매튜의 한국어 연습 블로그

일기 쓰기

2011-06-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

(2011년 6월 5일)
시작하겠다. 우리 와이프는 "외국어를 모국어 처럼 잘 하고 싶으면 일기를 맨날 써야돼"라고 했다. 그래서 일기 쓰기를 시작 하고 있다. 그런데 무슨 주제나 일들에 대해 쓸까? 또 쓸때 나만 읽으니까 표준어로 써야되나? 아니면 반말로 써도 될까? 질문이 많겠지. 자 here we go.

지난 일년 동안 담임 교사 였는데 이제 다 끝났다. 어떤 느낌이 들지? 어떻게 느낌을 표현 해야되지? 슬픈 가? 기쁜 가? 이미 나는 다른 사람인 거 같다. 좀 웃기지 않나? 한국에 살았을때 지하철에서 가끔식 미국이 아닌 다른 나라에서 온 사람 처럼 행동 했다. 더 웃긴건 지금은 한국에 있던 때로 돌아가고 싶다는 것이다. go figure.

(2011년 6월 6일)
미래에 대해 준비 하는 것은 중요하지. 난 특히 미래에 대한 계획을 세우는 것을 자주 한다. 꿈도 많고 하고 싶은 일이 많다. 그런데 내 자족도 생각해야돼. 열정이 있지만 남편, 아빠, 가장이라서 이성적으로 생각해야 돼.

(2011년 6월 10일)
오늘 드디어 와이프를 데리고 호수에 갔다. 태양이 아주 빛나서 역시 햇빝에 탔다. 또 무척 더워서 별로 재미 없었다. 하지만 우리 착한 아내가 가고 싶어해서 가야 됐다.

한국 부모님께 보낸 편지

2011-06-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

So I sent a letter to my parents-in-law last week. I took a photo of the paper before I sent it off, printed off the snapshot copy and asked my wife to correct any mistakes. Turns out, it was mistake-ridden. The overall gist was probably understood thanks to my parents-in-law's immense generosity but I wanted to make some corrections for my own sake.

Then, while cleaning and applying fresh Hangul stickers to the laptop keyboard, the laptop decided to not work anymore. I'm actually typing on a borrowed USB keyboard in the meantime. Anyway, here goes:

장모님, 장인어른께

오래만에 편지를 쓰지요? 한글로 쓰기 좀 어려워서 자주 안 써져요. 그러나 안 쓰면 실력을 향상 시킬 수 없지요. 언젠 가는 유창해지겠어요. 그래도 아버님과 어머님이 제 편지를 알아보시면 기뻐요.

제일 먼저 제가 사랑 하는 아내에 대해서 요즘 어떻게 지내는 지 알려 드리겠어요. 아직 3개월 밖에 안 됐지만 저랑 암벽 등반 하러 갔어요. 빌딩 안에서 해서 위험 하지 않았어요. 그리고 저와 함께 항머니네 집 잔디를 깎았어요. 좀 대단하지 않아요? 부모님이 잘 아시는 것 처럼 3월에 우리 착한 애기를 출산 했는데 벌써 새미가 적극적으로 살게 됐어요. 물론 아직도 맛있게 요리 해줘요. 결혼 잘 했지요?

저희 학교 모든 학기가 거의 끝나가요. 제가 학생들을 좋아하게 되서 벌써 보고 싶어요. 그리고 다음 주부터 이제 담임 교사가 아니에요. 이상한 느낌이 들어요. 아무튼 해군에 입대하는 것을 계속 준비 하고있어요. 예를 들면 해군 신조를 암기 하고 더 열심히 운동 해야해요. 할 일이 많아요.

같이 보내는 이 소포안에 부모님이 미국에서 여러가지 좋아하셨던 것을 넣었어요. 잘 사용하시길 바랍니다. 보고 싶어요. 곧 스카이프로 보겠습니다!

-매튜-

가톨릭 기도

2011-04-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

I don't mean for this to turn into a religious blog by any means and I certainly hope that these kinds of posts don't come off as pushy. It's certainly not my intention. It's just that since coming back to America, my main exposure to Korean language has been at church every Sunday.

I've attached a link to each prayer to give a further breakdown or analysis. Obviously any errors are on me. There's some good resources out there so dig deep and hopefully this helps out. Enjoy!

The Sign of the Cross (성호경) (breakdown)

성부와
성자와
성령의 이름으로
아멘.

In the name of the Father,
the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

Hail Mary (성모송) (breakdown)

은총이 가득하신 마리아님, 기뻐하소서!
주님께서 함께 계시니 여인 중에 복되시며
태중의 아들 예수님 또한 복되시나이다.
천주의 성모 마리아님,
이제와 저희 죽을 때에
저희 죄인을 위하여 빌어주소서
아멘.

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory Be (영광송) (breakdown)

영광이 성부와 성자와 성령께
처음과 같이
이제와 항상 영원히.
아멘.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Our Father (주님의 기도) (breakdown)

하늘에 계신 우리 아버지,
아버지의 이름이 거룩히 빛나시며
아버지의 나라가 오시며
아버지의 뜻이 하늘에서와 같이
땅에서도 이루어지소서!
오늘 저희에게 일용할 양식을 주시고
저희에게 잘못한 이를 저희가 용서하오니
저희 죄를 용서하시고
저희를 유혹에 빠지지 않게 하시고
악에서 구하소서.

Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

The Apostle's Creed (사도신경) (breakdown)

전능하신 천주 성부
천지의 창조주를 저는 믿나이다.
그 외아들
우리 주 예수 그리스도님
성령으로 인하여
동정 마리아께 잉태되어 나시고
본시오 빌라도 통치 아래서 고난을 받으시고
십자가에 못박혀 돌아가시고 묻히셨으며
저승에 가시어 사흗날에 죽은 이들 가운데서 부활하시고
하늘에 올라
전능하신 천주 성부 오른편에 앉으시며
그리로부터 산 이와 죽은 이를 심판하러 오시리라 믿나이다.
성령을 믿으며
거룩하고 보편된 교회와
모든 성인의 통공을 믿으며
죄의 용서와
육신의 부활을 믿으며 영원한 삶을 믿나이다.
아멘.

I believe in God,
the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

부 (夫)

2011-04-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Embarrassingly long time since my last post. Place the blame on any number of life events to include but not limited to: having a baby. Go us.

Today's Hanja character is not to be confused with 아버 부 (父) or 아닐 부 (不). Today's character 지아비 부 (夫) means 남편 but is actually pretty archaic. The modern connotation invokes an image of a working man (as most husbands do) but certainly retains it's connection to marriage in other senses. Take a look:

농부 (農夫)
farmer

어부 (漁夫)
fisherman

석탄 광부 (石炭鑛夫)

coal miner

부부 (夫婦)
married couple, husband and wife

부인 (夫人)
wife

버릇 vs 습관

2010-11-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

Habits. When talking about the things you do everyday, would you use 버릇 or 습관? Since they both mean "habit" can't you just say 좋은 습관 and 나쁜 습관 to differentiate between "good" and "bad" habits? Doesn't context fill that it in anyways? Not exactly. Let's take a look:

버릇
This type of habit is almost always negative but not necessarily an everyday occurrence. It can also mean "manners" in the sense that someone has none. Think of smoking, not washing your hands, belching or picking your nose; all disgusting bad habits. They are also actions done without thinking. Of course, there are exceptions to these already convoluted rules. Examples:

제 친구는 코파는 버릇이 있어요
My friend picks his nose.

나쁜 버릇 고치겠다고 약속해라. 알겠니?
Promise me that you will break your habit. You got it?

너 술버릇을 고쳐야 돼.
You've gotta change your drinking habits.

왜 버릇이 없어?
Why don't you have any bad habits?

그는 버릇이 없어요.
He's got no manners.

습관 (習慣)
This can be negative or positive. When we think of the English word "habit" this might be the Korean word that most closely resembles it in terms of something that is done consistently. Examples:

나는 식사 후에 초콜릿을 먹는 습관이 있어요
I have a habit of eating chocolate after I eat.

대학생 때 저녁마다 조깅하는 습관이 있었어요.
When I was in college, I had the habit of jogging every evening.

젊은 사람들은 요즘 Google로 정보 검색하는 습관이 있어요.
Young people have the habit of using Google to search for things.

결혼하고나서 옛날 나쁜 습관들이 많이 변했어요.
After I got married, I changed a lot of my bad habits.

내 학생 중에 나쁜 언어 습관을 가진 학생이 있어요.
I have a student who has a bad mouth (out of habit).

고등학교 졸업하고나서부터 철저하게 계획을 세우는 습관을 붙였어요.
Since graduating high school, I got into the habit of thoroughly planning everything.

미사 순서

2010-11-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

I debated posting this because I certainly would never want to push any religious agenda on anyone. However, I think that anyone in a similar situation that I was in might benefit from this so here goes.

In August of 2009 I started attending Catholic services with my wife in Korea. As a cradle Catholic, she regularly attended service and knew an impressively fair amount of Catholic terms in English but could not effectively explain their meaning to me. I got frustrated because I never attended Mass before and that in and of itself was a big change let alone the language barrier which was in full gear, believe me. I couldn't even keep up with the standing, sitting or kneeling let alone the long chants, songs and impossibly fancied message somewhere in the middle.

Not only that, but it seemed that no matter which 성당 we attended, there was something different at each one. Although there are fundamental things that are found in all Catholic churches across the world, I really struggled to follow along until I noticed a younger couple holding something titled "메일미사"; a type of monthly printout of all readings. After finding out that they could be obtained for about a dollar at the office of any Catholic church, I was relieved to have at least something to read along with. I followed along as best as I could but realized that the Order of Mass jumps around from the beginning of the book that is fairly static to the specific day of the month reading which of course differs daily. To make matters even more complicated, some cathedrals sung certain parts while others chanted. The only real consistent thing I found is that all pews were uncomfortable, confessions were heard before Mass and I was clearly a fish out of water.

Nevertheless, being madly in love with my wife as married couples are, I trooped along until a few things started becoming familiar. When we moved to America this year, I vowed to create my own printout with the order of our local church, which just so happens to have a vibrant Korean service and congregation. After countless rough drafts, revisions with pencil and paper, I think I have a functional draft. There are likely spelling or translation mistakes to be found but it is pretty much what one can expect to experience from a Korean Catholic Mass.

The order that I have made is specific to our little parish but can be easily modified to fit any 성덩. The page numbers, however, are aligned to the somewhat bilingual 한영매일미사 which is printed by the North American Conference of Priests for Korean Ministry. Their website is under construction at this time so email might be a better way to contact them for those interested. An asterisk or blank space signifies that the contents differ from day to day or that they are not found in the 메일미사. Two quarter notes signify a song. What is posted below is a sloppy copy and paste job from the original which can be downloaded and edited to meet your needs.

Hope this helps!

p.17	참회	Penitential Rite
p.19	대영광송 ♫	Gloria ♫
	시작 기도	Opening Prayer
	제1독서	First Reading
	화답송	Responsorial Psalm
	제2독서	Second Reading
	알렐루야 ♫	Alleluia ♫
p.23*	복음 환호송	Gospel
	메시지	Message
p.27	사도신경	Apostle’s Creed
p.27*	보편 지향기도	General Intercessions
	제대와 예물 준비	Preparation of the Altar and Gifts
	봉헌 성가 ♫	Song of Offering ♫
p.29	예물 준비 기도	Preparation of the Bread and the Wine
p.31	감사송	Preface
p.33	거룩하시도다 ♫	Sanctus ♫
p.33	성령 청원: 축성 기원	Invocation of the Holy Spirit
p.33	성찬 제정과 축성문	Institution and Consecration
p.35	신앙의 신비여 ♫	Proclamation of Faith ♫
p.35	전구	Intercessions
p.37	마침 영광송	Concluding Doxology
p.37	영성체 예식	Communion Rite
p.37-9	주님의 기도 ♫	Lord’s Prayer ♫
p.39	주여 영광과 찬미를	Glory be to God
p.39	평화 예식	Sign of Peace
p.41	하느님의 어린양 ♫	Lamb of God ♫
p.41	영성체	Reception of Communion
p.43	영성체 후 기도	Prayer after Communion

KGYSAK: To clean

2010-10-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

Clean. Think of all the different ways we use this word in English. It's a broad brush that has a lot of interpretation. In Korean, each instance is broken up into slew of different verbs and adjectives. Let's find out when it's appropriate to use each one:

청소하다 - to clean (general)
This is used in general to refer to cleaning but should not be used as a 1:1 replacement for the English equivalent. Examples:

이 빌딩을 청소하는 사람은 모두 5명이예요.
This building has five people who clean it.

저는 청소하는 것을 좋아해요.
I like to clean things.

청소 합시다!
Let's clean!

깨끗하다 - to be clean
Now think of "clean" as an adjective. Examples:

깨끗하게 청소했구나
Wow you really cleaned the room up nicely! (lit. cleanly cleaned)

이 빌딩은 정말 깨끗하군요. 누가 청소를 하나요?
This building is really clean! Who cleaned it?

우리는 깨끗한 물을 마셔야 해요.
We should drink clean water.

방이 정말 깨끗해졌네. 청소했어?
The room became so clean. Did you clean?

치우다 - to clean off
The next verb is more of taking away items or a wiping off a table. Examples:

이것 좀 치워 주세요.
Please clean off the table.

이 쓰레기 좀 치워주세요.
Please take out this trash.

밥 먹고 식탁 치우는 건 제가 할게요
After I eat, I'll wipe off the table.

저리 좀 치워!
Put that away!

마루 닦다 - to mop
This one is a bit confusing because in English we have a mop (명사) that used for mopping (동사). Korean separates these into 대걸레 and 자루걸레 that are used for 마루 닦기. Another thing of note is that 마루 and 바닥 mean the same thing. Examples:

부엌 마루를 닦아
Mop the kitchen floor

마루 닦았어?
Did you mop?

왜 바닥 안 닦았어? 내가 벌써 말했잖아.
Why didn't you mop the floor? You know I already asked you to do that.

쓸다- to sweep
A broom (빗) is used to sweep (쓸다) things. Ignore dictionaries that claim that 닦다 is also sweeping. That verb is used when liquid is involved. Examples:

교실 바닥 쓸었니?
Did you sweep the classroom floor?

청소할때 먼저 쓸고나서 걸레로 바닥을 닦아요.
When cleaning, first sweep and then mop the floor.

낙엽을 쓸어 담아 주겠니?
Will you rake up the fallen leaves?

청소기를 돌리다 - to vacuum
The original phrase was 진공청소기를 돌리다 but it's always shortened in conversation to simply 청소기. In English we think of pushing a vacuum cleaner, right? In Korean think of it as 돌다 to spin or 돌리다 to make spin. Examples:

내일 꼭 청소기 돌려
Make sure tomorrow that you vacuum.

매주 청소기 돌려야돼
You should vacuum every week

청소기 돌리는 거 싫어해
I hate vacuuming

정리하다 - to organize, pick up, put in order.
When you think of cleaning a refrigerator or picking up a room, think of this verb. Examples:

책상 정리 좀 하고 다녀
Go and clean off your desk

주말에 차고를 정리하려고 해.
I plan on cleaning the garage this weekend

주변 정리 잘 하는 사람이 일도 잘 하는 거야.
People who clean well work well (makes more sense in Korean, trust me)

설거지 - to wash dishes.
Everyone's ~~least~~ favorite kitchen chore. Examples:

설거지 좀 해줄래?
Would you wash the dishes?

엄마를 위해 설거지를 했어요?
Did you wash dishes for your mom?

부엌에 가서 설거지하는 것 점 도와드려.
Go to the kitchen and help out with the dishes.

이유 vs 의미

2010-10-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one that confuses these two? I shouldn't seeing as how they don't mean the same thing. Take a look:

의미 (意味)
meaning, sense, significance

You may not use 의미 a lot in spoken Korean because there's a natively Korean word that is much more widely used: 뜻. Take a look at 의미's more written nuance:

당신은 내 인생에 정말 큰 의미예요.
You mean a lot to my life.

추석은 우리의 가장 의미있는 명절이다.
Chuseok is our most meaningful holiday

이 단어는 여러 가지 의미로 해석될 수 있다.
This word can be interpreted in many different ways.

인생은 무 의미해.
Life is meaningless.

이유 (理由)
reason, cause, excuse
This word can be both conversational and written:

이유 없이 기분이 나쁜 것 같아.
For no reason I'm in a bad mood.

이렇게 늦게 온 이유가 뭐예요?
What's the reason why you came late?

무슨 이유가 있을 거야.
There must be some reason for it.

만화를 그렇게 좋아하는 이유가 뭐야?
Why do you like anime so much?

그 이유는 설명하기 어려워요.
The reasons are difficult to explain.

천천히 vs 느리게

2010-10-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

Slow your roll. What's the real difference between 천천히 and 느리게? Don't they both mean "slow"? Pull up a chair because I'm taking my time with this one:

천천하다 is the root verb and close to never used. 천천히 is the adjective form and is quite casually used in everyday speech. Examples:

밥 좀 천천히 먹어.
Eat slower, won't you?

천천히 가세요
go slowly

좀 더 천천히 말씀해 주시겠습니까?
Could you speak a little more slowly?

천천히 그리고 꾸준히 하면 이긴다.
Slow and steady wins the race (lit. game)

On the other hand, 느리게 is an adjective whose root verb is 느리다. It also means "slowly" but the difference in nuance is in the action taken. 천천히 is a conscious action that is controllable while 느리게 is out of your control. So, in the last example, if we use 느리게 그리고 꾸준히 하면 이긴다 it doesn't really carry the same feeling as taking your time. Also, saying 밥 좀 느리게 먹어 just sounds unnatural because it's a conscious effort to eat slowly.

However, making an observation on someone else's action is a whole different story. For example:

너 밥 진짜 천천히 먹는 구나
너 밥 진짜 느리게 먹는 구나.
Both could be used to express "Wow, you really eat slowly". Another could be:

Tom은 말을 정말 천천히 해.
Tom은 말을 정말 느리게 해.
"Tom speaks way too slowly" is conveyed but the second example carries more of a negative connotation. Remember, 느리다 is out of your control. Think of an old P4 desktop that takes five minutes to open an email. It's not consciously trying to piss you off; it's just an old computer. Therefore, it might sound like "이 컴퓨터 진짜 느리다!" More examples:

너 지금 일부러 천천히 말하는 거지?
You're speaking slowly on purpose, aren't you?

내 여동생은 설거지하는 게 느리다.
My little sister washes dishes too slowly.

우리는 이해가 꽤 느리다.
We are quite slow on the uptake.

지불이 느리다.
It was slow in making payments.

나는 말이 매우 느리다.
I'm a slow talker.

KGYSAK: 맨날 vs 하루하루 vs 매일 vs 일상적인

2010-10-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Everyday. There are entirely way too many different ways to express this simple little thing. Although not universally agreeable, below is what I would consider a classification of each term:

맨날 - conversational
하루 - both conversational and formal
하루하루 - conversational (emphasis)
매일 - both conversational and formal
일상적인 - both conversational and formal

While all of the above mean "everyday" the last really means "regularly" or "routinely" which could easily almost stand in for "everyday" in some contexts. Korean seldom uses 일상적인 but instead 일상 + 명사 as in:

일상생활 - everyday life, daily life, the day-to-day
일상업무 - daily business, the daily grind, routine work
일상용품 - things that are used routinely everyday

More examples:

엄마는 맨날 나보고만 뭐라고 해.
Why does my mom always (everyday) pick on me?

오늘 하루도 참 길었지.
Today was such a long day.

하루하루 멀어져 가겠지.
♪ Each day I'm getting farther from you ♪

나는 매일 아침 7시 30분에 출근해요.
I start work everyday at 7:30 in the morning.

저의 일상적인 업무는 학교에서 시작해서 학교에서 끝나요.
My daily routine starts and ends at school.

당신의 일상 생활은 바쁜 편입니까?
Is your daily life considered busy?

Hanja follies

2010-10-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hanja is a tricky beast ain’t she? She tempts us with her interweaving of Chinese, Japanese and Korean root words and then spits in our face when things start looking like a big mess of spilt spaghetti on the page. When first venturing into the brave world of 한문 I found that a lot of the basic characters looked similar. When I would put pen to paper, I’d find myself mixing up strokes and wondering why three different letters all looked the same. Here are some of the first words that tripped me up:

뜻	한글	한자	영어 뜻
들어가다	입	入	to enter
사람	인	人	person
아홉	구	九	nine

흙	토	土	dirt
왕	왕	王	king
날	생	生	life
해	년	年	year
일천	천	千	one thousand

불	화	火	fire
작은	소	小	small
적은	소	少	few

KGYSAK: 들어 vs 들려

2010-09-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

Can you hear me now?

While skyping recently I ran across a simple misunderstanding. If you're checking if someone can hear you or not, make sure to distinguish between these two:

들려.
I can hear you.
들어.
Hear me (listen to what I'm saying).

안 들려.
I can't hear you.
안 들어.*
I'm not listening to you. *(not common at all)

Make you you say what you mean to say to loved ones. Definitely a piece of Korean Grammar You Should Already Know. 다시 한번 미안해 여보.

공짜 vs 무료

2010-08-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

Got an easy one today. Always like it when the difference is either microscopic or exact mirrors like in 요새 vs 요즘. Let's see what we have today:

공짜
free

*무료 (無料)
free, no cost

*Be careful to to confuse this with 무료하다 (無聊) which means to be boring or dull. It most certainly does not mean to "to be free".

공짜 is natively Korean and is used almost exclusively in casual settings. 무료 is hanja-based and can be used in both casual and also formal settings. Otherwise, they're virtually identical. Free is free. Wasn't that easy?

Kudos to the Korean Wiki Project who among countless things has a page dedicated to similar words and nuances. If you're learning Korean and you want to contribute a word or two to help out the greater good, consider editing for them once and awhile.

주문하다 vs 시키다

2010-08-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

order up. If you met a friend at a restaurant and wanted to ask if he or she already ordered food yet, what verb would you use? "시켰어?" or "주문했어?" Don't they mean the same thing? Let's take a look:

주문하다 (注文)
order, request

시키다
order, command

As you can see, they both mean virtually the same thing. However, the social position of the speaker and listener must be considered. 시키다 does sound a bit more harsh and carries a more authoritative tone to it than 주문하다 which is just plain jane "to order" as in food. 시키다 has more meaning outside of simply ordering food; it carries the nuance of "to order someone to do something" (명령). 주문하다 does not. Of course, when talking about food, it makes little difference when speaking about yourself:

감자탕을 주문했어요.
감자탕을 시켰어요.
I ordered pork-on-the-bone soup

Furthermore, it might be more common for a socially higher person to use 시키다 to a socially lower person. In the same vein, a socially lower person would prefer to use 주문하다 to a socially higher person. There is a small exception to that, though. When a customer tells a server that they are ready to order, despite possibly being "higher" than the server/waiter, they will almost certainly say 주문할게요 or 주문하겠습니다 and not 시킬게요. Just one of those things.

More examples:

고객님, 주문하신 상품이 도착했습니다.
Sir, the things you ordered have arrived.

오늘 점심을 배달주문할게요.
I'll order in for lunch today.

제가 주문한 음식이 아닌 것 같습니다.
This doesn't seem like what I ordered.

나 대신 점심 좀 시켜줄래?
Can you order lunch for me?

그 애에게 말을 시켜 보세요.
Try to get this kid to talk.

와이프가 나한테 집안일을 시켰어요.
My wife told me to do some housework.

선택하다 vs 고르다

2010-08-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

To choose something. As it turns out, two different verbs exist in Korean. The question is which one do you choose when you want to choose? Let's see if we can make a more accurate choice.

It might be enough to point out that 선택하다 is used more formally and in situations where there's a set number of choices whereas 고르다 is more casual, broad and without limitations.

선택 (選擇)
to choose (limited*, formal*)

고르다
to choose, select, pick (unlimited*, casual*)

*I think what might help to explain these two is to set up some situations. If you went shopping, using 고르다 is more natural as in:

언니! 어떤 치마가 더 이쁜지 골라봐!
Hey! Pick out the prettiest skirt!

여보, 나 대신 와이셔츠 하나 골라줘.
Honey, can you pick out a dress shirt for me?

Using 선택하다 here would sound awkward here. The reason being is that you're choosing out of the entire store. It's your choice and is more limitless. Another example might involve an interview process:

A: 면접은 어땠어? 결과가 나왔어?
A: How did your interview go? Did you get the results yet?

B: X회사랑 Y회사랑 둘다 합격했어. 어디를 가야할지 고민이야..
B: Company X and Company Y both accepted me. I'm worried about which one I should go to...

A: 나라면 X회사를 선택하겠어..
A: If it were me, I'd go with Company X...

Or in this case, you could use both. Take a look at the slightly different nuance each speaker has:

A: 이 가방 둘 다 마음에 드는데 어떤 걸 골라야 할까...
I like both bags... it's just hard to choose one...

B: 가야겠다. 빨리 선택해봐!
I need to get going. Just choose one already!

In this situation, person B can only choose between Company X and Company Y so there's really only two choices. Very limited. In this situation, 선택하다 is more natural. If you were person A and you said "나라면 X회사를 고르겠어.." people would understand you but it would be kind of awkward.

Another funny situation would be a very dramatic girl who presents the indecisive guy with an ultimatum: 그 여자야, 나야? 선택해. "Her or me. Pick one". Although cheesy, this is grammatically fine. However, if it were 그 여자야, 나야? 골라봐 it would be just grammatically strange on top of being emotionally over the top.

If you can think of more examples or comparisons, let me know ^^

물 (物)

2010-08-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the photo below and tell me what your gut reaction is to the sign on the truck. What do you think it means? "Dangerous Water", right?
위험 = danger, caution
물 = water
Put them together and you have something wet that you want to avoid. Right? Not really. This is a different 물 altogether. It's not 물 수 (水). Don't freak out though because it's a common 물 and I know you've seen it before. This 물 is actually 물건 물 (物) which means "thing" as in:

선물 (膳物)
a present, gift

건물 (建物)
building, structure

식물 (植物)
a plant

동물 (動物)
animal

인물 (人物)
a person, character

물질 (物質)
a material, substance, matter

화학 물질 (化學物質)
chemical substances

발암물질 (發癌物質)
a cancer-causing agent, carcinogen

위험물 (危險物)
dangerous materials, hazardous things

수 (水)

2010-08-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

An easy one today, guys. This should be on everyone's mental hanja radar at all times. 물 수 (水) is easily one of the most common hanja based words in Korean. Careful though, because 수 is also a number of other non-water things such as number (數) and protect (守). Although practically limitless, let's take a look at a few water-based 수 words out there. If you can think of any other common ones, feel free to leave them in a comment ^^

수영 (水泳)
swimming

호수 (湖水)
lake

홍수 (洪水)
flood

산수 (山水)
landscape, scenery (think: water and mountains)

수요일 (水曜日)
Wednesday (lit. water day)

성수 (聖水)
holy water

식수 (食水)
drinking water*

*not to be confused with 식수하다 (植樹) which means "to plant trees"

만화

2010-08-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

I don't usually write much on here but I'd like to share something today.

I'm in the midst of wrapping up a full year of living in Korea and I must say that I've learned far more than I expected. Using the language daily at work and home has really helped more than I can put into words. Of course, like all things, motivation is the key. It's surely possible to live in Korea and speak no more than a few phrases due to the sharp increase of English services that were totally unthinkably 40 years ago. However, for those who do work hard and try to immerse themselves in Korean language environments, there's plenty of chances out here. One of those includes reading material.

In these last few weeks before going back to the states, I had everything all packed up and sent ahead of me in order to travel light. In my haste, I sent most of my unread history books and all of my language study books. Serendipitously forced to find other means of language practice, I turned to my school's library. I've been checking out children's books and reading them out-loud before hitting the hay. I must have checked out over 20 or so in the last two months. I must say that it's humbling to not be able to fluidly read out-loud a children's book. Through this total lack of pride and self-respect, my wife tries to hold back her giggles as I struggle to read out such Korean children's literary classics. It really puts it into perspective, this whole "well-rounded" thing I'm shooting for.

I decided to move on, close my mouth and silently read a bit. Problem is I could've find anything in an elementary school library worthy of more than a five minute attention span. As luck would have it, there's a local 만화방 a stone's throw from my apartment. After a ten dollar refundable deposit, each book can be borrowed for about 30 cents a day. Not a bad way to spend some loose pocket change.

At first, I struggled to find something something I could relate to. I picked up a Japanese-made Korean-translated story of two high school kids caught in a time wrap that sent them to Three Kingdom period China. Sounds okay but the vocabulary was a bit over my head. After two books about fighting (짱, 타나토스) I learned more than a dozen different ways to swear but was still a bit frustrated by the occasional too high a level of vocabulary. I then swallowed whatever pride left and scooted over to the romance section (순정만화) and picked out some books that were most likely designed to be read by a female junior high school student. Be it as it may, the ones I picked up were really quite fun to read. The best out of the bunch was 바보.

The author first wrote 순정만화 which might also be known by its misleading English movie title "Hello Schoolgirl" though the book isn't as polished as 바보. I watched the film a while back and liked it. His next book's art direction and story was much more developed, though. 바보 really is a great read with lots to follow. Above all, it's got lovable characters. If one is looking to start reading in Korean without it feeling like homework, I suggest to start at 바보. Check it out online to see if it looks like something you might like.

Those thinking they might have heard of this book before are thinking of the movie adaption which for whatever reason in English is called "The Miracle of the Giving Fool". While not nearly as entertaining as the book itself, the movie isn't half-bad. I suggest reading the book first then watching the film second.

Any other helpful reading tips to share?

UPDATE: The comments in this AAK post also has some links worth reading including this blog called the Manhwa Bookshelf.

복 (服)

2010-08-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

Got a strange one for you today. 服 (옷 복)

Yesterday was the last day of the three hottest days of the year; affectionately known in English as the dog days of summer. These three days are known by many names in Korean one of which is 삼복 (三伏). That got me thinking of swimming in a pool which requires a swim suit, or 수영복 which uses a whole different 복 character. The dog days of summer 복 is 엎드리다 which is "to lie down" while the swimsuit 복 is the "clothing" 복. Still with me? Hope so. The hanja character is arguably not as important as knowing the uses of it in hangul. Loosely, it can be interpreted as either "clothing" or "uniform" (제복) such as:

수영복 (水泳服)
swimming suit

군복 (軍服)
army uniform

양복 (洋服)
Western suit

교복 (校服)
school uniform

경찰복 (警察服)
police officer's uniform

소방관 (消防官服)
firefighter's uniform

간호사(看護師服)
nurse's uniform

임부복 (妊婦服)
maternity clothes

사냥복
hunting clothes

신사복 (紳士服)
menswear, a man's suit

숙녀복 (淑女服)
womenswear, a lady' suit

*정장 (正裝)
*nice clothes, gender neutral term for a suit

KGYSAK: ~것 같다

2010-08-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

Something seems to be like something. When you feel the urge to be less than specific about what you're talking about, seems like you should use this guy. However, the grammatical rules for affixing him at the end of the verb aren't especially difficult but are a bit long. Keep in mind that the tense of the sentence will be expressed at the end and that 것 is also commonly spelled (and pronounced) like 거. Also, the 아 often sounds like 애 in common speech. So, in effect, you might spell "it seems like it will rain" any number of different ways:

비가 올 것 같아요 (grammatically correct and most common spelling)
비가 올 거 같아요 (also common)
비가 올 것 같애요 (maybe only used as a text message)
비가 올 거 같애요 (least common spelling but most commonly pronounced)

More rules:

은/ㄴ 것 같다 = descriptive verb ending in a vowel or consonant
는 것 같다 = action verb
을/ㄹ 것 같다 = future tense

More Examples:

좋을 것 같아요
Seems he'll like it.

버스가 늦게 올 것 같아.
The bus seems to be running late.

직원들이 바쁜 것 같아.
The employees seem busy.

그가 실수로 그런 것 같아요.
I guess he did it by mistake.

경기가 곧 끝날 것 같아요.
It seems the game will end soon.

할 수 있을 것 같아요.
I think I can do it.

토 할 것 같애.

I think I'm gunna barf.

실수 vs 잘못

2010-07-31T01:08:00.000-07:00

A mistake.

This is a tricky one. As most 하다 verbs go, the root is actually a noun. For example, 세탁하다 is a verb (to wash), but the noun form is 새탁 (a wash). Technically speaking, the word should be 세탁을 하다 (to do a wash) but not really. In almost all situations, the 을/를 is dropped. It's important to note because today's subject is 실수 and 잘못 both of which are equally used as nouns and verbs. Keep that in mind as we move on to the subtle but significant differences.

실수 (失手) is a simple mistake, error, blunder that is generally made out of innocence without any intended malice or ill-will. it signifies that the speaker made an error but it's no biggie. Extensions include a slip of the tongue (말실수), small mistake (사소한 실수) and big mistake (엄청난 실수):

사과하실 필요 없습니다. 제 실수예요.
Please don't apologize. It was my bad.

제가 말실수를 했군요
Sorry, I've made a slip of the tongue.

내가 말실수로 그녀에게 큰 상처를 준 것 같아요.
I seemed to have hurt her through my own careless words.

내가 실수를 했던 것 같네요.
I guess I've made a mistake.

그가 실수로 그런 것 같아요.
I guess he did it by mistake.

그건 사소한 실수였어요. 걱정 하지마요.
That was just a small mistake. Don't worry about it.

브렛에게 보낼 문자를 내게 보낸 것은 사소한 실수이니가 너무 미안해하지마.
It's no biggie to send me a text that was supposed to go to Brett. Don't feel sorry.

엄청난 실수 하셨네요
You made a biggie, sir.

그 사람의 약점을 놀린 것은 엄청난 실수야. 반드시 사과해야 돼.
It is a big mistake to make fun of that person's faults. You've really got to apologize.

잘못, however, is a mistake, fault or error that carries more regret behind it. Someone's to blame for the error and/or someone's asking for retribution. You done did wrong and you need to man up for what you did. However, there are situations where my inherently American English mind seems to feel that "잘못" is not appropriate. For example, calling the wrong number is actually a 잘못, not a 실수, despite being pretty innocent. This, and other situations, seem a bit excessive at times but it is what it is.

어제 술을 그렇게 많이 마시다니 내가 잘못했어.
It's my fault to drink too much yesterday.

전화 잘못 거셨습니다
You called the wrong number.

돈을 잘못 계산했냐?
Did you miscount the money?

그래요? 뭐가 잘못됐는데요?
Oh? What seems to be the problem?

2AM 조권을 여자로 잘못 보았어요.
I mistook JoKwon for a woman.

거기에는 잘못이 단 하나도 없거든요.
There is not a single mistake there.

결혼 반지를 잘못 끼고 있는 거 아니에요?
Aren’t you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?

솔직히 말하면 당신 잘못이에요.
To be frank with you, it's your fault.

선생님 잘못 했습니다
Teacher, we're sorry.

아무튼 vs 어치피 vs 어쨌든

2010-07-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

어차피 (於此彼)
anyway, anyhow, in any case, after all

아무튼
in any case, anyway, anyhow, at any rate

어쨌든
anyway, anyhow, at any rate, in any case, at all events

하여튼 (何如튼)
anyway, anyhow, at any rate, in any case

어땠든 is arguably the most used expression in everyday speech. It stands out as the most inherently neutral term. The rest can be used in negative or positive situations depending on the intonation and context. The only expression that is usually almost always used in a somewhat negative way is 어차피. Compare:

어차피 학교 가야돼
Anyway, I gotta go to school. (I have no control over it. I don't want to go but I have to.)

아무튼 학교 가야돼
Anyway, I gotta go to school. (See you later. I must go to class now)

어차피 안돼.
Anyway, it's not happening / I'm not doing it / No way, man

어땠든 안돼.
Anyway, it's out of my control / I can't do it even if I wanted to / There's no way

내가 어차피 전화하려고 했는데 형이 전화해서 다행이네.
I was supposed to call you but you called me first

아무튼 이렇게 모이게 돼서 기뻐.
we hadn't met for a long time but we had farewell finally

어쨌든 그는 네 아버지야.
He's your father for goodness sakes.

어쨌든 다신 하지 않겠습니다.
Anyway, I won't do that again.

아무튼 내 말대로만 해라. 응?
In any case, just do as I say, yeah?

아무튼 내일 거기 가겠습니다.
In any case, I'll go there tomorrow.

하여튼 만사 잘 되시길 바라며 곧 연락 드리겠습니다.
At any rate, I hope all is well and we'll talk again soon.

애교 & 내숭

2010-07-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for those who already read this back in May; apologies from a repost indeed.

I scoured over a few posts recently that I wanted to direct your attention to: 애교 and 내숭 are hot topics no matter your nationality or gender. A curious little thing, isn't it? For the uninitiated, 내숭 is acting introverted, shy and/or modest in the attempt to seem more desirable. The nuance is that it is (understandably) a personality incongruity. 애교 is a forced cute change of speech in order to either get something from the opposite sex or to seem more childlike. Similarly, 애교살 is that puffy under-eye look that 하지원 and 구혜선 sport so prominently.

Gots plenty of links for you. I'll just dump them by host: The Grand Narrative, Kelly in Korea and The Joshing Gnome (part 1 of a 5 part series).

So what do I think? I don't have much to say other than I actually like 애교 when it's directed at me and when I hear it from anyone other than my wife I want to kill innocent cuddly forest animals in an effort to stop the cuteness overload. Really though it's too much sometimes. Like all vices (and yes, 애교 is indeed a sinful vice) it is best used in moderation. Used sparingly, it's charming. Used in regular speech, it's annoying as all get out and demonstrates a prolonged sense for attention and forced frailty. 내숭 is a bad habit that needs to be stopped. Cold turkey. Now. Oh and 애교살 is creepy looking. Just saying.

So, Korean women of the world, just speak normally when not flirting and no puppies will be hurt. Thanks.

~쟁이

2010-07-29T07:44:00.001-07:00

A guy. That guy. Add ~쟁이 to something and you've got a little slang. The thing to catch is that this does't always have the overtly negative connotation that it does in English. For example, calling a friend a "coward" is a bit harsh even in a joke. However, calling a friend a "겁쟁이" isn't nearly as possibly offensive.

거짓말쟁이
liar

겁쟁이
coward

멋쟁이
smart dresser, sharp dresser

요술쟁이
magician, sorcerer, wizard

낙서쟁이
tattoo artist (lit. doodler, scribbler)

건망증
forgetful guy

꾀쟁이
a tricky guy, a man of resources, clever

고함쟁이 (高喊)
screamer, shouter, yeller

센스쟁이
someone with sense, understand feelings well

but this doesn't always follow this pattern as in the case of ivy (담쟁이) and water strider (소금쟁이).

Can you think of any other examples?

육체 노동 단어

2010-07-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Once a month or so my wife and I would meet my parents-in-law at their little getaway slash retirement home out in 강릉 (강원도). It's a quiet, peaceful little 황토집 made from real mud and lacks both cell phone service and internet. However, it makes up for it in plenty of private land, fresh air and is located smack dab in the middle of two breath takingly beautiful mountains. It's truly a wonderful little slice of Korea.

When we go there, my wife usually relaxes while her mother cooks some of the best food I've ever eaten. My father-in-law and myself go to work on the countless of things that need to be attended to or fixed. This could include digging a ditch, planting a tree, stacking firewood, making a garden, setting up a fence or even painting an outhouse. Due to a minor language barrier, we have to communicate the best we can using Korean and not English. I enjoy this time because it forces me to think in Korean and not rely on English. However, my manual labor language is not exactly on a native level. Keep in mind that it is usually just me, my father-in-law and the wilderness; no dictionary, no dutiful translating wife, no phone-a-friend.

We make due with a combination of simple Korean and body language. I usually have to ask about his directions to make sure that I understood it clearly. For those who are ever in a similar situation, I hope that these words will aid you in forging a happy relationship.

shovel - 삽
wheelbarrow - 손수레
rake - 갈퀴
broom - 빗자루
brick - 벽돌
stone - 돌
grass- 풀, 단디
dirt - 먼지
earth - 흙
mud - 진흙
pebbles - 자갈
cement - 시멘트
section - 부분
roof - 지방
forest - 숲
valley - 계곡
stream - 시냇물, 시냇물, 시냇가, 냇가

to dig - 파다 ex) 아버지, 지금 이 부분 파면 되요?
to plant - 심다 ex) 자기야, 여기에 딸기 심었어?
to move (transplant) 옮기다 ex) 아버님, 이 돌을 어디로 옮길까요?
to mix (cement) - 섞다 ex) 시멘트를 얼마나 섞을까요?
to paint - 칠하다 ex) 지방은 무슨 색으로 칠해요?
to dry outside - 밖에서 말리다 ex) 양말을 밖에서 말리주세요
to sweep - 쓸다 ex) 바닥에 먼지가 많은 것 같네. 좀 쓸면 어떨까.
to clean up (straighten up) -정리하다 ex) 이제 방 좀 치우고 정리하자.
to be hit (by someone) - 맞다 ex) 제가 어제 어떤 아저씨한테 머리를 맞았어요.
to hit (cause you hit someone) -때리다 ex) 그래서 저도 가서 아저씨를 때렸어요.
to hit (cause you're clumsy and you hit your head on a tree) - 부딪히다 ex) 계단에 발가락을 부딪혔다.

wake up early - 일찍 일어나다 ex) 우리는 내일 일찍 일어나야 해요.
work late - 늦게까지 일하다 ex) 우리 남편은 거의 늦게까지 일하는 적이 없어요. 우리 아내는 거의 매일 늦게까지 일했어요.
break time - 쉬는 시간, 휴식 시간 ex) 이제부터 10분 간 쉬는 시간 입니다.
to give up - 포기하다 ex) 벌써 피기 했어?

병 (病)

2010-07-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

병 is a frequent offender. We've seen him in counting of bottles (甁) and in recognizing soldiers (兵士). Today we're taking a look at sickness (病) conveniently known as 병 병. He's a friend to the 통 we looked at earlier.

질병 (疾病)
disease

병원 (病院)
hospital

공주병 (公主病)
princess disease. A slightly derogative but largely cute diagnosis to describe a spoiled girl who thinks she's royalty. The male equivalent is 왕자병 (王子病).

월요일병 (月曜日病)
a case of the Mondays. "Monday disease"

심장병 (心臟病)
heart disease

신장병 (腎臟病)
kidney disease, renal disease

정신병 (精神病)
mental illness

다병 사람 (多病人)
a sickly, frail person. Someone who is sick often.

그렇게 심각한 병은 아니에요.
It's not that serious of an illness.

위치 vs 장소

2010-07-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

A location slash place. Both refer to this but 장소 is generally more conversational while 위치 refers to a more specific location. Then again, they're practically interchangeable. But that's not to say that they mean the same thing. For sure, 장소 means "place" while 위치 means "location" which, while related, are not the same thing. So how does one split hairs on this one in Korean? Then again, how would one differentiate "location" from "place" in English? Thankfully these two words carry the same weight as in English so if you internally feel confident knowing the difference, then you're already in the right place. So to say.

위치 (位置)
position, location, site

장소 (場所)
place, spot, point, scene, position, location, site, venue

Examples:

그가 그는 가구의 위치를 바꿨어요.
He changed the location of the furniture.

저희 새로운 사무실 위치가 어디지요? -
Our new offices are located where exactly?

텍사스는 해발 530m에 위치합니다.
Texas is located 530 meters above sea level.

당신이 장소를 정해요
You pick the place.

공공장소에서는 담배를 피우면 안 됩니다.
There's no smoking in public places.

헤어지고 싶어. 약속 장소에 나타나지 않았잖아.
I want to break up. You know you didn't show up for our date.
(lit. you didn't appear at the appointment location)

KGYSAK: 가방 vs 봉투

2010-07-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

The only reason why I bring this up is that in English we use the same word "bag" for a purse, satchel, and indeed a plastic bag used at a grocery store. In Korean, the plastic bag that polite store clerks ask if you need to go with your purchased goods ("봉투 필요하세요?") I used to make the mistake of telling the clerk 가방 필요 없어요. I'm sure she was wondering why I was telling her that I had no need for a man purse.

가방
This native Korean word means "bag" as in:
서류 가방 document bag
가죽 가방 leather bag
여행 가방 travel bag [just like 짐 (朕)]

봉투 (封套)
bag, sack, envelope

In summary, a 가방 is a fashionable, purchasable briefcase or purse that is worn around the shoulders. A 봉투 is a thin, plastic non-eco friendly shopping bag accompanied by loaves of bread and groceries. 봉투 can also be a mailing envelope. If you ask for a 봉투 and someone happily offers you a thin black plastic bag used to carry fruit, politely smile and ask instead for a 편지 봉투 instead.

KGYSAK: 어린이 vs 어른

2010-07-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not that great at distinguishing 어 and 오 when I speak and to a lesser extent 이 and 으. I'm also not that great at properly pronouncing words with ㄹ which kind of limits my level of clarity for anyone to listen to what I have to say. I know. it'll get better with practice. In the meantime, I'm mushmouth extraordinaire.

One thing that always, for whatever reason, confuses me is the difference between 어린이 and 어른. Ironically, they could not be more opposite in meaning, standing for "young" and "old" respectively. If 어른 has the subject marker, it's 어른이, of course. Which to me sounds a lot like 어린이 when I speak. Course, if 어린이 has the subject marker, it's all gravy: 어린이가. So how do I remember the difference?

어린이 always has the 이 ending attached to it. It's part of the definition. That kind of reminds me of the 이 ending the we use to address kids. Think about calling someone 소연. If they were just a kid, you'd call them 소연이~ right?

I have an awful mnemonic for 어른. Okay, so little kids are always running around and standing up cause they have so much energy, right? Well, the ㅣ in 린 is like a person standing up. The ㅡ in 른 is like a prerson laying down, right? Like an older person lays down to rest. So the ㅡ in 어른 makes me think of an older person taking a nap. Am I bad for saying this?

Anyway, I feel bad for the borderline ageism but hey if it confused you before, you'd surely remember it from now on. Thus ends another entry for Korean Grammar You Should Already Know.

KGYSAK: 농담 vs 장난

2010-07-25T03:12:00.001-07:00

What's so funny? The difference between these two little jokers is no laughing matter.

농담 (弄談)
kidding, joking (through speech)

장난
playing, teasing (through action)

The English explanation sounds a bit off but stay with me. 농담 is easy to define because it has the 말씀 담 (談) in it's name. You know off the bat that it's something to do with speaking. The preceding character is 희롱 농 (弄) which is like a taunt, mock or jeer. You may have seen this in 성희롱 (性戱弄) which means "sexual harassment".

장난 is a bit different. This natively Korean expression is more encompassing. It can be an action speech or a sticked out tongue (메롱) given to some kid onthe subway giving you the stink eye. Whatever it is, it's a joke. You can also see this in 장난감 which is a "toy" or also my personal favorite but not so common 붓장난 which can be interpreted as "hack writing". The idea is that someone's writing is so bad that it must be a joke.

Examples:

장난 아냐! 사실이야.
I'm not kidding! I'm telling the truth.

어렸을때 그 곰 인형은 제일 좋아하는 장난감이었어요.
That teddy bear was my favorite plaything as a kid.

그것도 농담이라고 해요?
You call that a joke?

농담할 기분이 아니에요.
I'm not in the mood for jokes.

이제 농담은 그만 해야겠군요.
I seems I should stop joking now, yeah?

농담은 집어치우고 진짜 이유를 말해 봐요.
All joking aside, what's the real story?

근처 vs 동네

2010-07-25T02:50:00.000-07:00

If you're just dropping by a friend's house because you were already in the neighborhood, what would you say if you were to say it in Korean? Would you use "area" or "neighborhood"? You might be surprised. Let's take a look:

동네 means "neighborhood" or more loosely used in Seoul "town". The criteria is there are houses and it's a fixed, measurable area, like a 동 (洞).

However, 근처 (近處) means "vicinity" or "area" as in 홍대. It could be the name of the actually university, Hongik University, or it could be a reference to the too-many-to-count bars and night clubs in the area. It's just a point of reference; an area of reference to be exact. It depends on each person's frame of reference but it's a relative term. If you're from a small town near 울산, which is in its own right a smaller city, you might just tell people that you're from 울산 근처 just to make it easier on people.

The difference lies in the amount of specificity. Take for instance:

이 동네에서 태어났어요.
I was born in this neighborhood. (this specific area. measurable)
이 근처에서 태어났어요.
I was born in this area. (relative, nonspecific and subjective)

More examples:

우리 학교 근처에 스시집 있어요.
There's a sushi place in my school's area

이대 근처는 집값이 정말 비싸요.
The price of housing around Ewha Womans University is expensive.

이 동네는 마음에 안 들어요.
I don't like this neighborhood.

이 근처에 왔다가 한번 들러 본 거예요.
I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd drop by

통 (痛)

2010-07-25T02:35:00.000-07:00

Next up on our Hanja cavalcade is 통 (痛). 아플 통 to be specific. Next time you feel the need to eek out a complaint of symptoms (증상) to a doctor or loved one about a migraine, chest or muscle pain, remember this little guy and he might just make you feel better. Probably not though.

두통 (頭痛)
headache

편두통 (偏頭痛)
migraine headache

치통 (齒痛)
toothache

복통 (腹痛)
stomachache, bellyache, abdominal pains

생리통 (生理痛)
menstrual pains, cramps

근육통 (筋肉痛)
muscle pains

요통 (腰痛)
backache

흉통 (胸痛)
chest pains

성장통 (成長痛)
growing pains

고통 (苦痛)
pain, distress

Some might have noticed this advertisement for a cure-all that demonstrates this hanja character nicely.

But don't start getting cute and think that 쓰레기통 means "trash pain" It's a different 桶

KGYSAK: hot and cold

2010-07-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

A non-internet request is happily filled. On occasion, I must admit, I flip the correct usage of hot and cold. It's just a knee-jerk reaction from time to time. I used to get really frustrated with talking about heat until I was humbled by the sheer number of verbs for "to wear". I then stopped jinxing my luck.

Cold
춥다 condition of being cold
차갑다 cold to the touch

When you're outside and it's chilly, it's 추워요. If it's around you, it's this type of cold.
When you dip your toe into the pool and it's nippy, it's 차가워요. If you touched it, it's this type of cold.

Hot
덥다 condition of being hot
뜨겁다 hot to the touch

When you're standing outside waiting for the bus in the summer, it's 더워요. If you're sweating, it's this type of heat.
When you take a sip of your morning coffee and discover that it's burning a hole in your mouth, it's 뜨거워요. If you touched it, it's this type of heat.
*Also, when you've had your fill of 청량고추 and want to call it a day because you think you have discovered an ulcer in your stomach, it's 매워요. If it's spicy, it's this type of heat.

Hope that clears it up. Just in case one starts to think that only Korean is unnecessarily confusing, consider in English the multiple uses of "china" (the country, dishes), "story" (book, building floor, lie), and "butt" (fanny, bottom of a gun, to interfere).

성 (聖)

2010-07-16T22:11:00.001-07:00

Not a terribly common Hanja character but an easy one to recognize in Hangul is 聖 (성인 성). It stands for 'Holy'.

성경 (聖經)
the Bible, holy book

구약성경 (舊約聖書)
*the Old Testament

신약성경 (新約聖書)
the New Testament

성가 (聖歌)
church hymns, sacred songs

성수 (聖水)
holy water

성인 (聖人)
saint, holy person

성경 용어 (聖經用語)
Biblical language

성화 (聖火)
the Olympic torch, holy fire

성단 (聖壇)
a pulpit, altar, shrine

성물
holy item, thing

영성체
holy communion, Eucharist

*Don't be goofy and assume that 신약 means "foot medicine". The correct hanja are 新 (새 신) and 舊 (옛 구)

**There's lots, and I do mean, lots of 성 out there so be careful. One of them is 星 that stands for "star" as in "three stars" 삼성 (三聖) or "star cluster" 성단 (星團). Another is 性 which stands for "sex" as in "gender" 성별 (性別) and "personality" 성격 (性格)

사전으로 아직 안 배우는 단어

2010-07-12T03:33:00.000-07:00

I like Korean cell phones for a number of reasons. One of which is that almost all have an easily accessible Eng-Kor and Kor-Eng dictionary available. While never quite as detailed as Naver's dictionary, when I need to find a quick answer it gets the job done. One of my favorite features is the ability to add a word to a saved list to remember for later. The following is what is left after a year in Korea and also after deleting plenty of words that I have since learned and was too embarrassed that I ever didn't know them. What remains are words that I am either vaguely aware of or not confident yet to use on my own. Hopefully, a year later I can look at these and laugh. I'll spare you some of the words that I'm omitting from the list but suffice it is to say that it used to include words like 장갑, 열쉬, 이틀, 부장 and 전문가답지 못하다. Enjoy!

구파 - the old school, conservative

구토하다 - to vomit

처방전 - prescription

배려 - consideration, care, concern

기침 - cough

전립선 - prostate

예술가 - artist

원자력 - nuclear power

계약 - contract

독립 - independence

자유로운 상태 - freedom

논어 - Analects of Confucius

병따개 - bottle opener

자녀 - sons and daughters

침 뱉다 - to spit

보물 - treasure, highly prized item

통근하다 - to commute

비단 - silk

신용 사기 - scam

공룡 - dinosaur

추천 - recommendation

명령 - order (someone to do something)

질질 끌다 - procrastinate

훈련 - training

부적당한 - inappropriate

무사히 - safely

완전하다, 완벽하다 - perfect

간접적 - indirect

직접적 - direct

암에 걸리다 - to get cancer

선입관 - preconception

확인하다 - to check, verify

종교 - religion

합창단 - choir

세례 - baptism

보육 - childcare

낙태 - abortion

공연 - public performance

자루 걸레 - a mop

건축학 - architecture

품질 - quality

수량 - quantity

여정 - itinerary

지원자 - volunteer

미신 - superstition

면접 - interview

일반적 - universal, general

정확 - accuracy, precision

식물 - plant

결심 - determination, resolution

셜합 - a union

경헙 - an experience

편집병의 - paranoid

나누다 - to divide, share

합격 - success in examination

안심 - peace of mind

무덥다 - sweltering, steaming

환영 - a welcome, ovation

성과 - a result, product, fruit of labor

과연 - as was expected, just as one thought

멍 - bruise

독후감 - one's impression after reading a book or poem

처음 vs. 먼저 vs 일단

2010-07-12T01:35:00.000-07:00

A friendly commenter asked and so he shall receive: 처음 vs. 먼저. However, I want to add a bit of extra curiosity to the mix. Enter: 일단.

먼저
Is the Korean version of 先 (먼저 선) which means to "come first". This is indeed the same 선 found in 선생님 (先生님), which in turn can be roughly translated to "person of respect who was born first". This might help to answer the question of why some people who clearly are not teachers by profession get called "선생님". As an aside, in archeologic/geographic terms, 선 can also be used to express "Proto" or "Pre" as in 선캄브리아 (Pre-Cambrian Time) and 선코카소이드 (Proto-Caucasoid). However, it's not a 1:1 match as 原 (원) is another hanja that expresses this meaning. Just keep in mind that it means "to come before" or "first of all" in terms of order.

먼저 가겠습니다
I'm going to leave early*
(*said to coworkers when leaving the lunch table or office before them)

먼저 하세요
You do it first*
(*said to someone you don't know or is higher than you that it's fine of they do whatever they are doing before you. Think of drinking water at a fountain or walking through a door)

먼저 가요
You go first*
(*said to someone leaving a party without any hard feelings)

먼저 할래?
Do you want to do it first?

먼저 이겼다!
I won!
I finished first!

닭이 먼저인가 달걀이 먼저인가?
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

처음
Is also a native Korean expression to signify the first or beginning of something. What distinguishes it is the nuance of being the first time for something. It doesn't imply order but instead an experience or action.

처음 처럼
Like the first time

처음 뵙겠습니다
Nice to meet you
(lit. I'll see you for the first time)

처음부터 기분이 좋았어요
처음부터 마음에 들었어요
I liked it from the beginning

오늘 처음으로 운전했어요
Today was the first time I drove.

그러면 남자친구를 언제 처음 만났어요?
In that case, when did you first meet your boyfriend?

와. 처음 봤어요
Wow. That's the first time I saw it.

이곳에 처음 오신 건가요?
Is this your first time to this place, sir?

그녀는 처음에는 그렇지 않았어요.
She wasn't like that at the beginning.

일단
Is based on (一旦) and means pretty much the same thing as the other examples. Instead of defining it as "first" or "once" though, I would say it's more like "for the time being" and "for the moment". To me, it signifies a temporary fix; a reaction to save a poorly planned event. Perhaps even a conditional clause like "first do this and then...". However, replacing it for the word "once" is also seemingly acceptable.

일단 술을 마시기 시작하면 너무 많이 마시다.
Once I start drinking, I drink too much.

일단 결심하면 고수해야돼요.
Once you make a decision, you should stick with it.

일단 우리집으로 오면 그때 말해 줄게. 알았어?
For the time being, just come home and I'll tell you then. Okay?

여보 어디가요? 일단 우회전하고 좌회전이라고 했어요.
Honey where are you going? I said turn right first, then turn left.

일단 밥을 먹고 그렇게 하자.
For the moment being, let's eat and then do that.

그렇게 춥지 않아. 일단 물 속에 들어오면 괜찮는데...
It's not that cold. Once you get in the water, it's not that bad...

알몸, 맨몸

2010-07-10T02:18:00.000-07:00

알몸, 맨몸, 나체, 裸體, 아무것도 없는 상태
naked, nude, stark naked, in the buff, wearing your birthday suit, nudey, nakey,

however you say it, it makes you giggle. Looking at one of the definitions can be kind of productive. 맨 can be attached to many other words to create other expressions.

맨몸 naked body
맨손 bare hands
맨발 bare feet
맨얼굴 no makeup, fresh faced
생얼 fresh faced (more common slang for 맨얼굴)
맨팔 bare arms
맨다리 no panty hose

Just don't get carried away and start thinking that 맨날 means "naked day".

기쁘다 vs. 행복하다 vs. 즐겁다

2010-07-09T05:59:00.001-07:00

If you're OO and you know it clap your hands. So what is being happy in Korean? 행복하다, right? What about 기쁘다? Couldn't you also say 즐겁다? Take a seat smiley and let's break it down.

행복하다 : happy

주말에 짐찔방에 가서 너무 행복했었어요
I was so happy that we went to the sauna.

결혼하게 돼서 행복해.
I'm happy to get married!

그냥 행복하고싶은데...
I just want to be happy...

기쁘다 : glad, happy, pleased

오늘 모임에 와줘서 기뻐.
I'm pleased that you joined the meeting today.

어제 우리는 작은 형이랑 맥주를 마셔서 기뻤어요
I'm happy that we went drinking with my older brother.

결혼기념일을 기억 해서 기뻐요
I'm so glad that you remembered our wedding anniversary.

즐겁다 : joy, pleased, enjoy

오늘 모임 정말 즐거웠어요.
Today the party was pleasant.

점심시간은 언제나 즐거워요.
I'm joyful whenever it's lunchtime.

음악 수업은 항상 즐거워요.
Music class is always enjoyable.

저의 영어 수업은 즐거운 수업이 될거예요!!!
Our English class is going to be really enjoyable.

행복하다 and 즐겁다 are continuous states of being. Both are quite similar but I feel 행복하다 is deeper. Perhaps because I'm more of a writer at heart? 기쁘다 is more tricky. It's a bit more temporary but can lead to being 행복하다. Maybe, if I have many 기쁜 날, then my life is 행복하다. Actually I guess it also depends on each person's feeling or habits of expression. I tend to be more deadpan in my spoken expressions so that certainly affects how I might say just how happy I am. But I'm also a drama queen when it comes to food, so I can say 한국에 살아서 맨날 청국장을 먹을 수 있어서 행복해요. Other people might say 괜찮았어, 좋았어, 맛있었어, 나쁘지 않았어 but one can also just say that they're happy.

Although it depends on who you ask, I would say that 기뻐 is more commonly spoken while 행복해 is a more written form of expression, but certainly not exclusive to writing. 행복했어 can be found alot in the lyrics of a song or a personal diary, while 기뻐, is more like an instant feeling.

a) 오늘 우리 한국이 축구를 이겨서 정말 기쁘다~~!!!
b) 오늘 우리 한국이 축구를 이겨서 정말 행복해~~!!!
both can be used but a) is more natural.

신체 관용 표현

2010-07-08T01:42:00.000-07:00

Human body colloquialisms. I'll stick with close to literal translations just for fun. Also, Although I don't use everyone of these all the time, some would still prove useful if not just to hear them in spoken context. So get ready for your eyes to itch, your mouth to be heavy and your eyes to be high.

Feet
발이 넓다 someone that knows a lot of people
우리 아버지는 발이 넓어서 모르는 사람이 거의 없을 것같아요
My dad's "feet are so big" that it seems that there hardly isn't anyone that he doesn't know.

발을* 끊다 to stop visiting, to break off relations
이제부터 술집에 발을 끊았어요.
From now on, "my feet are stopping" to go to bars.
*note: careful not to say 발이 끊다" because that means to cut off your feet.

발벗고 나서다 to help other people with enthusiasm
우리 할머니께서는 아주 친절하니까 무슨 일이라면 발벗고 나서서 도와 주셔요.
My grandmother is so kind that if there's a problem she'll "take off her feet, leave home" and help you.

Ears
귀가 얇다 someone that easily changes their mind, easily convinced
너 귀가 얇아? 왜 살 빼는 약을 많이 샀어?
Are "your ears thin"? Why did you buy so many weight loss pills?

귀가 아프다 nitpicking, nagging (잔소리)
알았어. 됐고! 듣기 싫다고! 귀가 아파다고!
Alright. That's enough! I don't want to hear anymore. I told you that "my ears hurt!"

귀가 가렵다 someone's talking about you, your ears are burning
왜 이렇게 귀가 가렵지?
Why are "my ears so itchy?"

귀가 없다 as suggested in a helpful comment, this is crudely asking someone if they are even listening to you.
너 귀 없어?
Do you "not have any ears"?

Mouth
입이 무겁다 to keep a secret well
걔는 입이 무겁기 때무네 믿을 수 있어요.
Because his "mouth is heavy" you can trust him.

입에 안 맞다 to not fit one's taste, style; not your thing, not a fan
중국음식이 입에 안 맞아서 중국에 갔다왔을때 살이 뺐어요.
Because Chinese food "doesn't match my mouth" when I went to China, I lost weight.

입이 짧다 picky, selective about food or style
보통 아무 음식이나 많이 먹지 않아요. 입이 짧거든요.
I usually don't eat a lot of food. "My mouth is short".

Hands
손이 크다 to be really generous, to splurge
누나! 무슨 음식을 이러게 많이 준비했어? 벌써 배가 불러! 정말 손이 커요.
Why did you prepare so much food? We're already full! "Your hand is big."

손이 모자라다 to be short staffed, to not have enough help
엄마! 일이 너무 많아! 손이 모자라서 도와 주시겠어요?
Momma! There's too much to do! Since "my hands are insufficient" could you help me?

손을 잡다 to make an agreement, a pact (제휴하다)
오늘은 A화사 하고 B화사가 손을 잡았습니다.
Today 'A'Company and 'B'Company "shook hands."

Eyes
눈이 높다 to have a discerning eye for someone, to have high standards
혜진씨는 눈이 높기 때문에 거의 다 남자들이 싫거든요
Because Hyejin has "high eyes" she hates almost all men.

눈감아 주다 turn a blind eye, look the other way
그래요? 속도 위반 딱지요? 한 번 눈감아 주세요. 앞으로 조심하겠습니다.
Really? A speeding ticket? Please "close your eyes". I'll be more careful in the future.

눈앞이 캄캄하다 to go black, to be so worried that you almost blackout
시험 몬 봤어요. 선생님 다시 한 번 보면 안 돼요? 빨리 대답을 해주세요. 눈앞이 캄캄해요. 떨어진 것 같아요.
I failed that test. Can I take the test one more time? Please answer me. "My eyes are going black". I think I'm going to collapse.

Nose
코앞에 닥치다 to cross a bridge when one comes to it, to deal with it when it happens eventually
수능학원에 안 가고 공부를 하지않아서 코앞에 닥친 시험 때문에 도망가고싶어요.
Because I didn't go to SAT cram schools and didn't study, because of the test that "is approaching my nose" I want to run away.

코에 붙이다 to not prepare enough food for guests
이것밖 없어요? 누구 코에 붙이겠어요? 빨리 시켜야돼요.
There's only this? Who has "something stuck to their nose?" Hurry up and order some more food!

콧대가 높다 to be arrogant, cocky, stuck up
민희의 성격은 데기 싫어요. 콧대가 너무 높으니까.
I really hate Minhee's personality. It's because her "nose is so high"

KGYSAK - 어디있어요? vs. 어디예요?

2010-07-07T03:14:00.000-07:00

There's nothing more embarrassing than having to ask where the bathroom is in broken Korean. If I had to pinpoint a particular moment when my face and pride first went out the window (first implies that my face has been lost many times which would be a correct assumption) it would be the awkward bathroom moment. I couldn't remember which one to say:
화장실 어디있어요?
화장실 어디예요?

To me, they both made sense. Now, I know the difference, but how can we differentiate them in English? How can I justify not using one over the other? First things first, a note about the subject. If the subject is an inanimate object, like, say the bathroom, it's fine to use both. If it's a person, you only have one option. Moving on with examples:

화장실 어디있어요? (o) Where is the restroom located? (shortened form)
화장실이 어디에 있어요? (o) Where is the restroom located? (grammatically correct)
화장실 어디예요? (o) Where is the restroom?

Both questions are asking the location of the restroom but the nuance is slightly different. Feel free to use both. Problem solved, right? Now, as for a person:

(다) 효연이 어디예요? (x) Where is the Hyoyeon?
(라) 효연이 어디있어요? (o) Where is Hyoyeon?

The first example doesn't make grammatical sense because 효연 is a person. I liken it to adding an unnecessary article like "the". I will say though that sometimes it can be heard in spoken language. It is a genuine mistake but then again, so is "That ain't right", "We be tough on'em" and "Git'er done".

KGYSAK: 씩 vs. 식

2010-07-07T02:55:00.000-07:00

A piece of cake. 씩 is a piece of something. like saying "a piece" "per" or "만큼" and is used with money a lot.

우리 아이에게 만원씩 줬어
I gave each of my kids ten dollars.
I gave my kids ten dollars a piece.

조금씩 먹어라
eat nice and slow; chew your food (piece by piece)

보통 하루에 네 번씩 식사를 해요
I usually eat four times a day.

저는 날마다 10시간씩 근무해요
I work 10 hours a day.

한 학생에 사탕 두 새씩 줬어요
I gave two pieces of candy to each student.

한 주 다섯 번씩 운동해요
I work out five times a week.

가끔씩
sometimes

식 (式) is much more versatile and is used much more frequently. The form that was getting me confused with the spelling was the ~식 that stands for "ceremony" or "way"

결혼식
wedding ceremony

미국식으로
American way

졸업식
graduation ceremony

장례식
funeral

성찬식
communion

이런식으로...
this way

치 (癡)

2010-07-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

I like a good Hanja. Like a fine wine, I savor a sweet bouquet of Korean prose. 치 is a like really short poem that makes me smile. When you fail at something, stick to a few of these 치 (癡) examples. Be generous with the translations as they really aren't 1:1:

길치 no sense of direction
음치 tone-deaf, can't carry a tune to save one's life
몸치 can't dance; clumsy
박치 have no sense of rhythm, tempo

여기가 어딘 지 모르겠어. 길치니까 여기 못 찾아 올거야.
I have no clue where I am now. Since I have no sense of direction, looks like I can't find my way back here again.

응? 노래 한 곡 해봐라고? 안되요, 저 음치예요.
Huh? You want me to sing a song? No way. I can't carry a tune to save my life.

그는 몸치여서 항상 사람들과 부딪힌다.
He's so clumsy that he's always bumping into people
너 몸치구나. 매튜야, 좀 더 유연하게 춤을 춰야지.
Wow you really can't dance. Matthew, you should dance more smoothly.

박수를 치면서 왜 이렇게 박자를 못 맞추니. 박치도 아니고 말이야.
Why can't you keep the beat while you're clapping? Don't you even have a sense of tempo?

The last two examples are similar. Take a look at how they differ. 몸치 refers to someone who has no sense of 동작 while 박치 refers to someone who can't hold 박자. Think of one of those kids back in junior high that tried to drum on their desk with a pencil but failed miserably but were pleasantly unaware of how bad it sounded. Those kids are 박치. I'm more of a 몸치 kind of guy because I'm both clumsy and can't dance.

동작 movement, gesture, motion
박자 time, beat

*Thanks to 석진 of TTMIK for clarification

~잖아요

2010-07-02T03:02:00.000-07:00

An incredibly easy to hear verb ending, this one was hard for me to pick up at first because it sounded so close to the ~찮아 in 괜찮아. So, at first I thought it meant "it's okay" but like most things, I was totally wrong.

~잖아요 is used when the both the speaker and listener are well aware of the topic. As we looked at ~거든 earlier, the speaker informs the listener of the reason that he/she doesn't know. In ~잖아, it's the opposite. Both the speaker and the listener already know the reason or event and this is just to confirm that both already know. I would also like to emphasize that this can be incredibly rude when used improperly. Use 요 when needed and avoid using altogether when speaking to a much higher person. Using this with a slightly socially higher person is okay, just use with care. Also, the examples I'm going to use take a bit of background context to fully understand. Any dialogue assumes the other person is fully aware of the fact.

Examples:

A: 이번주말에 가까운 곳으로 놀러 가는 게 어때요?
This weekend, how does hanging out a place nearby sound?

B: 그것보다는 주말에 집에서 공부하는 게 좋겠어요. 다음 주가 시험이잖아요.
How about studying at home instead? Next week, you know I have a test.

A: 인터넷 쇼핑으로 부츠를 사줄까요?
Can I buy you some boots over the internet?

B: 흠...직접 옷가게에 가서 쇼핑하자. 인터넷으로 사면 품질을 확인할 수 없잖아.
Hmm...Let's buy it directly at the store. If we buy from it off the internet, you know that there's no way to check the quality.

A: 승기 씨, 이 자료를 영어부터 한국어까지로 번역 해주시겠어요? 저 영어 자신 없는데요..
Hey Seungki, could you please translate these documents from English to Korean? I'm not really confident...

B: 무슨 소리야. 민기야, 10년 정도 호주 살았잖아. 영어 잘 하잖아!
What're talking about? Minki, you lived in Australia for 10 years. You know you can speak English well!

The "you know that..." doesn't really fully translate. It's just something that must be understood.

~거든

2010-07-02T03:01:00.000-07:00

I really Schruted this one at first. Since I hear it from kids a lot (and my wife when she talks in a cute way) I thought it was a way of making the sentence sound cute. Like a built in grammar point for "Andy have a boo-boo tummy".

Instead, it gives the listener a reason for something. If the speaker is saying something that the listener doesn't know the reason behind the action, then this verb ending helps to clarify "this is why". It sounds cute when it's used cutely but it has a genuine meaning outside the baby world. It also is very context heavy so it's hard to give a single, one sentence explanation.

Examples:

A: 왜 전화 안 했어?
B: 어? 전화 했다고?....못 들었거든.
A: 아~ 그랬구나.

A: Why didn't you call?
B: Huh? You called? I didn't hear it...
A: Oh, okay. No biggie.

Careful because the same conversation can sound pretty coarse depending on the intonation.

A: 왜 전화 안 했어?
B: 전화기 소리가 안들렸다고!! 나보고 어떡하라고!!!
A: 뭐? !@$@%$#%$#%

A: Why didn't you call me?

B: Well I didn't hear the phone ring, alright? What do you want from me?

A: What? You little!!!

More examples:

A: 왜 성당에서 결혼식을 올렸나요?
B: 신부가 천주교 신자이시거든요.

A: Why did you have the wedding at a cathedral?
B: Because the bride is Catholic (that's why)

A: 매튜형은 왜 지인이와 만날 때마다 다투나요?
B: 둘다 미국 사람이지만 나는 텍사스 출신이고 지인이는 캘리포니아 출신이거든요.

A: Why do you always bicker with Linda?
B: Both of us are Americans but I'm from Texas and she's from California (that's why).

"~거든" can feel friendly at times and cranky at other times. I didn't really leave the best examples but hopefully this will be enough to catch it in real life.

Book Review: Useful Chinese Characters for Learners of Korean

2010-06-29T04:19:00.000-07:00

Title: Useful Chinese Characters for Learners of Korean
Author: SNU Language Institute
Paperback: 184 pages
Publisher: Darakwon (Apr 2007)
ISBN-10: 895995764X
ISBN-13: 9788959957644

Easily one of the best weapons to add to any Korean-language learner's arsenal is a good command of Hanja. This book helps to demystify the structure of Hanja and prompts the Korean language learner to recognize authentic examples in modern Korean. Like Latin and Greek roots to English, Hanja comprises of over an estimated 60% of the Korean language in use today and as such, presents itself as a possible speed bump to effectively learning Korean. While not nearly as prominent as it used to be, Hanja is still known to some degree by all native Korean speakers. If you are a student of Korean and you have even a passing interest in learning Hanja-based vocabulary, this is book to start with.

The text couldn't be easier to approach with its easy to follow baby-steps guide on how a single Hanja character is formed, brush stroke formation and how to recognize the sound and meaning of characters. If you've been looking for someone to hold your hand and show you the ropes but were frustrated that all available explanations are in Korean, this book remedies that nicely. Each chapter is arranged around a theme and therefore arranged slightly differently than the beginner books that native speakers learn by. Although increasingly difficult, the ten characters per chapter pace is not impossible to follow with some practice. Towards the end of the book is a step-by-step guide on how to recognize similarly rooted words by their main radical and how to look up words in a dictionary. I found the English explanation of radicals to be especially helpful.

The only true fault is the text's limited amount of space to practice writing. It does have an summary chapter practice cell sheet but the paper in the book doesn't lend itself well to being written on; it's too pretty. As a beginner, though, you have thousands of options out there. Plenty, and I do mean plenty of cheap low level practice books are geared for Korean children and are well-suited for rote memorization and muscle memory writing practice. Think of this book like a springboard and you're much better off. I used the textbook and wrote side-by-side in a blank notebook. For reinforcement, I ran through a few five dollar variously leveled practice books; 8급 being the most basic, 1급 the most difficult. This book is a good one to start with and it should already be in your collection.

- - -

If you have not clue what Hanja is, take a quick detour and start with a background. I've mentioned this book before and I want to emphasize how valuable it is has been for me. Far from a perfect text, it got me started in what I hope is a goal of lifelong learning. Although I'm not finished with it by any means, I had got a lot out of it and wholeheartedly recommend it.

Oh, and it's crazy hard to find outside of Korea. Heads up.

동안 vs. 정도

2010-06-29T04:11:00.000-07:00

When expressing a duration of time, what does one use? I seem to see 쯤, 약, 정도, 동안 and the like pretty regularly but not exactly sure on how to distinguish them. To help clarify, 동안 is the only one that denotes a duration. All others are approximations of duration.

동안 : during (that time)

방학 동안 뭐할거야?
What are going to do during your vacation?

잠시 동안만 기다려줄래?
Can you wait for just a while?

두시간 동안 밥먹었어
I was eating for two hours (or, during two hours, I ate food)

정도 : about (approximately)

두시간 정도 밥 먹었어
I was eating for about two hours (but I'm not sure)

한 달 정도 일번어 공부했어요
I've been studying Japanese for about a month, I guess.

정도 is an inexact figure of time. It's used to indicate that you're not sure about the length of duration, but that it is approximate. Similar terms include 쯤 and 약 which also expressions relating to approximation as in:

2시 쯤에 광화문에서 만나자
Around two o'clock, let's meet at Gwanghwamoon.

3 시간 쯤 동안 있었어요
I was there for about three hours

약 is more of an approximation of not a set time, like a meeting, but an elapsed time as in:

약300미터 직진 후 좌회전입니다.
After about 300 meters, make a left.

약 10년전에 헤어졌어요
We broke up almost ten years ago

They are all pretty much the same thing. Approximately the same thing. Sort of the same thing. Kind of the same thing.

KGYSAK: 안 vs 않

2010-06-29T04:09:00.001-07:00

You've been there. Constructing a sentence and when pressed to spell "not" as in "안 했어요" you pause for a moment and wonder... should you spell it "않 했어요" instead? Which one is correct? You've seen both, haven't you?

Sort of. They have the same basic meaning but a different usage.
'안'한다 (don't) - 하지 '않'는다 (don't)

안 할게요
I won't

안 합니다
I don't

안 했어요
I didn't

안 잤어요
I didn't sleep

안 갈거야
I'm not going

아직 안 왔어요
She/he hasn't come yet.

안 먹어?
You're not eating?

않다 also indicates negation but in a different sense

제가 하지 않았습니다
I didn't do that.

그렇게 하지 않나요?
Don't you do it like that?

다시는 실수하지 않겠습니다.
I won't make a mistake again.

먼저 가지 않을게요.
I won't go first.

쉽지 않아요
It's not easy

So in the first example, it is indeed 안 했어요 but do keep in mind that 않다 is its own thing and that it has a place. When I'm questioning it, I think to myself of the placement of 안 or 않. If it's in front of an action verb like 하다 or 가다 I use 안 as in: 공부 안 했다 or 학교 안 가. Where it gets fuzzy is situations like "aren't you tired?" where the message can be conveyed two different ways:

피곤하지않아요?
안 피곤 해요?

just watch your 안s and you'll be fine. More examples:

안 먹어요
안 자요
안 예뻐요
안 추워요

먹지 않아요
자지 않아요
예쁘지 않아요
춥지 않아요

Thus concludes another Korean Grammar You Should Already Know.

광고 - Advertisements p.7

2010-06-29T04:08:00.000-07:00

I think Korean toilet ads for funny. Deal with it.

This one was easily one of the most fun to translate. At first, I thought the second line was saying "In the future, tears come gradually" but it's really more like "take a step up to the toilet and let it all out there". Again, like the secret-keeping toilet, this sign is intended to motivate those using the restroom to use it cleanly.

남자가 흘리지 말아야 할 것은 눈물만이 아니죠
한발만 앞으로 오세요. 기분까지 좋아집니다

Tears are not just the only type of water that mustn't be spilt
Step slowly up to the toilet. It will make everyone feel good

흘리다 is a doosey of a verb. Naver defines it as: cry, shed, sweat, perspire, bleed, drool, slobber, spill, drop

한발한발 gradually, step-by-step

광고 - Advertisements p.6

2010-06-28T02:23:00.000-07:00

What? toilet humor is funny, right? Anyway, try to keep the giggling down to a minimum. I just like the idea of the toilet giving me advice and, what's more, promising to protect any of my mistakes as a secret between me and Mr. Crapper.

당신의 실천이 모두를 행복하게 합니다
당신이 저를 소중히 다루시면 제가 본 것은 비빌로 하겠습니다~ 쉿 -변기올림
Your practice makes everyone happy.
"If you cherishly handle your business, anything I might see I'll keep as a secret" - From the toilet

The first part reminds me of a stitching that my mother made and posted up in one of the bathrooms. It politely stated "Be an adult not a kid / Hit the toilet not the lid".

광고 - Advertisements p.5

2010-06-28T02:15:00.000-07:00

Saw this a few months ago near 강남 at a place that served small portioned southeast asian fusion foods. I found it suprising that they would even mention this because I left hungry and wondering why I paid more than 15 000 for something that I'm pretty sure was a side dish at a normal Korean place. Anyways,

우리업소는 먹고 남기지 않을 만큼 적당한 양을 제공합니다

At our establishment, after eating, please leave an appropriate amount of leftovers.

Which, of course, is a long winded way of saying "Take all that you want but eat all you take."

안 vs 못

2010-06-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

The great divider.

답장을 안 보내서 미안해요
답장을 못 보내서 미안해요

How would you literally define these two sentences?

"Since I didn't send you a response, I'm sorry."
"Since I couldn't send you a response, I'm sorry."

But, the former is most natural in English, right? "Sorry I didn't respond to you sooner" is the feeling you want to express. However, it may not come off like that in Korean. Dare I say it would make matters worse if you chose the former instead if the latter.

안 means "not" as in 안 했어 I didn't (숙제 안 했어 I didn't do my homework)
못 means "can't" as in 못 했어 I couldn't (중국어 목 해요 I can't speak Chinese)

But, in Korean, these don't translate exactly over 1:1. They don't always mean that.

안 carries the feeling that you had the opportunity and yet you chose not to do so. 못, on the other hand, feels like the choice was not up to you and that outside powers prevented you from doing whatever it was you were supposed to do.

문자 못 보내서 미안 would be much more appropriate to a significant other than saying
문자 안 보내서 미안 would would indicate that yes, you could have sent her a text message but you chose not to. what of it?

Culturally speaking, it's a bit different. In English, unless someone holds a gun to your head, no one makes you not do something. So, if you didn't send her a text, you could say with solemn regard that although you chose not to, you are sorry. No one made you not send it, right? You were having fun with your friends and you lost track of time. No biggie right?

In Korean, it is a whole lot sweeter to say that you were unable to send it. It carries that same feeling that you are indeed sorry for not touching base but think not of it like "I was physically unable because the phone was broke" instead, think of it as "I totally lost track of time" or "정신 없어요". So, although it doesn't mean the exact same in English, the difference is enough to point out.

Another example that is even more curious is 아직 못 봤어요. This seemingly means "I was not able to see it yet" but it really means "I haven't seen it yet." The situation: a coworker asks you if you have seen the new summer blockbuster movie. You casually reply that you haven't seen it yet. Of course you've had time to see it. It's been out for a week or so. You have time after work but you chose not to go see the film. No harm in that. However, replying "아직 안 봤어요" while not grammatically wrong, is not as common as saying "아작 못 봤어요". The idea is that you do want to see it but you haven't had the chance yet. You'll see it soon enough, though.

In summation, Koreans ~~lie~~ have a different way of expressing this type of feeling.

금방 vs. 방금

2010-06-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

This one doesn't really confuse me all that much but it does make it a bit frustrating to explain. Essentially, they are the same word to express "just a moment ago" or "just now" 급방 and 방금; 今方 and 方今 respectively. However the nuance is ever so slightly different.

금방 refers to things that will happen now or in the future*
방금 refers to things in the past*

*usually. I must highlight the fact that these two words mean the same thing. However, you might hear them in different situations such as:

금방 가겠습니다.
I'm going right now.

방금 외출했습니다.
She just stepped out.

방금 보냈어요
I just now sent you (the email)

금방 보냈는데 아직 안 받았다고요?
I just sent it a moment ago but you're saying you didn't get it?

I was just about to call you...
방금 전화했었는데...

금방 잊었어요
I forgot it just now.

The obligatory explanation in Korean:

今方 금방
方今 방금
今은 지금/이제라는 뜻인 거 알지요?

"지금보다 조금 빠른 때나 지금보다 조금 후"라는 뜻이에요.

방금 일어났어요. I just woke up
금방 일어났어요. I just woke up

방금 비가 올 것 같아요. Seems it will rain any moment now
금방 비가 올 것 같아요. Seems it will rain any moment now

I also ran across this article in the 한겨레 about the difference. The writer, too, knows that they are the same word but how exactly they differ, not sure. Since articles from Korean newspapers love to remove or reorganize their URL, I'm going to a short copy and paste of the contents:

우리는 ‘금방’이란 말과 ‘방금’이란 말을 쓴다. 그러면서 뜻이 같은지 다른지 잘 모른다. 거의 같은 뜻으로 쓰고 있는데, 사전들이 구별도 못 하면서 섞어 다루고 있다.

최근에 나온 <표준국어대사전>(1999)에만 ‘방금’을 내세우고 ‘금방’을 그 한뜻말로 다루었다. 그러나 ‘금방금방’이란 말은 있어도 ‘방금방금’이란 말은 없는 것을 보면 다른 것 같기도 하다. 그보다 더 급한 문제가 있다. 이 ‘금방’과 ‘방금’에 우리 사전들 버릇대로 한자가 붙어 있는 것이다. 과연 한자말일까?

‘금방’에 갖다 붙인 한자가 ‘今方’인데, 이것은 우연일는지는 모르겠으나, 일본에서 쓰이는 ‘이마가타’(今方)라는 말의 한자를 끌어다 댄 것일까. <한국한자어사전>(1992)에도 ‘今方’이 <시민등록>;에 ‘今方行査是在果’라고 쓰이었다고 했으니 ‘이두’ 글이다. 그렇다면 ‘今方’은 우리말 ‘금방’을 한자로 취음한 것이다. ‘금방’이 우리말이란 증거다.

‘방금’에 붙은 한자는 중국에 있는 ‘팡진’(方今)의 한자다. 대국을 섬기는 속국 사람들이 한 짓이다. 우리는 일본말이나 중국말 없이도 얼마든지 ‘금방’이나 ‘방금’이라는 말을 쓸 수 있는 뛰어난 겨레다.

이번 기회에 ‘금방’과 ‘방금’의 뜻매김을 해 보자. 여러 사전 풀이를 종합하면,
1.바로 이 때: “~ 읽는다”
2.바로 조금 전: “~ 한 말”
3.바로 조금 뒤: “~ 가겠다”
의 세 가지로 갈라진다.

‘1’은 ‘지금’이 있으니까 필요 없다.
‘2’와 ‘3’은 “금방 먹을 떡에도 소를 박는다”라는 속담을 살려서, 뜻을
‘금방’은 “바로 조금 뒤”로 하고,
‘방금’은 “바로 조금 전”으로 하여 구별해 보자.
더 좋은 다른 풀법이 있으면 따르겠다.

KGYSAK: 지금 vs. 이제

2010-05-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Now. How are these two different but mean the same? Both mean "now" but they have slightly different nuances. Essentially:

지금 means "now" as in "now".
이제 means "now" as in "now and also the upcoming future"

EX)
지금부터 수업을 시작 하겠습니다 X
이제부터 수업을 시작 하겠습니다 O
From now, I guess class will start (Class is starting now)

지금부터 열심히 공부 해야겠어요 X
이제부터 열심히 공부 해야겠어요 O
I should start studying for real from now on.

지금 인터넷이 안 돼요 O
이제 인터넷이 안 돼요 X
The internet isn't working now

지금은 볼 수 있습니다 O
이제는 볼 수 있습니다 X
I can see it now

As you can see, 이제 has a slightly wider usage but both are similar. Careful not to use 지금 as events that are occurring now and also will occur in the future. Save that for 이제.

A helpful Korean explanation:

"이제"와 "지금" 비슷한 말이에요. 뜻이 같아요.
그런데 지금은 "말하고 있는 바로 이때"라는 뜻으로 "지금 비가 와요." 등에서 사용할 수 있어요.
그런데 이제는 지금보다 조금 더 넓은 뜻이 있어요.
지금 (진짜 지금) (right now)
이제 (지금과 앞으로) (now, in the future)

미래에 대한 문장:
"이제 소주를 마시지 않을 거예요" O
"지금 소주를 마시지 않을 거예요" X

KGYSAK: 요즘 vs 요새

2010-05-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

I hate splitting hairs but these two get me all kinds of mixed up. First of all, they both mean "these days" or "recently" so in that respect, they are similar. First, they are actually abbreviations. As it turns out:

요즘 is an abbreviated form of 요즈음 but I doubt you'll ever use it.
요새 is also an abbreviation of 요사이 but, again, not exactly super common. But, it might help to remember the spelling is not to be confused with 요세

Essentially, they are the same expression. They are, for most purposes, interchangeable. Both are natively Korean and thus do not differentiating 한자. If you want to say "these days" use either one.

EX)
요즘은 한자를 배우고 있어요
These days I've been studying Hanja.
요새는 한자를 배우고 있어요
These days I've been studying Hanja.

A Korean explanation:
요즘은 "요즈음"의 준말이에요. 둘 다 "지금과 가까운 시간 동안"이라는 뜻이에요.
그런데 "요세"가 아니라 "요새"가 맞아요. 한국 사람들이 맞춤법을 많이 틀려요. 요새=요사이

예)
요즘 한국 물가가 비싸지요? O
요새 한국 물가가 비싸지요? O

모두 사용할 수 있어요. 그런데 신문, 방송이나 회의 등 공적으로 말할 때는 "요즘"을 사용하는 것이 좋아요.

아무~ no

2010-05-24T04:05:00.000-07:00

Last like when we looked at the "any~" prefix, this time it'll be the "no~" prefix as in:

아무도 Nobody
아무것도 Nothing
아무데서도 Nowhere (에서)
아무데도 Nowhere (에)
아무에게도 (to) Nobody
아무한테서도 (to) Nobody

Examples:
I don't want to talk to anybody (nobody).*
아무도 얘기하고 싶지 않아.

I"m not going anywhere (nowhere).
아무데도 안 가요.

You can smoke nowhere in this building.
아무데서도 담배를 피우지마세요

I wasn't doing anything.
아무것도 안 했어요

Like other negations (부정) the pattern is recognizable in "도". Compare this to the "나" in "any~" as in:

아무도 Nobody
아무나 Anybody

아무것도 Nothing
아무나요 Anything

아무데서도 Nowhere
아무데서나 Anywhere

*Remember that double negatives are acceptable in Korean

Class Speech

2010-05-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

Come a long way since the first one.
So another semester over, another speech it seems. By no means does that mean that I was 1등 but just the only sucker to stand up and deliver a poorly made speech. I had a total different one prepared the day of and it was promptly scrapped by my teacher for not being interesting enough. She then helped me write a brand new one which I had 20 minutes to prepare before practically reading it to everyone.

Here's the original:

여러분, 오늘은 기쁜날입니다. 제가 거의 2년동안 이대에서 한국어를 배웠습니다. 일단 첫번째 졸업식대해서 재미있는 이야기를 설명하겠습니다.

2년전에 있는 졸업식에서는 우리반중에서 저는 1등이었였는데 그때는 말하기가 재일 힙들었습니다. 사실은 아직도 그렇게 잘하지는 못하지만 그때 정말 못해서 많이 긴장이 됐습니다.

ELC강당에 걸어가고있을때 마음이 떨렸습니다. 들어가자마자 늦게 와서 시잔이 지난 걸 알았습니다. 그리고 여름때 이어서 덥고 땀이 나왔습니다. 우리반 첫번째이어서 먼저 발표를 해야했습니다.

느리게 발표를 하고있었는데 급한게 제 다리가 흔들렸습니다. 그다음에 손과 목소리도 흔들려서 소리가 안 나왔습니다. 그래서 마이크에서 재일 나쁜말을 말했습니다.

그때부터 지금까지 열심히 배우고있었습니다. 지금도 말하면 힘들지만 계속 공부해서 능력을 늘렸습니다. 역시 이번학기도 장세영 선생님 덕분에 많이 배웠습니다. 재미있고 열심히 가르쳐 주셔서 감사합니다.

Here's the revised one that was actually delivered:

여러분, 저는 4단계 402반 메튜 스미스라고 합니다. 그냥 매튜라고 불러 주세요. 여러분, 오늘은 아주 기쁜 날이지요? 우리가 한 학기 동안 열심히 공부해서 졸업을 하는 날이니까요.

저는 사실 거의 2년 동안 이대에서 한국어를 배웠습니다. 처음 수료식 할 때 저는 오늘처럼 우리반 대표로 느낌을 이야기했습니다. 그때도 많이 긴장했지만 지금도 좀 긴장됩니다. 그헣지만 오늘은 좀 자신있습니다. 왜냐하면 저의 한국어를 잘하게 됐거든요. 선생님, 맞지요?

저는 사실 한국인 아내와 곧 결혼합니다. 6월에 합니다. 시간 있으시면 꼭 오세요 ^^

제가 사실 이야기를 하는 이유는 지금부터 중요합니다.

저는 한국에 와서 새 가족을 만났습니다. 그래서 한국어를 더 열심히 공부해야겠다고 생각했습니다. 지금은 장인어른, 장모님과 한국어로 재미있게 대화 할 수 있습니다. 그런데 저희 장이어른과 장모님께서는 부산이 고향입니다. 그래서 부산 사투리가 너무 심해요. 그래서 우리는 만날 때마다 규칙을 하나 지켜야합니다. 그 규칙은 한국어로 특히 서울말, 표준어를 사용해야하는 것입니다. 그 규칙을 제가 더 잘 지킵니다.

저는 한국에서 많은 것을 배우고 경험했습니다. 8월에 미국으로 돌아갈 계획인데 저는 미국에서도 열심히 한국어를 공부할 겁니다.

기금까지 가르쳐주신 장세영 선생님과 또 다른 모든 선생님들 덕분에 한국어를 재미있게 공부할 스 있었습니다. 정말로 감사드립니다. 그리고 같이 공부했던 우리반 친구 모두 기억에 남을 겁니다. 여러분, 그리고 저 오늘 축하드립니다. 감사합니다.

광고 - Advertisements p.4

2010-05-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

"No smoking". "금연".

In English, what does that imply? Aren't there other ways to say it? "Smoking a cigarette is not allowed here", "Please do not smoke in this vicinity" or "Your disgusting cancer sticks piss Matthew the f*** off" are all acceptable ways of conveying this simple message, right? Korea is not different....except that practically every guy over the age of nine smokes.

Korean's anti-smoking campaigns (금연 운동) is certainly just cutting its teeth, but curiously child-centered ads can be seen everywhere including this one in 부산:

해운대 해수욕장 금연
(lit. Haeundae Beach No Smoking)

How cute. I either want a cigarette or a cartoon. Can't decide.

and this poorly translated clipart which made me and my coworkers laugh:

연기가 나지말라
(lit. Smoke, don't you come out)
This is clearly a cut and paste job into an automated translator but it's still really cute to ponder. It's as if the sign is telling the smoke (not cigarette smoke but smoke from a wood burning fire) to not rise. "You! Smoke! Don't you come out!"

But my personal favorite thus far is the one that I snapped in the men's room of the Catholic church in 목동. I like it because it uses 절대 which is a fun word and it's a double negative which is perfectly fine in Korean:

절대금연 - 흡연장소를 이용해주세요!!
(lit. Never No Smoking - Please use the (designated) smoking area)

중 (中)

2010-05-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

This is a good one to learn. If you've never taken an interest in 한자 (Hanja) before, make this one your first. It's a doosy and it's everywhere. There are a few 중 out there but this one is the more common one known as:

가운데 중 = 中
가운데, 안, 속, 사이, 진행, 마음, 맞다, 곧다, 바르다, 뚫다, 고르다
It essentially means the middle of center of something (among other meanings)

Common hanja examples:
중국 = 中國 = middle country = China
중학생 = 中學生 = middle learning life = junior high student
중 = 中 = (medium sized (i.e. meal)

대 = 大 = (big, large-sized (i.e. meal)

What might perplex the most is its substitution for the ~고있다 verb ending. To emphasize or simply express in a shorter way that something is happening now (present progressive) then instead of using ~고있다 use ~는중이다.

Examples:
일하는 중이에요 I'm working
가는 중이야 I'm going
공부하는 중이야 I'm studying
책을 읽는 중이에요 I'm in the middle of reading a book.
통화 중이에요 The line is busy.
수업 중에 자지마세요 Please don't sleep during class.
버스를 기다리는 중이에요 I'm waiting for the bus.
나 영어 공부 열심히 하는 중 I'm diligently studying English
CCTV녹화중 You are being recording on closed circuit television right now.

~아/어야겠다

2010-05-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

If you want to say something that is very likely to happen, use ~어/아야겠어요. How it differs from the rest (forgive the non-exact translations):

"I will do it" (ㄹ)게요 / ㄹ거예요
"I'm probably going to do it" ~아/어야겠어요
"I am planning to do it" ~려고요
"I guess I'll do it" ~겠어요
"Seems like I might do it" (ㄹ) 것 같아요

It feels like a cross because ~어/아야되다 and ~겠다 probably because that's exactly what it is. It's hard to express the exact same feeling in English but it indicates a 75%-80% chance that something will happen. It's really likely and you're planning on it. You have a strong will for this thing to happen.

Examples (with non-literal English):

이제부터 저축하야겠다
(That's it). From here on out, I'm going to start saving more money.

옮겨야겠어요
I'm really going to move soon (I gotta get out of this place).

내일 일찍 나가야하니까 지금 자야겠어요
Since I have to leave early tomorrow, I'm probably going to go to bed now (Just FYI).

들어야겠어요
I'm definitely going to listen (cause I really should you know)

술집에 발을 끊어야겠어요
I gotta stop going to the bar so much...

Konglish of the Week

2010-04-29T01:37:00.000-07:00

This blog has virtually nothing to do with my current job, but occasionally something comes up which might interest Korean learners. Like my other teaching English using Korean post I want to introduce something that might benefit Korean language learners. It's a small powerpoint called Konglish of the Week that I use to teach (rather, unteach) bad Konglish in my 5th and 6th grade classes. The kids really like the culture differences and explanations. Afterwards, they are quick to correct their classmates when they use a bad Konglish word outside of class.

If you really want to check just how much Korean vocabulary you really know, why not compare with what 5th and 6th grade Korean students are learning in English? I compiled the English words used for Seoul public school kids, and with the help of my coteachers, translated them all into Korean. They take a spelling quiz twice a week. So, want to find out if you're smarter than a fifth grader? Are you sure you know all of these words forwards and backwards? You might be surprised.

Fifth Grade 한국어, 영어 Vocab
Sixth Grade 한국어, 영어 Vocab

Lastly, a summary of my teachers' English class might give you some insight into the complexities of Korean-English as well as give you something to think about when learning a second language.

~ㄹ 줄 알다

2010-04-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

"Do you know about something" or "do you know how to do something" has already been covered with ㄴ/는지 알아? but this one is slightly different. What makes it different is instead of asking if someone knows about or what something is, this is more focused on how to do something. Think of abilities (능력) and ways of doing things (방법).

Examples:

젓가락을 사용할 줄 알지요?
You know how to use chopsticks, right?

영어 할 줄 아세요?
Do you know how to speak English?*

아이폰을 쓸 줄 몰라요
I don't know how to use an iPhone.

그는 불안해서 어쩔 줄 몰라 했어요.
He was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do.

너무 좋아서 어쩔 줄 모르겠어요
I'm so happy I don't what to do.

A: 일본어 할 줄 몰라? 거기서 오래 살았잖아.
You don't know how to speak Japanese? You lived over there for a long time, you know...
B: 그래. 일본어 못 해. 한국어는 할 줄 알아?
Yeah, I can't speak Japanese. So what? Can you speak Korean?

*compare this with 영어를 할 수 있으세요? Can you speak English? Both ask the listener if they feel comfortable speaking English as a foreign language but each has its own feeling. 할 수 있다 might be a little more formal sounding but both virtually mean the same thing despite the English translation's hair-splitting difference.

결혼 사진 찍기 전에 규칙

2010-04-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

I received this friendly little reminder from the wedding planner (실장님) with some helpful tips to remember before taking the photos. For those that don't know, taking wedding photos for a Korean wedding is a monster of a chore that resembles a real life fashion shoot complete with backdrops, wardrobe change and enough cheesy couple themes to make you throw up. Nonetheless, I am participating in good faith because it's a once in a lifetime chance to pay a lot of money to look like an idiot with your spouse.

Below is the original Korean with my own non-literal English translation. Enjoy.

- 리허설 하루전 check point -

신랑, 신부님 한복 (특히 한복 속바지) 꼭 준비하세요
Groom and bride-to-be, make sure to prepare your own Hanbok; especially the undergarments.

신랑님 검정구두, 검정색 양말, 흰 양말 잊지마세요
Groom-to-be, don't forget to bring a pair of black shoes, one pair black and one pair of white socks.

신랑님 머리는 미리 (2~3일전) 자르고 오세요
Groom-to-be, get a haircut two or three days before the photoshoot.

신부님 샴푸만 하시고 린스는 하지 마세요
Bride-to-be, use shampoo but not conditioner on your hair the night before.

얼굴엔 스킨 로션만 바르고 오세요
Just use facial lotion but don't put on any makeup before coming.

귀중품 (악세사리)는 두고 오세요
Don't bring your own valuables or earrings to wear in the photoshoot.

헬퍼비 잊지 마세요
Don't forget the helper fee. (which happens to be around 100 USD)

숙면 하는 것 잊지마세요
Don't forget to get a good night's sleep

거울보고 표정 연습 하세요
Practice your facial expressions in the mirror

신부님 제모 잊지마세요
Bride-to-be, don't forget to shave your underarm arm.

발관리 청결 요합니다
Get your feet done.

신랑, 신부님의 앞날에 항상 행복만 가득하시길 빌어요
Groom and bride-to-be, I hope that your future by filled with happiness

new words:

- 잊지마다 don't forget as in "내 말 잊지마라!" (Mark my words) or "잊저버렸어요" (I forgot)

- 숙면 (熟眠) a deep sleep or a sound sleep

- 제모 shaving a women's underarms. 면도하다 is just for a man shaving his face unlike the English word "shave" which could be used anywhere by anyone.

- 발관리 a pedicure

- 청결 to be clean

- 요하다 to demand or require that something be done

- 앞날에 ahead, the future, or while lies ahead

가득하다 to be crammed or filled

- 빌다 to wish or pray

~(으)ㄴ/는지 알아?

2010-04-26T02:41:00.001-07:00

To ask if someone knows about something or how to do something in general, use ~(으)ㄴ/는지 알아요? or ~(으)ㄴ/는지 몰라요? I would advise you to use this with care because to directly state or ask if someone older than you knows (or doesn't know) about something might come off looking like an asshat so just be careful.

Examples:

언제부터 방학이는지 알죠?
I'm sure you know when is your your school vacation.

한국에서는 대통령이 누구인지 알아요?
Do you know who the President is in Korea?

김치 만드는지 몰라죠?
You don't know how to make kimchi, right?

미국에서는 가장 유명한 배우 누구인지 아세요?
Do you know who is the most famous actor in America?

A: 공립 도서관에서 고서를 어떻게 빌리는지 알아요?
Do you know how to borrow old books from the library?
B: 잘 몰라요. 아마 외국인등록증 주면 빌릴 수가 있을거예요
Not really. Maybe if I give them my Foreign Registration Card...

A: 소현이랑 사귀는 남자가 누구인지 알니?
Do you know who Sohyeon is dating now?
B: 사귄다고? 택규랑 사귀었어? 역시...
What? She's dating? With Tekkyu? I knew it...

A: 로버트 씨가 언제 한국에 왔는지 아세요?
Do you know how long Robert has been in Korea?
B: 네, 알아요. 80년때에 왔어요.
Yeah I know. He came here in the eighties.

Approximate times of the month

2010-04-26T02:40:00.001-07:00

In my search of helpful hanja, I found a neat little way to express approximation in time, especially in regards to months:

初 = 초 = near the beginning of the month
中 = 중순 = near the middle of the month
末 = 말 = near the end of the month

초 = 初等學校 = 초등학교 = "beginning rank school faith" = Elementary school
중 = 中學校 = 중학교 = "middle school faith" = Junior high school
고 = 高等學校 = 고등학교 = "high rank school faith" = High school
*("high school" uses a different hanja)

Examples:

10월말이나 11월초에 이사할 겁니다.
I'm going to move sometime either in the last part of October or the early part of November

2월초에 취직하기 좀 어려울것같아요.
Finding a job in the beginning of February seems kind of difficult...

5중순은 졸업식 시즌이야.
The middle of May is graduation season.

한국에서는 5월중순이 공휴일이 인가요?
In Korea, isn't there a public holiday in the middle of May?

아니요. 5월초에 어린이날있는데...
No. In the beginning of May is Children's Day...

올해 1월중순 엄청 추웠죠?
Wasn't the middle of January this year cold?

7월말에 보너스를 받을 거에요.
In July, I'm going to get a bonus check.

8월중순이나 말에 미국에 이사 할 겁니다.
I'm going to move to America either int he middle of the end of August.

11월 말에 떠나자
Let's leave in late November

~자마자

2010-04-26T02:36:00.000-07:00

fresh off the heels of just getting comfortable with ~는 대로 I come to find out that it it isn't all that common. In fact, there's a whole nother grammar point that does the exact same thing, ~자마자. So, what's the difference?

~는 대로 is used mostly for things in the future (미래)

~자마자 can be used for all three tenses (과거, 현재, 미래)

So, although 미사를 끝나는 대로 어머님께 전화했어요 (Right after Mass ended, I called mom) is grammatically correct and will be understood, it might be more natural to say 미사를 끝나자마자 어머님께 전화했어요 since it was in the past.

Saying 수업을 끝나자마 밥 먹으러 가자! (right after class is over, let's go get some food) is also fine, but sticking with 수업을 끝는 대로 밥 먹으러 가자 might be better. Keep in mind that they indeed mean the same thing but like my teacher pointed out, 는 대로 might not be as common. How she drew it is on the bottom of this post.

Examples:

화장실을 사용하자마 손을 씻어요
Right after I use the bathroom, I wash my hands.

집에 도착 하자마자 배달 음식을 주문해요
Right after I come home, I order delivery.

새 책을 사자마자 책 안에 내 이름과 구입한 날짜를 써요
Right after I buy a new book, I write my name and purchase date inside.

월급을 받자마자 거의 모든 돈을 와이프에게 줘요.
Right after I get paid, I give almost all my money to my wife.

버스를 타자마자 멀미가 나요
Right after I ride a bus, I get motion sickness.

밥을 다 먹자마자 달콤한 것이 먹고 싶어요.
Right after I finish a meal, I want to eat something sweet.

나쁜말을 하자마자 죄책감이 들어요.
Right after I say bad words, I feel guilty.

~도 돼요? & ~면 안 돼요?

2010-04-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

To ask permission, use this lovely little guy <동사> + 도 되다 If unsure when to use 되 or 돼 check what I wrote and it might help ^^

Examples:

창문을 열어도 돼요?
Can I open the window?

책 읽어도 돼?
Can I read a book now?

이 빵을 먹어도 되지?
I can eat this bread, right?

선생님, 집으로 가도 돼요?
Teacher, can I go home now?

A similar expression is ~면 안 되다 which is refusing permission. When used in a declarative sentence, it stands for refusal such as:

여기 담배를 피우면 안 돼요 (There's no smoking here)

However, it is also a way of expressing a desire to do something. This has kind of a linguistic baggage to it. You are wanting to do something but are checking to see if it's okay before you proceed. You are expecting the answer to be "sure! go ahead" but you're just checking. You also may just be asking out of politeness. It can go both ways so use your politeness in your tone.

Examples:

지금 자면 안 돼요?
(you mean to tell me that) I can't sleep now? [Can't I just go to sleep?]

먹으면 안 돼요?
I can't eat this? [what do you mean I can't eat this?]

여기 차를 세우면 안 돼요?
I can't park my car here? [so where else might I park it if not here?]

같이 가면 안 돼요?
We can't just go together?

~(으)ㄹ테니까

2010-04-23T01:16:00.002-07:00

When you guess something and you're really sure about it, you use ~테니까. It conveys a slightly different feeling than 인니까 as they both explain the reason behind something but 테니까 is more like 75-80% sure while 인니까 is closer to 100% sure.

Comparison example:

비가 올테니까 우산을 가지고 가요
Since it's probably going to rain, take an umbrella with you.

비가 온니까 우산을 가져가요
Since it will definitely rain, take an umbrella with you.

Normal examples:

주말에는 명동이 붐빌테니까 다음 주 화요일에 쇼핑 할래요?
Since Myeongdong is probably be crowded on the weekend, do you want to go shopping next Tuesday?

걸어서 가면 시간이 많이 걸릴테니까 지하철을 타고 갈까요?
Since it's probably going to take a long time on foot, should we take the subway?

퇴근하는 대로 우리 외이프가 오면 피곤할 테니까 제가 집에서 저녁 식사를 차릴게요.
Because right after she gets off work my wife will probably be tired, I'll cook dinner home for her.

오늘 추울테니까 두꺼운 옷을 입으세요.
Since it'll likely be cold today, please wear thick clothes.

내일 도울테니까 반바지를 좀 사주세요.
Since tomorrow will probably be hot, can you buy me some shorts?

일본에 한동안 살아서 일본어 수업 들으면 쉬울테니까 걱정하지마요
Since you lived in Japan for a long time, if you take a Japanese class it'll probably be easy so don't worry.

자막이 없는 한국 영화를 보면 어려울테니까 미국 영화 볼래요?
Since watching a Korean movie without subtitles will probably be difficult, do you want to watch an American movie?

On a side note, there's a Kpop song that has this grammar point in the hook (or was it the bridge?) but I can't find it. The song sounded like 다라 from 2NE1 but I don't think it was one of her singles. Anyways, if you know it, leave a comment.
UPDATE: found it. It was 2NE1 not just Dara and it was "In da club". The bridge has the following lyrics:

니가 다짐했던 약속 다 가져가줄래
사소한 습관까지 작은 기억까지
모두 태울테니까
내 안에 살아있는 널 잠재울꺼야
니가 여태알던 내 모습은 이제 없는거야

~어/아서 vs. ~으니까

2010-04-23T01:16:00.000-07:00

Stay with me because this one is a bit tricky.

As you know, ~어/아서 is a connection to show order with reason.
"Because A happened, B happens" as in:
늦어서 미안해.
Because I'm late, I'm sorry.

But, so does ~으니까/인니까 show cause and effect order with reason.
"Because A happened, B happened" as in:
어제 피자를 먹었으니까 오늘 냉면을 먹자.
Because yesterday I ate pizza, today let's eat noodles.

So, why not flip them? Why can't I say these:

(x) 늦으니까 미안해.
(x) 어제 피자를 먹어서 오늘 냉면을 먹자.

Here's why. If you're asking for a:
favor or a request (blah blah해 주세요),
an order (blah blah 해라/blah blah으세요)
or a suggestion (blah blah을래?/blah blah을까?)

then you use ~으니까. Examples:

추우니까 따뜻한 옷을 입어봐.
Because it's cold, wear warm clothes.

자기야, 비가 오니까 우산을 가져 가요.
Honey, since it's raining take an umbrella with you.

감기 걸렸으니까 푹 쉬세요.
Since you caught a cold, rest well

몸이 안 좋으니까 일찍 가세요
Since you're not feeling well go (home) early.

여러분 금요일이니까 외식 하자!
Everyone, Since it's Friday, let's go out to eat!

시간이 없으니까 우리 택시 타는게 어때?
Since we're running late, should we take a taxi?

제가 외국인이니까 이해 주십시오.
Since I'm a foreigner, please try to understand me

So when does one use ~어/아서? Most commonly when it's an apology. Also, past tense is never reflected in the first verb. One would never say "늦었어서". Instead, "늦어서".

~어/아서 examples:

너무 늦어서 죄송합니다
(lit) Because I'm too late, I'm terribly sorry.
Sorry I'm so late.

연락을 못 드려서 미안해요
(lit) Because I didn't hear your call, I'm sorry.
Sorry I didn't hear your call

늦게 일어나서 밥을 못 먹었어요.
(lit) Because I lately woke up, I could not eat food.
I didn't eat breakfast because I woke up late.

시간이 없어서 숙제 못 했어요.
(lit) Because time did not exist, I could not do my homework.
Because I didn't have enough time, I didn't do my homework.

작년 여름에 한 반도 운동을 못 해서 살이 쪘어요
(lit) Because last year's summer I couldn't exercise not even once, I gained flesh.
I gained some weight because I didn't work out at all last summer.

So, in review:
when suggesting/requesting/ordering someone to do something, use ~으니까
When simply stating cause and effect or offering an apology, use ~어/아서

Bonus! Here's my teacher's response to my question. Her explanation is awesome and should help those still with questions as well as serve as a review.

매튜 씨가 질문한 문법은 외국인들이 많이 실수하는 문법이지요.

"아/어서 " 와 "으니까"는 모두 이유를 말할 때 쓰는 문법입니다.

그런데 부탁/요청(아/어 주세요), 명령(으십시오/으세요), 제안(을까요? /읍시다) 문장에서는

"으니까"만 사용할 수 있어요.

예) 1. 추우니까 문 좀 닫아 주세요. ( O )

추워서 문 좀 닫아 주세요. ( X )

2. 비가 오니까 우산을 가져 가세요. ( O )

비가 와서 우산을 가져 가세요. ( X )

3. 날씨가 좋으니까 소풍을 갈까요? / 갑시다. ( O )

날씨가 좋아서 소풍을 갈까요? / 갑시다. ( X )

그리고 "아/어서"는 과거와 함께 사용할 수 없어요.

예) 어제 아이스크림을 많이 먹었어서 배가 아파요. ( X )

어제 아이스크림을 많이 먹어서 배가 아파요. ( O )

두 문법은 이 정도의 차이가 있어요.

KGYSAK - 잊어버리다 vs 잃어버리다

2010-04-23T01:14:00.002-07:00

I'm not the only one who gets these switched up. Thankfully, it's not nearly as a unintelligible as, say flipping the word "pork" for "fork" in English (think "Use a pork at the table") but it is important to make sure to say the right word. Yes, even some Koreans get these two words mixed up but that isn't much of bragging rights; it still carries the connotation that you're an idiot that doesn't know the difference between "to lose something" and "to forget". There are some situations where the meaning is similar so just be sure to use the right verb with the right situation.

Confusing examples:

어제 집에서 핸드폰을 잊어버렸어.
I left (forgot) my phone at home yesterday.
대안: 어제 핸드폰을 안 가져왔어요.
alt: I didn't bring my phone with me today.

어제 집에서 핸드폰을 잃어버렸어.
I lost my phone at home yesterday.
대안: 어제 내 핸드폰이 없어졌어요.
alt: My phone disappeared (went missing) yesterday.

Non-confusing examples:

ATM 비밀을 엊어버렸어요...
I forgot my ATM password

아들을 잃어버렸어요!
I lost my son!

I tried to think of a mnemonic to remember which one is which but there isn't one that sticks to me. The only thing I can do to remember which one is which is by thinking how are they spelled. 잊 and 잃. 잊어 sounds like /ee joe/ which reminds me of when I was a kid and I would forget to clean up my G.I.Joes. I never lost them, though. 잃어 sounds like /ee loh/ which reminds me of a kilo, as in a kilogram, as in losing weight, as in "I lost ten kilo(s)" 이러 = kilo.

no? then just memorize it:

잊어버렸어요 I forgot
엃어버렸어요 I lost it

불 (不)

2010-04-23T01:14:00.000-07:00

Hanja to the rescue! 불- (한자: 不) is a nice little guy who fills in the prefix role of -un, -dis, -ir, -non, and the like. Slip him in front of many hanja based words and you've got the opposite. Negation at it's easiest. Examples:

가능하다 to be possible
불가능하다 to be impossible
예) 회의가 불가능할 것 같아요
예) 회의를 못 할 것 같아요.
Ex) I can't make it to the meeting.

규칙 (명사) rule, 규칙적인 (형용사) regular
불규칙적인 (adjective) irregular
예) "만들다"는 불규칙 동사이지요?
Ex) Isn't "만들다" an irregular verb?

합격하다 to pass a test
불합격하다 to fail a test
예) 중간고사를 못 봤어요. 불합격할 테니까 이제 수업을그만둘거에요.
Ex) I bombed the midterm. Since I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail, I'm just going to drop (quit) the class.

편하다 to be comfortable
불편하다 to be uncomfortable
예) 이 옷은 불편해요.
Ex) These clothes are uncomfortable.

법적인 legal
불법적인 illegal
예) 영화나 노래를 인터넷에서 다운로드 하는 것은 불법이에요.
Ex) Downloading movies or music off of the internet is illegal.

The only exception to this, as far as I can tell, is that if 불 is placed in front of words that start with aㄷ or ㅈ then it changes to 부 as in:

도덕하다 moral

부도덕하다 immoral

예) 뇌물을 받는 것은 부도덕한 일이예요

Ex) It's immoral to take part in bribes.

정확하다 accurate

부정확하다 inaccurate

예) 그 퍼스터에있는 정보는 부정확해요.

Ex) The information on that poster is inaccurate.

예) 내 발음이 부정확한가요?

Ex) Is my pronunciation inaccurate?

For more negation goodness, check out the page on the Korean Wiki Project.

KGYSAK - ~지오? vs. ~지요? vs. ~죠?

2010-04-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

Another reason my teacher is awesome is that she'll answer just about any question I have regardless of how trivial or basic it may seem. Today's puzzle was as follows:

I see "~하지오" a lot. I have always been confused by ~하지오 and ~하지요. I know that ~하죠 is just a shortened form but what is the original, correct spelling? Form the horse's mouth:

"잘 지내지오?" - 이것은 spelling 맞춤법이 틀렸어요
"잘 지내지요?" - 이것이 맞아요.
"잘 지내죠?" - 이것은 "지요?"의 shortened word (줄임말)이에요. 지요 = 죠

There you have it. Just like 께 and 게 it's a simple spelling error that doesn't really ruffle up any feathers. Thus ends another tasty Korean Grammar You Should Already Know.

사랑 수칙

2010-04-20T06:32:00.001-07:00

We were learning about jotting down a note or making rules on a board in class, so instead of demonstrating the use of "ㄹ 것" on a normal set of rules (규칙) I wanted to write some ones for the misses. Kind of like the last ones but I actually made these. Enjoy.

신뢰 해야할것
동시에 화내지 말 것
자기전에 화내지 말 것
나뿐 음식을 먹지 말 것
자주 맛있는 음식을 요리할 것
매일 적어도 문자 한 통씩 보낼 것
양가 부모님께 존경심을 것
문제 있으면 얘기할 것
비밀 만들지말 것
배우자 말할때 잘 들을 것
항상 서로 사랑할 것

전새미, 계속 사랑할거예요

아무~ any

2010-04-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

A quick self-reminder: 아무거나 does not always mean "anything". Yes, it means "anything" as in:

A: 뭐 먹을까? 국수? 만두? 찌개?
(What should we eat? noodles? dumplings? stew?)

B: 아무거나
(anything [is fine for me])

but it does not mean "anything" as in:

A: 어디에서 먹을까? 김밥천국? 본죽? VIPS?
(where should we eat? Kimbap Heaven? Bon Juk? VIPS?)

B: 아무거나. 다 괜찮아
(anything is fine. It's all good) (x)

That's a mistake. The implication is "anything is good" but the question was "where?" So, the answer should reflect a location as in "본죽에서 먹고싶어" (I want to eat at Bon Juk). But, if you want to eat anything at anyplace, then use 아무데서나 which is a shortened form of 아무 어디에서나. Lastly, Person B could have also said "아무데서나 먹자" which is to imply "I'm so hungry that I could eat anywhere"

Here's some more useful "any~" words:
아무나 anyone
아무때나 anytime
언제든지 anytime
아무데나 anywhere (에)
아무데서나 anywhere (에서)
아무거나 anything

to see a few notes on the ~no prefix, look no further.

~다가

2010-04-20T06:13:00.001-07:00

When you want to press pause in your Korean, use 다가.

A similar connector "~면서" means "at the same time" while "~다가" means "stopped A and instead did B" with or without the intention to resume A at some point in the future. Another way to play with this grammar is by making it past tense: 갔다가 or 했다가. The difference is subtle but distinguishable. It's the difference between almost doing something and then doing something else and having done something and then change to something else.

I think I just confused myself. Don't worry. It's an easy point.

Some examples:

이토씨는 회사에 가다가 서류를 준비하지 않아서 다시 집에 되돌아 간 적이 있었어요
Ito was on his way to work when he realized that he didn't prepare the documents for work, so he had to turn back and go back home.

나는 한국 영화를 보다가 어려운 단어가 있어서 사전을 찾았어요
When I was watching a Korean movie, some difficult words came up so I paused the film and looked them up in the dictionary.

어젯밤 내 동생은 노래방에서 놀다가 급한 일이 생겨서 밖에 나갔다 왔어요
Lats night, my little brother was having fun at a karaoke room when something happened and he had to go outside for a minute.

우리 누나는 방에 음악을 들고있다가 전화가 와서 전화를 받았어요.
My sister was in her room listening music when the phone rang and she answered it.

버스를 기다렸다가 집에서 학원까지 멀어서 한자 수업을 빠졌어요.
I was waiting for the bus but since it's so far from my home to the school, I just skipped class.

옷을 샀다가 사이즈 안 맞아서 백화점에서 교환 했어요.
I bought some clothes but since they didn't fit, I exchanged them at the department store.

오늘 선글라스를 썼다가 좀 안 어울려서 뺐어요.
Today I was wearing sunglasses but because they didn't look all that great on me, I took them off.

What to expect in Level 4 (vocabulary)

2010-04-17T00:52:00.001-07:00

I'm not one for comparing levels in school; honestly I think it's pointless to brag or claim one's level because I know people "lower" than me who speak awesome Korean and those "higher" than me whose Korean makes me cringe. An academic score or level does not always correspond to actual ability. Having said that, someone might wonder what it's like to study at Level 4 out of 6. I can't tell much other than obviously the class is in 100% Korean with the aid of a new textbook with minimal English explanations. What I can tell you is what kind of vocabulary to expect.

The following words are new to me in my level and I thought I might share it. If you know all of these words, you're doing fine and can expect to be placed in an advanced class if not already formally studying. If not, no problem because we all have to start somewhere. No shame in that whatsoever. Language learning is a process. I can't help but smile thinking of how I couldn't even tell time in Korean two years ago but now I'm functioning in all Korean language environments. I may not be leading the conversations or anything like that but I certainly hold my own.

Anyway, this is a selected list from the first half of my class. Expect a part two sometime towards the final exam.

청반지 blue jeans
면반지 cotton pants
인상착의 appearance
압머리 bangs
정장 formal clothes
농구 선수 basketball player
정확하다 to be exact
꽃다발 flower bouquet
마중하다 to go out and meet someone
동그랗다 round
네모나다 square
장례식 funeral
천 cloth
가죽 leather
이상형 ideal type
활발하다 active personality
상관없다 irrelevant
첫인상 first impression
자연스럽다 natural
영돈 pocket money (allowance)
소리 sound
학기 semester
돌잔치 first birthday
자동판매기 vending machine
행사 event
축제 festival
거의 almost
공공장소 public places
정리하다 to put in order
애완동물 pet
키우다 to raise
이미 already (벌써)
요금 fee
소포 package
속히 quickly
서명 signature
부족하다 to be insufficient
매진되다 to be sold out
부치다 to send something via mail
들르다 to stop by someplace on your way
환전하다 to exchange money
반납하다 to return a borrowed item
신분증 ID card
지루하다 to be boring
중간 middle (as in 중간 시험 "midterm test")

~기 바라다

2010-04-16T04:08:00.001-07:00

To wish for something in English carries a few meanings. it could mean "What did you wish for?" "무슨 소원을 빌었어요?". However, it could sometimes also mean "hope". This example:
"I wish (hope) that you would all take your seats" is
고객 여러분, 모두 자리에 앉아 주시기 바랍니다.

Since it demonstrates a level of respect that's pretty high, it's most frequently heard as "~기 바랍니다". Also, it should have (를) attached as in 기를 바랍니다 but to omit the marker is fine. Also, since this is a announcer type of speech, you might not use it all the time, but to hear it and know its meaning is important. When I first heard it, I thought it was 바람 as in "wind". Good job. Anyways, you can here this on the subway or any other time there's a pleasant announcer telling you to do something.

More non-wind examples:

우리 형이 새로 식당을 열었어서 사업이 잘 되시기 바랍니다
My brother opened up a new restaurant, so I hope he does well

사장님의 아들 돌잔치가 있어서 아이를 건강하게 오래 사시기 바랍니다
Because the boss's kid is having his or her first birthday party, I hope he or she will live a long and healthy life

이모가 병원에 입원해서 빨리 회복되기 바랍니다
Because my aunt went to the hospital, I hope she gets better soon.

~는 길에

2010-04-16T04:07:00.000-07:00

I like this grammar point and kind of wish English had something similar. <동사>는 길 is the equivalent of "On my way to I'll " Between Point A and point B there's an easy-to-access Point C that is no problem to drop by. Any example would be a spouse calling the other and asking to:
"Buy some milk on your way home"
집에 가는 길에 우유를 사주세요.

To complete the sentence structure of "picking up something on the way" or "dropping by somewhere" we need a new verb that is hard for me to pronounce. The verb to drop by something on one's way is 들르다, as in "집에 가는 길에 우체국에 들러서 우표를 사주세요" (Pick up some stamps at the post office on your way home).

More examples:

A: 지금 어딘데? Where are you?
B: 집에 가는 길이야. 왜? I'm on my way home. Why?

기숙사에 오는 길에 우체국에 편지를 부쳐 주시겠어요?
On your way to the dorm, could you mail my letter for me?

학교에 가는 길에 도서관에 책을 반납할래?
Can you return my book to the library on your way to school? (lit. Do you wanna...?)

춘천에 가는 길에 강변역에 울진행 버스표 두 장 사주세요
On your way to Chuncheon, please buy for me two bus tickets to Uljin at Gangbyeon Station.

교무실에 가는 길에 부장님에게 서류를 전해주시겠습니까?
On your way to the teacher's workroom, could you please hand these papers to the supervisor?

KGYSAK - 한국말 기초 단어 (Korean words about learning Korean)

2010-04-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

Learning Korean can be incredibly frustrating especially when the seemingly most simple vocabulary escapes you. I know all of these words now obviously but I learned them incidentally through embarrassing moments with tutors, teachers and patient parents-in-law. There's nothing wrong with not knowing a new word but these are way too basic to not know. If you're learning Korean on your own, make it a point to burn these to memory.

문법 grammar
주어 subject
목적어 object
동사 verb
명사 noun
형용사 adjective
부사 adverb
자음 consonant
모음 vowel

제목 title, topic
문장 sentence

연습 practice
복습 review

억양 intonation
발음 pronunciation *
사투리 dialect
표준어 standard speech

규칙 regular, class rules
불규칙 irregular

문전 thing
장소 location
단어 word
표현 phrase, expression

첫글자 first letter
대문자 uppercase letters
소문자 lowercase letters
글씨 handwriting

* not to be confused with 바람 (wind)

KGYSAK - 게 vs 께

2010-04-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

What in the world is the difference between 그렇게 할께요 and 그렇게 할게요? Anytime I see 할께요 and 할게요 I just get frustrated not knowing which one is which. I learned 을 게요 of course but I very often see 을 께요....so which one is right? Is one different from the other?

After asking countless number of people this question and never getting a straight or consistent answer, I was starting to lose hope. Thankfully, my teacher finally clarified. There are indeed the same thing. Both imply future intent but only one is spelled correctly. ㄹ께요 is just a cute or common mispelling that sticks.....kind of like "light" and "lite" to describe a food's sugar or calorie count. We know "lite" is wrong but accept it anyway.

I have actually heard that the prior to 1988 it was officially spelt as 께 but I can't verify that. Either way, it is currently spelled as 게.

Scratch that one off the list.

광고 - Advertisements p.3

2010-04-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

Korean Advertisements - Australian Beef

Coming in off the last wave of anti-American beef protests, this ad seems a little bit much a little too late. People are still conscious of where their food comes from as evident by the small signs posted up in most restaurants claiming that their chicken comes from Korea, their pork comes from Korea and their beef comes from Australia. Curiously, Chinese rice is usually left out in the description if applicable. Moving on. This simple subway ad puts a smile on my face which is quickly erased when I realize how much my mind was in the gutter.

Download Link

Text:
아이를 생각하면
When you think of your children...

마음속까지 미소가 활짝!
you can smile from the bottom of your heart!

이 맛에 산다!
(see below)

호주청정우
Australian Beef - Clean & Safe

Some fun things to note:
- "마음속" is just your plain ol' ambiguous "마음" but with 속 added. "속" means in the inside or in this expression "the bottom of your heart"
- "미소" is smile and "활짝" is wide but the English expression "you can smile widely" is just weird. A smile is already wide.
- "이 맛에 산다!" was kind of hard for me to translate actually. I mean, I know it's referring to the taste, but what exactly is "산다" in this context? It seems to mean "This taste is alive!" but that's kind of strange, right? Maybe it implies "This is what life is all about!" as in the taste of life should be full of wide smiles and no worries from evil infected American beef. Maybe it's a double meaning...

광고 - Advertisements p.2

2010-04-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Korean Advertisements - Taxi

This cute-as-a-button message can be seen in most taxis in Seoul. I think it's a pretty straightforward message. I mention it here because it is one of the few ads that at first glance I understood everything about it. A milestone for sure.

Download Link

Text:

손님 무엇이 물편하십니까?
Customer, Is there anything uncomfortable?

작은 불편이라도 연락주세요!
Even if there is a small inconvenience let us know!

삼신교통주식회사
(company name)
고객만족센터
customer satisfaction center

Some fun things to note:
- 고객 and 손님 both mean customer but the former is more polite. Like other titles, it's usually followed by "님" as in "고객님"
- the "불" in "불편하다" is a great little Hanja that negates any verb. in this case, "편하다" - to be comfortable. "불편하다" - to be uncomfortable. another common example would be "가능하다" to be possible and "불가능하다" to be impossible, a great way to tell your boss that, no, you can't prepare all that he or she asked for in less than 5 minutes before the meeting. it's a polite and indirect way of saying "nuhh-uh"

광고 - Advertisements p.1

2010-04-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

Korean Advertisements - English School (여어 학원)

Perhaps a new feature to the blog might be the inclusion of some interesting advertisements. I'm not really interested in collecting Engrish or the sort; this will be more of some culturally or linguistically curious decisions that the ad people have made. I've taken a few photos and I'll host them to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about. However, I'll blur a few identifying features just for safety's sake....as if copyright even exists in Korea.

The first one I'd like to talk about is an ad I see on the back of the chairs on almost every bus I take. It's an ad for an English 학원 and it is really something. If you've ridden a bus in Seoul within the last year or so, you've seen it. The art is just classic for this type of ad. I love the depiction of the blond guy getting some form of respectful deferment from the bashful Korean woman. Plus, some of the literal translations really make me laugh. I stare at this almost every morning. It's an effective ad, sure, but good lord is it creepy.

Download link

Text:
구구단 잉글리쉬는 이런 분들께 추천해 드립니다.
99English is recommended for these types of people.

"영어를 배울기회가 없었어요~"
"I've never had a chance to learn English~"
영어공부를 한번도 못 해보신 분
People who have never studied English before.

"수업을 빠질때도 있고 진도가 너무 빨라요"
I missed class and the pace of the class was too fast"
항상 영어고부에 실패 하셨던 분
People who always fail at English

"꾸준히 하지 못하고 중간에 포기하게되요"
"I constantly try but I always give up halfway"
학원 수업과 진도가 맞지 않는 분
People who thought previous classes and paces did not fit their style

"외국인 앞에서는 왜 꿀먹은 벙어리가 될까요?"
"Why do I choke up in front of foreigners?"
외국인 앞에선 입도 못 떼시는 분
People whose lips don't move in front of foreigners

2개월 29,000원
Two months for 29,000 Won
출시기념 선착준 1,000명
This introductory offer is only available to the first one thousand people

Some fun things to note:
- while 구구단 is the name of the 학원, it's also the name of the multiplication tables in Korean. I believe the name is derived from old math charts that went up to 9 thus making a 9 x 9 grid or a 九九段= 구(nine)구(nine)단(division, block). I assume that means that the school operates in a structured environment and goes by the rules of grammar.
- "잉글리쉬" is just a butchering of the word "English". ever wonder why some Koreans can say the word "English"? I blame it on stuff like this. If one wants to say "English" in the English language, you need to properly read and write English. Otherwise, just say it in Korean. There's nothing wrong with saying "영어" when referring to English. I have the same gripe in English, too. "Ahnnyeonghaseyo" should not be used for "안녕하세요". Simple say "Hello" if speaking English. Rant over.
- "특종" means "exclusive" or "scoop" or in this case, can be understood as "special deal"
- "분", "사람" and "인" are all ways of expressing "person". 분 is the most polite, as in "남편은 한국분이세요?" (Is your husband Korean?)
- "추천하다" is to recommend. One can see "추천" in bold letters on many menus.
- "배울기회" is two words in one. "배우다" to learn and "기회" opportunity. The implication is "the chance to learn" or "the opportunity to learn"
- "한번도" means "not even once". Careful not to mispronounce this into the word for the Korean peninsula "한반도"
- "꾸준히" is "constant" or "consistent"
- "중간" is "the middle" and "포기하다" is to "give up", "abandon" or "renounce". The implication is "to give up in the middle" or "quit when you plateau off"
- "꿀 먹은 벙어리" means to be deaf but the feeling is to "choke up" from either shyness or lack of confidence
- "출시기념" is two words in one. "출시" is "release" or "debut" and "기념" is "memorial" or "commemoration" as in "결혼기념" (wedding anniversary) or "전쟁기념관" (Korean War memorial hall)

대해서 vs 외해서

2010-04-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

Ask me why I mix these two up? I have no clue. They have virtually nothing to do with each other besides sharing similar pronunciation. I felt silly asking my teacher but she assured me that I wasn't the only idiot who had these two mixed up.

외해서 is "for" as in:

와이프 외해서 사는 것이예요
This is a gift for my wife

나를 외해서 한국말을 배우야지
I should learn Korean for my own benefit*

*스스로 is another similar expression:
이제는 스스로 한국말을 배워여
From here on out, I'm going to study Korean for my own sake

대해서 is "about" as in:

오늘 사 생활을 침하기 대해서 예기 하고싶어요
Today I want to talk about the invasion of privacy

한국 역사 관심을 대해서 한국에 왔어요
lit. Because I have interest about Korean history, I came to Korea

이것 대해서 말 해 주세요
Tell me about this

~는 대로

2010-04-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Picking right up after the last grammar point about order comes one that I find helpful. If you want to express a sequence of events that implies a direct progression, as in:

"Right after work, I leave immediately for night class" then one can say:
"퇴근하는 대로 수업에 가요".

If you find yourself trying to say "바로 그다음에" in a vain attempt to express something that happens (or happened) right after something, then you've found your new grammar point.

More examples:

과장의 택배를 받는 대로 저에게 연락 해 주세요
Call me when our boss's package arrives

인터넷 요금이 나오는대로 여기에 놓아 주고 보지마세요
When the Internet bill arrives, put it right here and don't look at it

아침 식사를 하는 대로 이를 닦아요
Right after I eat breakfast I brush my teeth

사람들이 모두 도착하는 대로 시작하겠어요
We'll start when everybody arrives

수업이 끝나는 대로 병원에 들릴려요
After class is finished, I'll drop by the hospital on my way home.

다 만드는 대로 먹으려고요
After it's all made, let's eat.

서울에 도착하는 대로 전화해
After you arrive in Seoul, call me

이 책을 다 읽는 대로 빌려 드릴게요
After I'm done reading this book, I'll let you borrow it.

Seems like I have a grasp on things but maybe this grammar point has more than one use to it.

인쇄, 복사 의뢰서

2010-03-31T01:20:00.000-07:00

인쇄, 복사 의뢰서 - A written request for some copies.

At my work, we have a small half sheet sized form to fill out in if one would like to make mass copies. I like it because if I want a crapton of sheets like my biweekly spelling quiz printed on recycled paper, I use the service. The form itself is simple to fill out once you know what each description means:

용도: which class is this for? 6th grade English? After-school math?
매수: how many copies do you need?
사용일: date that you need it by
사용면: single sided (단면) or double sided (양면)
갱지: recycled paper (재생용지)
복사지: normal white paper
신청자: your name (person who requests)
*결재: stamp of approval

Here's a few copy related terms that also might help:
복사해도 될까요? Should I copy this? / Can I copy this?
복사하다 to copy
프린트 print
프린트 해주세요 Please print this for me
복사기 copy machine
이면지 reusable paper
이면지를 사용하세요 please use recycled paper
이 종이는 이면지예요 this paper is reusable/recycled paper
재활용 recycling
이 종이는 재활용 할 수 있어요 you can recycle this paper
이 종이는 재활용 상자에 넣어주세요 please place the paper into the recycle bin

*note to be confused with 결제: pay the account, make up account

발음: 의

2010-03-30T04:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this will turn into a regular thing but I learned a very helpful thing last night at class. But before I get into that, a brief explanation. I learned early on in my studies that 의 is a tricky character. It represents the possessive "s" (as in 효연의 머리 스타일 "Hyoyeon's hairstyle") as well as a root for many other words. My first tutor would point out that I could pronounce 의 differently in certain situations. However, I didn't know the actual rule. Last night clarified a question I had for over three years.

Depending on the placement of 의 in a word determines its pronunciation. A brief breakdown:

First placement: e.g. 의자, 의사, 의미 = /의/
Second placement: e.g. 회의, 거의 = /이/
Last position: e.g. 선생님의, 아저씨의 = /에/

~고 나서 p.2

2010-03-30T04:33:00.000-07:00

Update: part two of my thoughts on this one. part one.

I get flustered trying to do the whole sequencing thing in Korean. Like all good students, I learned the "후에" grammar point first. As a means of learning more accurate ways to express order, I am introduced to ~고 나서. When A is finished B will happen (or did happen). Instead of saying "퇴근시간 후에 청국장을 먹었어요" one should say "퇴근하고 나서 청국장을 먹었어요". "~고 나서" does not express tense. Whether A and B already happened or they will happen, either way, the connector stays the same. The tense is reflected in the last verb. It's similar to ~고 but 고 does not imply order.

Examples:

밥을 먹고나서 수업을 다닐거예요
After I eat, I'm going to go to class.

형을 전화하고나서 낮잠을 잤어요
After I called my friend, I took a nap

보통 아침 7시에 일어나고서 식사를 해요.
Normally, after I wake up, I eat breakfast.

친구들랑 식사하고 나서 노래방에 갔어요
After I ate with some friends, we went to a 노래방.

It's not a hard grammar point to learn but it doesn't always sound right. The problem is in translating directly from English to Korean. For example, I want to say "After teaching, I'll check" so I think to myself "가르치고나서 확인할게요". Although it seems it would be fine, this is really not very natural to say at all. Unfortunately, the grammar point brought up in this post does not fully apply here, either. Instead, ~면 is more commonly used. Obviously the direct translation of 수업끝나면 확인할게요 is "If class ends, I'll check" the implication is more like "when" instead if "if". But don't we already have a "when" clause?

Confused? Join the club.

Hanja (한자)

2010-03-22T01:13:00.000-07:00

I normally don't crosspost but this clearly relates to learning Korean. Check out the writeup on Hanja over at my history blog.

I've been tackling Hanja lately and it's not as bad as I thought...but then again, I just got past numbers. I can now officially write the days of the week, the numbers 1 through 10, 100, 1000, and that's about it. We all have to start somewhere and I started at the 3rd grade book from my school. Hey you gotta use what you can get your hands on. My school produces its own Hanja workbook starting from grade 3 so that's what I'm going through now. I write a little bit each day in between classes to keep up the muscle memory.

I'm also using a great little book that's a bit tricky to find but is extremely useful. I'll give it a proper writeup soon enough. It's called Useful Chinese Characters for Learners of Korean. Here's a short review. UPDATE: full review here.

KGYSAK - 좋아 vs 좋아해요

2010-03-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

Why does this one confuse me? Well, it goes back to the whole subject versus object discussion. If it's a subject, use 좋아. If it's an object, use 좋아하다. Try not to think of it as "if you like the subject" or "if you like the object" because that's a bit misleading. Plus, one type of thought can easily be expressed a number of different ways. For example:
소녀시대 중에서 누가 제일 좋아?
소녀시대 중에서 누구를 제일 좋아해?

Both loosely mean "Who is your favorite member in 'Girl's Generation'?" but one uses 좋아 and the other uses 좋아하다. Confused? As simple as it is, I get it messed up from time to time. I shouldn't but I do.

A trick that might help is to think of the root. 좋아하다 is a 하다 verb. 하다 is to do something. If you like to do something, then it's 좋아하다 as in "운동 좋아해요?" (Do you like to exercise?) makes more sense than "운동 좋아요?" which makes virtually no sense. If you want to ask if someone likes the act of exercising, perhaps what you mean to ask is "운동 하기 좋아요?" which would, to my best translation, be the same as I the first example but only less common.

Lastly, I've once heard the explanation that 좋아하다 is only used for active verbs but I couldn't tell you the first thing about active versus non-active verbs let alone verify if that trick actually works.

UPDATE: TTMIK has a great lesson on this very subject

KGYSAK - 이/가 vs 을/를

2010-03-19T23:42:00.000-07:00

Easily the most embarrassing grammar point to mess up.

I know why I get it messed up. Since the subject is omitted in Korean so much, I forget exactly what I'm talking about from time to time. Also, the object doesn't always need to be said....but, when you want to say it, what does one say?

I know what's the main idea of the sentence but having to stop and give it a marker is a bit trying when one is talking at a normal speed can be frustrating. To help myself, I ask myself some questions. Take this sentence "효연 봤어", Let's break it down:

Who saw 효연? I did. I'm the one talking so clearly it was me that saw her.
Who did the subject see? 효연. (self-thought) She's an object ~~of my fantasy~~ (also the object of the sentence). Therefore, "내가 효연을 봤어요." would be appropriate. Too bad no one talks like that...

It should be noted that the whole "oh you don't need it" excuse is both lazy and bad advice. Sure, for simple sentences, it isn't needed but once someone is trying to move from basic baby sentences to complete thoughts, these markers are essential to keeping up the conversation and staying understood. Don't be scared, get comfortable with these markers and only when situation calls for mutual understanding should one start to drop them. Just my two cents.

Book Review: Roadmap to Korean

2010-03-17T01:10:00.000-07:00

Title: Roadmap to Korean
Author: Richard Harris
Paperback: 350 pages
Publisher: Hollym International Corporation; 2 edition (November 3, 2003)
ISBN-10: 1565911873
ISBN-13: 978-1565911871

There's a lot of resources out there for students of Korean. Some are written by Koreans for he benefit of foreigners. Most of said resources are laughably bad while few and far between are quite good. On the other hand, some are written by foreigners for the benefit of other foreigners. Most of said resources are either for learning slang or are simply MIA. An exceptional resource is Richard Harris's Roadmap to Korean. His previous effort, interestingly enough, is also hard to find and also very valuable (Faces of Korea).

Don't let the textbook-like cover fool you because this is a resourceful heart-to-heart conversational with you and the author. Harris has compiled his personal notes, stories, charts, tips and tricks all into this neatly presented package. Imagine a super-awesome blog written on paper. It's a very light read and written casually; almost spoken-like. The author has lots of advice to give whether you've never studied the language before or have been for years. There's some history and culture as well as some grammar pitfalls and speaking taboos that are enough to learn from as well as laugh at. His perspective is golden and there's a lot to learn from his book, make no mistake.

I don't have much to say about this book that hasn't already been said. It's a great guide. The only thing I want to criticize is the author's plea to learn hanja. Although I also strongly encourage learning hanja because of its usefulness, he does little in terms of pointing one in the right direction of how to actually study hanja. A minor gripe for such a fabulous study guide. Yes, this book is enough to warrant me saying the word "fabulous".

I would also like to point out that this book is the book I should have written. If I ever had aspirations to publish a "Guide to Study Korean" book, this would have been it. Everything to the comical voice to the practical breakdown of a simple phrase such as "How are you?" Thanks a lot Harris for beating me to the punch and doing a better job than I probably would have done.

I wish I read this years ago.

I'm surprised it took me so long to buy, read, review, use this book. I really could have used this a lot a year ago, two years ago. Anyway, if you know someone starting out in Korean or who is truly eager to learn more, I can think of no better book to recommend.

끝말잇기 게임

2010-03-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

This game is awesome. 끝말잇기

My wife recently introduced a word game to me that I am hooked on. Although I am hopelessly unmatched to go up against a native speaker like herself, I still think it is a lot of fun. The game is simple: One person says a Korean word with two syllables/letters (글자) and the next person in the group must come up with a word that starts with the last syllable. Round and round the game goes until someone takes too long to answer. The words must be nouns and they must be given as fast as possible. This game is obviously great for reinforcing hanja-based words but the occasional pure Korean thrown in really makes the game really interesting.

An example game might look like this:

구두 -> 두부 -> 부인 -> 인삼 -> 삼각 -> 각차 -> 차반 -> ...등등
shoes -> tofu -> ginseng -> triangle -> each people -> a type of salted fish -> ... etc

I've played some variations where the word can have three syllables or even include verbs. More can be read here at the Korean wikipedia article. A similar but seemingly more difficult game is 쿵쿵따

처럼

2010-03-15T01:03:00.001-07:00

처럼 reminds me of a friend of mine when I was young. When we heard of new bands, he would find creative ways of describing them to me. For example: Society's Finest is like Zao meets Dillinger Escape Plan or Mudvayne is like Slipknot meets [some math metal band whose name I've forgotten]. It always made me laugh.

처럼 isn't exactly a monster mashup version of "meets". It's much more like "like" as in 농구 선수처럼 키가 커요 He/She's tall like a basketball player or 모델처럼 잘 생겼어요 He/She's good looking like a model

김선생님은 호랑이처럼 무서워요 Mrs Kim is as scary as a tiger
윤은혜는 강아지처럼 귀엽게 생겼어요 Yoon EunHye is as cute as a puppy
(*note the above examples are lost on the average Westerner. Calling a teacher a tiger calls to mind that cougar/student relationship from Dawson's Creek and calling a super-cute model "as cute as a puppy" calls to mind a different word that stands for "female dog". Conversely, Calling someone "쥐처럼 귀엽게 생셨어" (as cute as a mouse) is about as insulting as it gets. Go figure.)

정민이는 시계처럼 약속을 잘 지키는 사람이에요 Jungmin keeps his promises/appointments like a watch.(He's dependable)
유에스비가 총처럼 생겼어요 That USB drive looks like a gun
짐대가 자동차처럼 생겼어요 The bed looks like a car (you know the ones I'm talking about)
고양이처럼 섹시하게 생겼어요 She's sexy like a cat
인형처럼 예쁘게 생겼어요 She's a pretty as a doll (again, kind of weird...)
한국사람처럼 말 잘 하는구요 You speak Korean just like a Korean
아나운서처럼 단정했어요 He/She speaks clearly like an announcer

Adverbs (부사) ~게, ~히, ~이

2010-03-15T00:55:00.000-07:00

Adverbs (부사) are represented in Korean by three cute little markers: ~게, ~히, ~이.
The ~게 marker would be equivalent to the commonness of ~ly in English, so let's start there.

A: 앞머리는 어떨게 발라 드릴까요? How should I cut your bangs?
B: 조금 짧게 잘라 주세요 Just a little short (lit. Cut it a little shortly)

A: 이모, 사과 씻을까요? Aunt So-and-so, should I wash the apple?
B: 응 깨끗하게 씻어 주세요 yeah make it nice and clean (lit. Wash it cleanly)

A: 잘 먹겠습니다 Thanks for making the food (lit. I'll eat well)
B: 네 맛있게 드세요 Eat up! (lit. Eat it deliciously)

A: 주사를 놓아 드릴께요 I'm going to give you a shot, now.
B: 안 아프게 해주세요 Please be gentle (lit. Do it not hurtfully)

A: 선생님....아...그개...어 이잖아..... Teacher.... um, I uh....well, you see....
B: 응? 뭐라고? 크게 말해 Huh? What'd you say? Speak up (lit. speak loudly)

The "~히"and "~이" adverbs are practical however not nearly as common as the "~게" adverb and are specific to certain verbs. My best advice is to just listen to what is used more often for a given verb.

A: 와!! 왠 일이야? whoa... what are you doing here?
B: 쉿! 조용히! Shhh be quiet (lit. speak silently)
(*this is a situation where one can instead say 작게 말해야해 but it's not as common)

A: 엄마 다녀올께요! Mom, I'm going (to school and I'll be back later)!
B: 응 빨리 와 Come (home) quickly

A: 예들아! 사탕 줄까? Hey kids! Should I give you some candy?
B: 네! 많이 주세요! Yes! Give me a lot! (lit. many give me)

KGYSAK - to wear 쓰다, 입다, 신다, 메다, 매다

2010-03-14T04:21:00.000-07:00

A classic example of how Korean is unnecessarily difficult. In English, virtually anything that someone puts on as clothing uses the verb "to wear". However, Korean likes to tick off the world off by making separate verbs for each section of the body. I still struggle a bit with these so forgive me if there are mistakes:

to wear (on your upper and lower body) 입다
ex) 스웨터를 입고 있어요 I'm wearing a sweater.
ex) 밖에 추우니까 코트 입어. Since it's cold, put on your coat
ex) 날씨가 더우니까 남방 셔츠를 입으세요 Since it's hot, put on a Hawaiian style shirt
ex) 무슨 청바지를 입을까? Which blue jeans should I wear?

to wear (on your head) 쓰다
ex) 언제부터 안경 써요? Since when do you wear glasses?
ex) 머리띠를 쓰면 더 예쁘게 보일거야. If you wear a hairband, you'll look even more pretty.
ex) 왜 선글라스를 쓰고있어? Why are you wearing sunglasses?

to wear (on your feet) 신다
ex) 방 안에 신발 신지마라! Don't wear your shoes in the house.
ex) 그 아저씨가 분홍색 양말 신고있어 That guy is wearing pink socks.
ex) 실내화를 신야봐 Put on some house slippers.

to wear (or tie something around your neck) 매다
ex) 우리 큰 형은 매일 넥타이를 매고있어요 My brother wears a necktie everyday
ex) 목걸이를 매고있어요. I'm wearing a necklace
ex) 스카프를 매고있어요 I'm wearing a scarf

to wear (or hang something over/on something) 매달다
ex) 크리스마스 트리에는 예쁜 장식품들을 매달아요 We hang cute decorative stuff on Christmas trees.

to wear (over your shoulder) 메다
ex) 초등학생들은 어깨에 가방을 메고 가요. Elementary students wear their school bags over their shoulders.
ex) 네팔의 포터들은 히말라야 산을 오를 때 20kg 이하의 짐을 메고 가야해요. The weight of Nepalese porters (Sherpas) wear on their shoulders climbing the Mountain Himalaya should not exceed 20kg.

to wear (an accessory) 차다, 하다 (interchangeable)
ex) 새로운 시계를 하고 있어요 I'm wearing my new watch
ex) 허리띠를 차고 있니? Are you wearing a belt?
ex) 다이아몬드 귀걸이를 하고 싶은데.. I want to wear diamond earrings...

to wear (something on your hand) 끼다
ex) 묵주반지를 보통 껴요? Do you usually wear your Catholic ring?
ex) 추우니까 장갑을 껴봐 Since it's cold, put on these gloves
ex) 지금 커플링을 끼고있어요? Are you wearing a couple ring?

to hold (something in your hand) 들다
ex) 저는 지금 선물을 들고 있어요. I am holding a present in my hands.
ex) 내가 무슨 짐을 이렇게 많이 들고 있지? 내 아내가 쇼핑한 물건이잖아. Why am I holding so much baggage... this is all of my wife's shopping....
ex) 제 컵을 잠시만 들고 있어주실래요? Could you hold my cup for a while please?

Choosing the right school to study Korean

2010-03-10T00:27:00.000-08:00

I can't state it better than already written. This week in the Korea Herald is part one of series on studying Korean in Korea. The meat of the post deals with which school to choose out of the big ones - Sogang, Yonsei, Ewha, etc. Do yourself a favor and check it out. A teaser:

Ask yourself these questions:

- How many hours per week can you commit to class time?

- How many hours per week can you commit to studying outside of class?

- What level of Korean do you want to reach?

- How do you intend to use Korean once you've finished studying?

If you're considering graduate study in Korea, looking for a job in a Korean company, or want to read high-level literature or news you should definitely be considering university language programs. If you're studying in order to socialize with Korean friends, get some insight into contemporary culture and facilitate a more enjoyable, comfortable stay in Korea, then academy or free courses will most likely suffice.

KGYSAK - 편한 자기소개

2010-03-09T05:12:00.000-08:00

Comfortable Self-Introductions.

I am a confident speaker of Korean in many subjects but like other students of a foreign language, there are some topics that I can't really say much about. For example, if the topic is "school" or "home" I have a lot to talk about. I can express myself quite well in these basic, elementary-level subjects. However, if the topic is "Japanese nationalism versus Korean nationalism" or "monkey brain surgery" then I'm kind of at a loss for words. I can't express myself how I want to in Korean in these subjects.

No worries right? Then how come when I meet a new person, I freeze up? Why does my self-introduction sound like I'm at newcomer at a somber AA meeting? Why are my self-intros so robotic? Isn't this one of the first things people learn how to do?

If other students of Korean are like myself, they taught themselves the basics (한글, 인사, 숫사, 등) but relied on other sources for other grammar points (조사, 동사, 발음, 등). I'm sure this is an acceptable progression as we hardly ever have to go back and relearn numbers despite the fact that we didn't learn from a teacher. Sure, they maybe some things we missed the first time around such as the special spelling for "유월" (June) and "스무" (twenty) instead of "육월" and "스물" respectively. For the most part, basics are basics.

Well one subject that I neglected was my self-introduction. It just simply escaped me. I either did it in English (Hey nice to meet you. I'm so-and-so's friend Matthew. We spoke on the phone? It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you. So, you're looking for a language exchange partner?) or someone else did it for me in Korean behind my back (This guy I'm going to introduce to you is weird. He's a white guy but he really likes Korea for some reason. He's got this thing for Korean history that creeps me out. Oh and he can use chopsticks and eats spicy food better than we do. Shhh here he comes.)

So, I am on a quest to learn how to naturally introduce myself. Like most conversational matters, one cannot just memorize one end-all be-all sentence and hope for the best. Each situation is different and requires a different approach. If I meet another language student and he's about the same age, I'll obviously talk to him differently than to my wife's father's coworker who's a good twenty years older than me. I'll try to include as many tips as possible but keep in mind that this is unique to me and my own opinion of what makes a natural sounding self-intro. If you would like to change the meat of the sentence to make it yours, please feel free. Take note that the English translation will be literal.

저는 매튜 입니다 I am Matthew
저는 매튜 라고 합니다 I am called Matthew
저는 선생님이구요, 학생이기도 해요. I am a teacher and also I'm a part-time student.
저는 미국 사람이구요, 텍사스에서 왔어요. I am an American and I come from Texas.
저는 미국 나이로 26살이구요, 한국 나이로는 28살이예요. My American age is 26 and my Korean age is 28.
저는 한국 역사를 정말 좋아하구요, 한국어 공부하는 것도 좋아해요. I really enjoy Korean history and I also like studying Korean.
미국에서 온 매튜라고 해요 I come from America and my name is Matthew
한국에 온 지 7개월 됐어요 I've been in Korea for seven months
약 2년 반 지났어요 It's been about two and a half years / About 2.5 years have passed (since I came).

~다고 vs ~냐고 What did you say?

2010-03-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

Korean is a fascinating language. There's even a great way, in Korean, to confirm that you didn't hear what someone just said. Furthermore, there's a way to tell the person that yes, indeed, I did ask that, I didn't hear what you said and now I am confirming that you asked the question in which was not heard. How validating. How many Korean-speakers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

There's an important distinction to make before starting the "what did you say?" game. First of all, there's questions and then there's statements. I typically hear the "what did you say?" verb conjugation for questions more often than for statements. Also, asking "what did you say? Is that what you said?" does not carry the same possible negative connotation that it does in English. I can't help but think to myself "Perk up your freakin ears next time son!" but thankfully I refrain. There's just a level of politeness that both 1) doesn't correspond exactly in English and 2) exists in Korean in a different way. It's not always the "what'd you say, boy?" feeling to it. Many times it's just a confirmation; almost a respectable confirmation before proceeding.

Repeating a Question
A: 미국에 가밨어요?
B: 미국 가봤냐고? 아니에요.

A: 밥 먹었어요?
B: 밥 먹었냐고요? 네 그럼요.

A: 야. 돈 있니?
B: 돈 있냐고? 아...그개...

Repeating a Statement
A: 오늘 컴퓨터 샀는데...
B: 컴퓨터 샀다고요? 언제? 얼마 줬어요?

A: 2년 동안 일본어 배웠어요
B: 2년 동안 배웠다고요? 와!

A: 걱정마. 맥주 열 잔만 먹었어.
B: 열 잔 먹었다고?! 죽으래?!

It's also important to note that the "고" in ~다고요 and ~냐고요 is pronounced more like /구/. Contrary to some advice, it isn't only to sound more cute; it's just easier to pronounce that way. ~냐구 just rolls off your tongue easier.