 많이 받아시고 건강하세요!
외할어버지: (..silence...) 짜증나...
나: 어?.. 제가 잘못했어요? 죄송합니다!

Needless to say that my wife's family is still laughing about it now.

Anyway, can you think of any similar words? I would love to expand this list!

BONUS: A great little joke I saw on the comment section of this blog post made me laugh about the importance of spacing (띄어쓰기):
방 구해야지: (You) Should find a room.
방구 해야지: (You) Should fart.

An old thread that has a whole mess of helpful similarities between Korean and Japanese might be of interest. Here's just a short sample list of the more common examples that can be heard fairly regularly. Enjoy!

배 = 乾杯 = (cheers!)

가방 = カバン = (bag)

약속 = 約束 = (promise)

신문 = 新聞 = (newspaper)

가족 = 家族 = (family)

사진 = 写真 = (photo)

시간 = 時間 = (time, hour)

공원 = 公園 = (park)

도로 = 道路 = (road, street)

아르바이트 = アルバイト = (part-time job)

물 = 水 = (water)

섬 = 島 = (island)

닭 = 鳥 = (bird)

해 = 日 = (sun, day)

빛 = 光 = (ray)

다시마 = 出し = (kelp for making broth)

설직히 = 正直 = (honestly)

성격 = 性格= (personality, character)

기분 = 気分 = (feeling, mood)

태도 = 態度 = (attitude)

기대 = 期待 = (expectation, hope)

세계 = 世界 = (world)

확실하다 = 確実 = (certain, sure, reliable, tangible)

There are times when I want to quit my monotonous English public school job in Seoul due to my school's poor planning, lack of creative control over lesson plans and all around unprofessional attitudes by most of my coworkers and supervisors, but I must say that my kids are precious. That's hard to argue with.

Seeing as how the sixth graders graduated last week, they had their last English lesson for elementary school. In celebration, one of the classes wrote me a goodbye letter. Actually, they all wrote me a letter and stapled them together. It was really touching.

I must say that I feel like a bad teacher because almost all either wrote entirely in Korean or in terrible English. Of course, the thought is always what matters most and of course I can see the effort and genuineness in their gift. However, knowing my forgetful nature, I might lose these precious messages. If I transcribe them, I can always look back.

Just like the Christmas message responses I received from my coworkers, I will remove most identifying characteristics of the writers. I'll leave the first names but will omit all last (family) names. Also, since their handwriting is kind of sloppy and my lack of ability to clearly read handwritten Korean leaves me little choice but to guess or omit certain words. Other than the cute drawings and heart shapes, I'll leave all other content untouched. Enjoy!

UPDATE: After transcribing almost everything, I was surprised at how many of them mentioned my journey of studying Korean. I guess they picked up on my linguistic struggles and occasional achievements in class better than I thought. True, I did speak a lot of Korean to them although it was always with the intent to motivate them to speak English or to explain the directions of the activity. Though it seems that I learned more from them than they learned from me. I was surprised at how many said such sweet yet surprisingly telling comments of their own country including "even though you're a foreigner you seem like a Korean" and "you speak our country's language well". That's always a bit weird for me to hear.

Also, although there were some great messages I didn't get around to writing here, I figured it would be better to post what I have rather than let the whole post deteriorate into nothingness. Sorry for not including all notes.

Finally, I'll include a short list of some new words that I learned through this little project:
실력 - ability
향상 - improve
아쉽다 - sad
덕분에 - because of you, due to you (polite)
즐거운 - a pleasant (time), an enjoyable (time)
서먹서먹하다 - awkward
나아지다 - to improve, to get better
성격 - personality
정성 - sincere
최선 - the best way
흠미 - interest



English Teacher Smith Teacher
안녕하세요 전 6-7 반 O병길이에요.
선생님 덕분에 되게 못하던 영어도 그나마 잘 알게됬어요.
저는 이재 중학생이 되는데 이학교에 서다른 후배들도 잘 가르쳐주시고 감사합니다.
재미가 없던 영어 시간이 조금더 재미있어졌어요.
중학교 때도 열심히 하겠습니다
스미스 선생님로 한글 열심히 배우셔서 미국친구들 불께 한국 좀 알려 주세요
I love korea.
병일올림


To: smith teacher
Hello! I'm O영찬 이에요
처음부터 영어로살려고 하니까
참 어렵네요 선생님
한 하기 동안 가르쳐주셔서 thank you ♥
선생님은 정말 잘 생기셨어요~~!
애인은 당연히 있으신 거 같아요
이제 안녕히계세요 Goodbye!
다시 말하지만 잘 생기셧어요! ☆


스미스 선생님에게
제가 아직 영어로는 잘 쓰지를 못해서 우리말로 편지를 써서
이번에 중학교에 가면 영어를 잘 배워야 할것같아서 편지를 써요.
그리고 1년은 아니고 여름방학이 끝나고 만나서 수업을 해서
길지는 않았지만 그래도 즐거운 시간이었어요.
또 글씨가 너무 작아서 편지에 글을 다채우지 못했어요.
so long


스미스 선생님깨
안녕하세요 저는 6학년 7반의 O찬기 입니다.
일단 1년동안 성심 성의껏 가르쳐 주셔서 감사합니다
그리고 저의가 장난치고 떠든것은 정말 죄송해요
1년 전에 선생님을 처음 봤을 때가 생각 나네요
들어 오시는데 키도 크시고 또 잘생기셔서첫 인상이 너무너무 좋았어요
이제는 중학생이 되는데 선생님을 뵐수 없다는게 너무너무 아쉬운것 같아요
선생님 그동안 장난 친 것 정말 죄송했고 또 영어실력을 향상 시겨주신 점은 정말 감사해요
지금 선생님 과의 마지막 시간이라는게 정말로 아쉽고 슬퍼요.
저희 후배들도 선생님의 실력 그대로 열심히 가르쳐 주세요.
그럼 안녕히 계세요
그리고 행복을 빌게요
2010년 2월2일 화여일
O찬기 드림


- 스미스 teacher 에세 -
안녕하세요
제 이름은 O건후 입니다
1년동안 저희들을 잘 가르쳐 주셔서 잠사합니다
선생님 께서는 한국어를 참 잘하세요!
그리고 매우 멋있으세요
마지막으로
2010년 잘 보 내세요
Happy New Year
Ha Ha Ha
2010년 2월2일 화여일


To 스미스 선생님께
안녕하세요? 선생님
저는 6학년 7반의 O용준이에요. 이제 조금 만 있으면 중학생이되네요
선생님과 1년밖에 영어 공부를 하지못해서 약간 아쉽네요.
선생님과 수업을 할때 재미있었는데 이제는 선생님과 함께하는 재미있는 수업은 추억으로 만 가게되네요
아, 그리고 선생님 키도크시고 잘생기셨어요.
선생님 안녀히계세요
from 제가 O용준올림


1년 동안 우리를 가려쳐 주신 스미스 English teacher
☆선생님☆
한국에오셔서 우리를 가르쳐 주셔서 감사해요.
덕분에 영어의 조금 관심이 생각것 같네요
새해 복 많이 팓으세요
그리고 앞으로 쭉 건강하세요


to 스미스 선생님께
안녀하세. 저는6-7반에 O건우라고 합니다.
한하기 동안 영어를 가르쳐주신것 감사합니다.
전 선생님의 웃음이 너무 보기 좋앗구요 선생님 파란눈동자신기했어요.
항상웃으면서 수업을 해주신것 감사해요.
화내거 않으시고 떠들어도 이해해주시고 물르는것 가르쳐 주신것 감사해요
내년에도 수업하실거는 잘 모르거만 그때도 화이팅!
그리고 저희6학년7반이 수업은 가장 잘했죠? ㅋ ^^
그럼 good bye!


dear Mr. Smith 선생님께...
스미스 선생님! Hello! 제가 누군전 잘 모르시겠지만
저는 스미스 선생님을 잘알고 입니다. 선생님께 들었는데
한국말을 노력해서 배우신다면.......


to smith
Hello my name is Tae hwan OOO 저는 6학년 7반입니다.
월래는 영어를 VERY~ 싫어했지만 seen goo Teacher 와 Smith
Teacher 께서 영어를 매우 funny 하게 하셔서 조금 English가 재밌어진것 같습니다.
선생님이 어느나라 사람인 줄도모르지만 꼭 우리 나라 사람인 것같아요
그럼 bye
from tae hwan


'To Smith cheacher
Hello? I am Gyeng chan-OOO.
When I met you I was surprised
at your height. You are very tall.
If I graduation, I think I'll miss
you. I was happy was when I have english class with you. Good bye.
from Gyeng-cha
Tues. 2nd Feb 2010


To 스미스 선생님 (영어 선생님)
안녕하세요. 스미스선생님 (Hi)
지금까지 저희를 가르쳐 주신것 진심으로 감사해요 (Thank you. Because teach me)
덕분에성적도 많이 올랐어요. (Thank to, my grade is up)
선생님은 정말 좋으신 선생님이에요. (What a best teacher you are)
5학년 아이들도 잘 가르쳐 주세요 (please good teach for next sixth grade)
선생님 정말 감사해요 (Thank you very much)
잊지 않을게요 (I'll miss you.)
결혼 잘 하세요 (good marry)


Smith 선생님께...
Smith 선생님 안녀하세요? 저는 6학년 7반에 O.민.재 라는 학생이에요
선생님은 2주에 한번씩 밖에 보지 않지만 선생님과의 수업 재미 있었어요.
그리고 선생님은 다른 나라 분 이신데 도 우리 나라 말을 잘하셨죠.
우리가 영어를 배우는 것처럼 선생님도 우리나라 맣을 배우고 계시겠지요.
비록 올해에 해어 지만 다음에 꼭 다시 만나요.
2010.2.2.


Hi Smith teacher I am Sukjin OOO
2주일에 한번씩 가르쳐 주셔서 고맙습니다
I am go to middle school
중학교에 가서도 기억 할께요
I'm very sad.
무엇보다도 중학교가서 슬퍼요
Good luck
내 생애 최고의 원어민 선생님이었어요.
Good Bye teacher


To. Smith
Hello. smith teacher. I'm Da young OOO.
선생님, 1년동안 재미있게 영어 가르쳐주셔서 삼사해요.
선생님을 통해 미국에 대해 알 수 있어서 기뻤어요.
Yeah~ Yeah~ Yeah~
앞으로도 많은 애들에게 영어의 줄 거웁을 알 려주세요
1년 동안 감사합니다 ♥_♥


To 스미스 선생님 (Smith teacher)
안녕하세요. 전6-7 O민지 라고 해요.
선생님도 2학기 때부터 가르치 셨잖아요.
재미있었고, 즐거웠어요
단지 아쉬운 점은 수업이 별로 없어서 그게 아쉬워요
처음에는 외국인 이라 좀 서먹서먹 하고 김장 했었는데 지금은 나아진것 같아요
아무튼 너무 감사 드리고요, 재미있게 시간 보낸것 같아 좋아요
선생님이 한국어 공부 열심히 하시는 것 처럼
저도 영어 공부 열심히 할께요!
from O민지


안녕하세요? 스미스 선생님. 저는 2009학년도에 선생님께 영어를 배운 6-7 O성은 이라고 합니다~
선생님께서는 한국말도 잘 하시고 웃기시고 잘생기시고 성격도 너무 좋으신 것 같아서 좋았어요.
선생님께 영어를 배우으로서 영어에 대해 더 잘 알게 된 것 같아요 ^^ 항상 감사드립니다~
저도 이제 중학생되는데 그 전에 선생님을 만나게 되어서 다행이에요
저는 중학생 되는데 두려운 것 같아요...
공부도 더 열심히 해서 하고 중학교 생활도 잘 적응해야하고...힘들 것 같아요..
하지만 파이팅 할게요^^ 선생님도 항상 힘내세요~!
항상 건강하세요~ 감사했어요. 그럼 안녕히계세요


Dear. Smith teacher.
Hi~mr.Smith.
저는 6-7 O혜영입니다.
2학기 동안 영어 가르쳐주셔서 감사해요!
한국어 공부하시면서 모르는거 있으시면 알려드릴게요!
영어는 배웠지만...
저는 이제 중학생이 되서 학교에선 못보지만..선생님과의
수업 즐거웠어요! 그럼 안녕히!
So Long!!


스미스 선생님께
안녕하세요 스미스 선생님!! 저는 6학년 7반 학생 O세희 라고 합니다 ^^
그동안 저희를 재밌고 정성을 다해 가르쳐 주신거 감사합니다
그리고 항상 열심히 학고 최선을 다하시는 모습이 정말 멋있으세요~
한학기 동안에 선생님과한 수업이 정말 재밌었어요
사실... 제 꿈이 외교관 이라서 영어에 흥미도 맗고 영어를 좋아해서
수업이 특히나 더 재밌고 좋았던 거 같아요
제가 영어를 더 알아 가고 공부하는 걸 도와 주셔서 감사해요~

I love using Korean kinship titles. I really do. 호칭 좋아해. I wrote about them a while back.

When I hear 오빠 I melt.
When I hear 형 I feel closer to my buddy.
When I call an older woman 누나 I grin like an idiot
When I hear some other guy call the waitress 언니 I get creeped out. Why is some guy using that word? Seoul people...Where was I? Oh yeah.
When I call an much older woman 할머니 I think of my mother's mother and how precious she will always be to me
When I call an older man 할어버지 I think of how my father's father fought in the Korean war and how he might have seen them when they were young
When I call a man 아저씨 I usually want buy something
When I call a woman 아줌마 I usually want to kill something

However you look at it, I like to use Korean titles. But without a doubt, there's no one way to change from the dreaded "아줌마/아저씨" titles to the more friendly "누나/형/오빠/언니" titles. Let's start from the most polite and work down. Also, one can replace 누나 or 누님 with any other title when appropriate:

형님이라고 부르세요 you may call me 'hyung'
형이라고 불러 주세요 please call me 'hyung'
형이라고 불러 줘 just call me your 'hyung
형이라고 불러 just call me 'hyung'

You can also do this if you find some Koreans using your first name when it is not appropriate for them to do so. For instance, when little kids call me "Matthew" I want to strangle someone. Instead, I gently remind them by saying "스미스 선생님라고 불러 주세요" Please call me Mr. Smith.

Now, when I was first learning all this, I was confused by this little tidbit: 형이 라고 불요 people call me 'hyung'. This doesn't mean "People, call me hyung!" as in "여러분 형이라고 불러주세요!" Instead, it means "people (in the world) call me hyung (because they are younger than me)". Use this only when referring to your age or title in relation to someone else. It's not terribly common so don't sweat it if it's confusing.

However, if you're like me and you are both 1) younger than the person that you are talking to and 2) you actually like using these kinship terms and want to initiate them. In this case you should ask permission beforehand:

누나라고 불러도 될까요? can I call you 'noona'?
누나로 불러도 될까요? can I call you 'noona'?
그럼, 누나라고 불까요? so, can I just call you 'noona' then?
그럼, 누나라고 불까? so, can I just call you 'noona' then?
누나라고 불거야. I'm going to call you 'noona'

Sometimes, you'll find that the person on the receiving end of your innocent and super-sweet question will smile in embarrassment or avoid the subject altogether. Why? Not everyone wants to be the older sibling, so to say. In the case of a 누나, you can *carefully* joke by saying "왜요? 누나라고 불리는 게 싫어요? You don't want to be a 'noona'?" The feeling from many older women is that a younger man, while he may be cute and sweet, is not a man to her and her heart does not feel the same loving affection towards a 동생 as she may feel towards a man whom she actually has romantic feelings towards. Accordingly, my wife sometimes simply hates it when I call her 누나. However, I do know of some couples who use it affectionately. In my case, I really like my situation; "연상의 아내 a wife older than her husband". Like most things, it various from person to person. For sure, the more common situation is "연하의 아내 a wife younger than her husband". In these cases, you can compare your age to your significant other when asked:

제가 한 살 어려요 I'm one year younger
내가 한 살 많아아요 I'm one year older
저보다 한 살 많아요 She's one year older than me
나보다 한 살 어려요 She's one year younger than me

Then again, if you come to find out that you are indeed that same age, there's little else to say other than names. Keep in mind that being the same age is the fast track to friendship. I may like titles and all but being the same age is a special type of friendship devoid of most formalities and responsibilities.

동갑이예요 We're the same age
우리는 동갑 아닌데? aren't we the same age?
알고보니 동갑이네 I'm surprised to find out that we are the same age!
들이 동갑이야 You guys are the same age
그냥 이름을 불러주세요 Just call me by my name

Regardless of same age or a few years difference, there's always the possibly embarrassing moment of when to lower speech. Who initiates it? The older person? The younger person? Can't you just slip in a lower speech term here and there and then they'll pick up on it? Well, technically, all are correct. If you are the older person and you want the younger to feel more comfortable, then tell them to drop the formalities. If you're younger, believe it or not, depending on the situation, it is possible to ask the older person to lower his or her speech in order to make the both of you closer. Finally, you can also just slip it in here and there but it carries not nearly the name level of politeness as not addressing it at all. I can say as an American, it does not make me at all uncomfortable to speak 존대말 but for many Koreans, speaking 반말 is the equivalent of taking off the tie and kicking off their shoes. They would much rather prefer it - so long as it is appropriate. Various speech lowering phrases that may help:

말 놓으세요 Please lower your speech (sir. you don't need to respect me)
저 아직 어리니까... since I'm still young...(you don't need to respect me)
허락하시면 저도 놓겠어요 if it's okay with you, I'll also drop the formalities
그럼, 우리 말 놓자 Well, let's lower our speech together
말 놓을까요? 편하게... why are you putting your language so high? relax
우리 반말 할까? shall we use 'casual speech'?
알았어. 말 놓을게 Okay. I'll lower my speech
뭐야?! 진짜로 반말 해도 되는 거야? WTF? really? You want me to use 'casual speech' with you?
말 놔도 되요? Can I lower my speech level?

As you may guess to where this post is heading, some people don't like to use these titles so I would strongly recommend to gauge the situation. Similarly, asking to use 반말 is probably not a good idea at work. If it's a work situation, just stick with Korean titles such as OOO씨 or OOO선생님 or their respective titles such as 교장님 (principal), 교감님 (vice principal) and 부장님 (supervisor) regardless of how close your relationship is. If ever curious as to where to place your speech, a few questions about age will guide you in the right direction. From the top down:

연세가 어떻게 되세요? can I ask how old are you?
나이가 어떻게 돼세요? how old are you?
나이가 어떻게 돼요? how old are you?
몇 살이세요? how old are you?
몇 살이에요? how old are you?
몇 살이야? how old are you?
한국나이로 스물 여덟이에요 In Korean age, I'm 28
미국나이로 스물 여섯이에요 In American age, I'm 26

other age specific questions include:

실례지만, 몇년생이세요? (sorry to ask but) what year were you born?
몇년생이세요? what year were you born?
생일이 언제예요? when is your birthday?
생일날에 뭐 할꺼야? when's your birthday?
저 83년생이에요 I was born in 83, son!
저는 1983년 9월 14일에 태어났어요 I was born in September 14th 1983
note: The eighty-three (83) in my birth year can be pronounced as /팔십삼/ but /팔삼/ is more natural sounding.

We covered a lot today but if you want more, there might be something you're looking for at the reference guide.

Jesus christ superstar! I found this lovely list and it is awesome for two reasons. One) The author has done the most extensive Kognlish list I'v ever seen. Plenty of native English speakers talk about and mock Konglish but few stick around to really dissect it. The author distinguishes between loanwords, common incorrect usage and everything in between. Two) His list is free to repost. Sharing is caring.

Plus, I must gush about the site's author for just a brief moment. Hearing a linguist talk about language is sometimes more boring than watching paint dry no matter how awesome the topic may be. I mean no disrespect but I should know as my undergrad is in ESL. I had my share of boring linguistics lectures. Thankfully, the author organizes the list without the over-analytical BS that kills the fun of it. This really is quite an exhaustive list.

On a related note, while searching for this post, I ran into a trailer for an indie film that seems to be almost four years in the making. If you haven't already been the teaser, I'm of course talking about Konglish.

Anyways, I leave you with the list as it exists in it's current version. I have only slightly edited and reformatted the list. Please check out Leon's site for the most recent version, as well as other neat ESL materials. Although Konglish has little practical use for most students of Korean, I still find it fascinating. Enjoy!
Original Source and Related Source

Verbicide [verb (word) + cide (kill)] : "killing" or changing the meaning of a word. ( e.i., "loan words, with altered meanings"). 한글 Real English Word 진실의 영문 Verbicide Korean Definition 한국 정의 Real English Definition 옳은 영어 정의 액세소리 accessory Koreans generally use that word to mean: jewelry extra parts, for anything, including jewelry, but not commonly used to mean jewelry 앵글 angle angle bar or bracket the space between any two lines that intersect or come together end-to-end, relative to the 360° (degrees) of a circle.  I.e., an angle can be between 0 and 360 (exclusively). 본드 bond super glue any binding substance 부킹 booking introduction request at a night club making a reservation 버버리 Burberry overcoat or trench coat Trademark of light, long, waterproof coat 캔맥주 can maekju canned beer (or can of beer) can (n.) = metallic cylinder (not adjective) 사이더 cider sweetened soda water (like the brand: 7up) [in the USA.] cider = apple juice, usually homemade, sometimes carbonated [in the UK] cider=alcoholic apple juice [in Canada] hard cider = alcoholic apple juice soft cider = non-alcoholic apple juice 클락션 Claxon horn French name brand of horns So, it's not Konglish, but rather Korench 클로버 clover clubs (on playing cards) a plant that has leaves with three petal-like appendages 콜롱 cologne after-bath splash or after-shower body perfume men's perfume 콤비 combi (~nation) sports coat (and trousers) any mixture 컴퓨터 게임 computer game video game PC game 콘도 condo time-share resort owned apartment 콘센트 consent electrical outlet permission 커닝 cunning cheating deception 데서트 dessert after-meal tea after-meal treat 다이어리 diary day planner personal journal 엔진이어 engineer technician technical person (w/4yr.degree+license) 이벤트 event promotional event (Note:  Koreans only use the word to describe some kind of promotional deal, and is extremely commonly seen on Korean websites. any activity, or happening planned or unplanned,  usually involving more than one person. If you count participants and viewers, almost always involving more than one person 팬시 fancy fancy stationery extravagant (a.) 페미니즘 feminism women's liberation or "women's lib" Women-No-Different-From-Men Movement, and.. Sometimes:  Women-Better-Than-Men Movement 프리 사이즈 etc. 1. free-size 2. free ticket 3. free voltage 1) one size fits all 2a) all-rides ticket 2b) day pass 3a) one adapter - all voltage 3b) multi-volt ~  Free1 = without restriction Free2 = free of charge NOTE:  technically, "free-ticket" & "free-voltage" aren't wrong, but the meaning is ambiguous in modern English 퓨션 휴션 fusion intercultural making two atoms become one atom 가글 gargle mouth wash (n.) to wash one's mouth and throat (v.) 게이 gay male homosexual orig.=> slang: male or female homosexual sometimes=> male homosexual 글래머 glamour buxom woman fame and beauty 골던~ golden pants corduroy gold-colored (pants) 가운 gown robe [US] dressing gown [UK] gown = woman's dress [US] (There are two kinds:  a hospital gown, or an evening gown, which is a very formal dress) 깁스 "gyps" (gypsum) cast (for broken bones) white powder for making cast (CaSO42H2O) 헤어 핀 hair pin hair clip a pin for one's hair 해머 hammer sledge hammer small tool for pounding (much smaller than a sledge hammer) 핸들 handle steering wheel part of bag or door for grabbing 하이킹 hiking bicycling walking in the mountains 힢 / 힙 hip buttocks or "butt" sides of one's pelvis 힛 hit a popular product a popular song 호치키스 Hotchkiss stapler trademark of staplers 핫도그 hot dog corn-dog-style hot dog (looks like a corn dog, but the batter has no corn in it) a "frank" or "weiner" (sausage)  on a bun (bread) 헌팅 "hunting" searching for a mate searching for animal to kill (note: we in the U.S. sometimes use thismetaphor, but I do not believe that is a conventional metaphor) 아이디 I.D. Username IDentification card 젤리 jelly gelatinous candy "gummy" sweet food, made from fruit juice, sugar, and gelatin (differs from jam in that Jam has small pieces of fruit in it.) 클락션 Klaxon (Claxon) horn "make", i.e., name brand of horns (French) 라인 line managerial staff "line" has multifarious meanings: see my polysemy page 매니큐어 manicure nail polish the service of having one's nails polished 맨션 mansion luxury apartment building luxury house 미팅 meeting blind date business gathering 멜로~ melodrama romantic drama This genre (MELODRAMA) not only includes romantic dramas, but also all dramas that do not fit into other standard categories.  That standard categories are: ACTION ADULT ANIMATION COMEDY DRAMA FANTASY HORROR SCI.FI. DRAMAS (OR MELODRAMAS) contain stories about everyday life, AND include:  biographies, historical fiction, historical non-fiction, etc. 오늘 메뉴 eoneul menu today's special menu = list of choices 미시 missy miss-like Mrs. a woman's name (short for Melissa) 오바잇 overeat throw up; vomit eat too much 펜션 PENSION motel This word actually comes from French, meaning: boarding house My Source So, it doesn't really belong here, but it is noteworthy because in English the word has a different meaning.  In English, "pension" means, payment to retired persons. 　 피에로 Pierrot Clown This is NOT Konglish, it is KORENCH, I felt it worthwhile mentioning it here, because many Koreans think it is English. In France, Pierrot was the NAME a kind of pantomime clown, and comic character. 포클레인 Poklain (in North Amer.) Backhoe, (in the UK) Excavator "make", i.e., (company name) 팝송 pop song English song popular song (any language) 전자 레인즈 jeon-ja range microwave oven a "range" is a stove for cooking (there are two kinds of ranges:  a gas range or an electric range) 리셉션 reception backstage party a party for receiving a VIP or a party for receiving gifts  리본 ribbon bow material to make bows 퀴즈 quiz any of various verbal puzzles a short test 색 sack back pack kind of bag  (usually with open-top and usually without handles) 서비스 service free of charge and/or "on the house" 1. help (n.),  OR...  2.  repair work 섹시 sexy slutty, loose (note:  nowadays, some Koreans don't think this way) attractive; having sex appeal 샤프 sharp mechanical pencil not dull (a.) 스탠드 stand lamp leg-less table/counter 탤런트 talent TV star the person who is in front of the  video camera; or [commonly] a skill(재능). 팀 team group in a company (firm) that has a common goal ONLY sports group 타이핀 tie pin tie clip, tie pin ONLY PIN for tie 토스트 toast grilled omelet sandwich roasted bread 트레이닝 training sweat suit coaching 트럼프 trump playing cards or poker cards highest suit of playing cards (for the game called, "Bridge.") 언더그라운드 underground under-appreciated music any  illegal activity or place 빌라 villa small-sized condominium (usually from 3-5 floors, two units per floor) huge estate (literally means:  "a mini "village, owned by one person) 비닐 vinyl plastic kind of plastic (usually for imitation leather) 요그릇 yogurt liquid yogurt (solid) yogurt 요플레이 Yoplait solid yogurt name brand of yogurt 와커 walker military boots a device to aid in walking  　 　 　 　 Fantastic Fabrication The individual words exist in English, but the phrases below do not exist in the English language.  This category of Konglish2 is the most intriguing of all. 한글 Fabricated Phrase  아시아에서 만든 구 Correct Phrase 옳은 구 애이 에스 애프터 서비스 A/S (After Service) Warrantee Service ( = Free of charge) Service ( = Not free of charge) 아메리칸 커피 American-style Coffee Black Coffee 오토바이 Auto-bi~(ke) Motorcycle 백 미러 Back Mirror Rear-view Mirror 백 넘버 Back Number jersey number 캐시 코너 cash corner ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) 더츠 페이 Dutch pay Dutch treat 눈 샤핑 eye shopping window shopping 게임 룸 game room video arcade or video game room 골던 볼 golden ball sudden death (in game) 헤이어 밴드 hair band head band 핸드 폰 hand phone [USA] cellular phone [UK & US] mobile phone 하드 보드 hard board poster board 하이퍼 마트 hyper market grocery store 아이스 바 ice bar [USA] Popsicle (lollypop + icicle) [UK] Ice Lolly (ice + lollypop) 인터 폰 interphone intercom 키크 보드 킥 보드 kick board scooter (non-motorized scooter) 킹 카 king car' (abbreviation of "king card" from a deck of playing cards) "The pick of the litter" or "The cream of the crop" 라이트 코크 light coke diet coke 라이브 잉글리시 live English real-life English 맥가이버 나이프 McGuyver Knife Swiss Army Knife 멤버 아이디 Member ID (online) Username (online) 모닝 콜 morning call wake-up call 엠티 (엔 티) M.T. (Membership Training) club meeting or club initiation = first club meeting for freshmen 네임 카드 name card business card 오피스텔 office-tel (office + hotel) I originally wrote: does not exist in America, BUT IT DOES, we just don't have a name for it that I know of... Usually, the first floor consists of offices or stores, while the upper floors consist of apartments or condos 원피스 (원 피스) one-piece dress 오펀 카 open car convertible car 팬티 스타킹 팬티 스토킹 panty stockings panty hose 포켓 볼 pocket ball pool [American game] 사구 4-ball billiards [UK game] 셀프 캐메라 self camera home video and/or amateur video 셧 바지 (셧 팬츠) short pants (Konglish?) [in U.S.A.] shorts 솔로 크리스마스 Solo Christmas [I saw this on a Korean website, and it might not be Konglish.  It could be a kind of 'code-mixing' (i.e., a mixture of Spanish (solo) and English (Christmas).  Interesting combination for Koreans, though, wouldn't you say?] Hmm.  How do I correct this?  I know what it means, but... Maybe... Solitaire Christmas meaning: Alone during Christmas 스포츠 댄싱 sports dancing ballroom dancing (for competition) 비티아 VTR VTR stands for "Video Tape Recorder"  but in North America, we say "VCR", which stands for "Video Cassette Recorder" 와잇 데이 White Day (there is no White Day in the West) 양싯 Yang Seat / jang it / (I think "Yang Seat" was the intended Konglish, but it is impossible to write "Seat" in the Korean phonetic system, so what you get is something that sounds like "Yang Shit".  Incidentally, Yang means sheep, so if you are bilingual, you hear "sheep shit".)  [I saw this advertised on a Korean website.] Sheep Skin Seat Cover (for one's car) 와이 셔츠 "Y" shirts dress shirt(s) 　 　 　 Fabricated Abbreviations I think that the words/phrases on this list mostly originate from "Jinglish" (Japanese-ized English), but I could be wrong about that.  I know that some do originate from the Jinglish, or Japlish such as "air con". 한글 Abbreviated Expression 단축된 표현 Correct Expression 옳은 표현 에이 에스 A/S After Service (see also Fabricated Konglish list) 에이어 콘 Air Con Air Conditioner 오라이 All ri (only said when guiding a person backing up a car) All right (said any time something is O.K.) 앵글 angle angle bar 아파트 Apart Apartment Building (There are many apartments in one apartment building) 백 댄서 back dancer backup dancer 백 뮤식 back music background music 백 싱어 back singer backup singer 볼펜 Ball Pen Ball Point Pen 밴드 Band Bandage (or Band Aid) 카세트 cassette cassette player 센치 centi /  sen - i  / centimeter 시 에프 C.F. commercial (film) 클래식 classic classical music 클맆 clip paper clip 코팅 coating plastic coating (also: lamination) 콤비 combi (meaning sports coat & trousers) combination (see also verbicide list) 크레이파스 cray-pas (this might be correct) crayon + pastel (I've never seen anything like it... it really is a hybrid of a crayon and a pastel stick) 크림 샌드 cream sand cream sandwich 큐빅 cubic cubic zirconium (also: c.z., or zircon) 디비 D/B Database 디시 D/C discount 데모 demo demonstration (protest) 다큐 / 도큐 docu documentary 더블 재켓 double jacket double-breasted jacket 드라이버 driver screw driver 에로 ero (movie) erotic movie 플래시 flash flash light 프라이 팬 fry pan frying pan 게임 룸 game room video game room 핸디 handi  handicap (for golf) 헤스 health health club 홈피 homepi homepage 엘티 L.T. Leadership Training 매직 Magic Magic Marker (permanent marker) 미션 mission transmission 나이트 night night club 노트 note notebook 오디 O / D Owner-driver 오에이츠피 O.H.P. Overhead Projector 오에이 O / A Office Automation (equipment) 오티 O / T Orientation 오무라이스 omu-rice omelet + rice 펑크 punc puncture (flat tire) 레미콘 remi-con ready-mix concrete truck 리모트콘 remote con remote control 레즈 res resort hotel 네포츠 le-ports leisure sports 셀프 self self service 에스에프 S.F. Science Fiction and/or "Sci. Fi." 스폴렉스 spo-lex sports complex 스테인(레스) / 스테잉 stain(g) stainless steel wares 티피 T.P. transparency (paper) [for Overhead Projector] 텔레비 televi television ~팅 ~ting meeting (see verbicide) 트랜스 trans transformer 트랜스 trans transvestite / transgender 트로트 trot foxtrot 화이트 white white out (correction fluid) 랩 wrap plastic wrap

O.K. KONGLISH LIST (note:  O.K. stands for:  Oll Korrect) 한글 Word or Phrase Notes: 바이 바이 bye bye Koreans use this parting indiscriminately, but in America, it is considered a child's parting or intimate couple parting.　 콘디션 condition Koreans use this word to refer to their body's condition.  So, it's partially correct. 스태미나 stamina Koreans use this word to refer to sexual stamina.  So, it's partially correct. 티밍 timing 　 머플러 muffler UK English (in US, we say "scarf") 보냇 bonnet (of an auto~) UK English (in US, we say "hood") 빤스 pants {Koreans say: BBans (same as Japanese pronunciation)} UK English (in US, we say "underpants") 패밀리 네임 family name UK English (I'm guessing), for in US, we say "surname" or "last name" 첵 check(s) UK English (in US, we say "checkered pattern") 소파 sofa orig: Arab word: suffa, then French word: sofa English "borrowed" the word from French 다이엇 / 다이엣 diet 　 스토브 stove Koreans use the original meaning of the word, i.e., heater, which is still used, but we usually identify it by saying Franklin Stove. But, modern U.S. English has changed from the original meaning... nowadays there are two kinds of stoves for cooking:  a gas stove and an electric stove. 와인 wine 　 아이스 크림 ice cream 　 컴퓨터 computer 　 모니터 monitor 　 하드 드라이브 hard drive 　 시디 CD 　 키보드 keyboard 　 디스크 disk (floppy disk) 　 바겐 세일 bargain sale 　 비디오 video short for "video cassette" 모텔 motel 　 호텔 hotel 　 프로젝트 project 　 디제이 DJ 　 엠시 MC 　 캔바스 canvas 　 페인트 paint although the Korean definition generally refers to industrial type paint, not artist paint, nor make-up paint 인터넷 internet 　 웨브사잇 website 　 홈페이즈 homepage