There aren't many Korean words that made it into the English language. Maybe kimchi (김치) rings a bell?
But English words in the Korean language? Well, that's a different story! In South Korea, for example, since these folks' Korean is more flexible, the language absorbed quite a load of English loanwords. They are pronounced closely to the original words with the difference that the Korean sounds and rules are used, as well as the syllabic structure. Well, duh!
So "coffee" turns into "ko-pi" (커피 ), since the unexistent f sound in the Korean language is replaced by p, "screen" into "seu-ku-rin" (스크린 ), and "covertible" into ... "opyn-ka" (오픈카) —well, it is an "open car", after all.
As you see, the words not only sound similar, but mean exactly what one would expect them to mean. Which is good news since, at the early stage of learning Korean, knowing some words right away will feel good in addition to an undeniable usefulness of the words. That is why before we move on to the uniquely Korean words, let's first dry up the easy "well" of knowledge :). And so that the pronunciation is not lost, here is a great video with 20 ready-to-go words (5:46):
There are some words in the Korean language, just like there are in others, that cannot be precisely translated to the English language. In Korean, they mostly come from the particular nature of the Korean culture where relationships (above all, family ties) and status mean everything. That may drive you crazy, especially at the very beginning, but Korean is heavily based on context and nuances. You'll have to focus on the context, say, status of the person, facial expressions, the pitch of the voice, etc.
Did you know that in Korea you can actually put in numbers the closeness of every single person of your family to you? That is possible with a handy word chon (촌), or chonsu (촌수).
It starts off with 0 chon, which means it's the closest relationship and this is for a married couple. Then it's 1 chon, pronounced as il-chon (일촌), which is you and your parents, and 2 chon, or ee-chon (이촌), your siblings. Next, 3 chon is pronounced as sam-chon (삼촌), which means uncle, because there are three ties between you and your uncle: you -> your parents -> your uncle. Now, 4 chon, called sa-chon (사촌), means, cousins, as they are four ties away from you.
There's no limit for chon, it can be measured forever as the family grows larger. However, if it exceeds 10 chon (십촌), it’s hard to say that you guys are families, but more likely strangers. The reason why Koreans have a specific word to calculate family ties is that Koreans consider family and its relationship very crucial compared to Western culture.
You know, how out there exist people with the same name, a.k.a. namesakes? Chances are, you know yours. In the Korean culture you can find your yearsakes (?), or so called ttee-dong-gap (띠동갑),people born in the same zodiac year as you!
Korean zodiac consists of 12 animals which are rat (자), ox (축), tiger (인), rabbit (묘), dragon (진), snake (사), horse (오), ram (미), monkey (신), rooster (유), dog (술) and pig (해), just exactly the same and in the same order as you are used to see them. The uniqueness here is hidden in the idea to give a name to something that you can have in common with everyone who was born in the same year, or 12 years prior or after you.
The one Korean word I stumbled upon in an American movie, based on a book, was jeong (정) mentioned by its main character Lara Jean, who happens to be a Korean, in these words:
"There’s a Korean word my grandma taught me. It’s called jeong. It’s the connection between two people that can’t be severed, even when love turns to hate. You still have those old feelings for them; you can’t ever completely shake them loose of you; you will always have tenderness in your heart for them."
Though it can be translated as "feeling", "heart", or "sentiment", it actually includes all of them and even more feelings, such as attachment, bond, affection, or even bondage, and permeates the Korean culture in its entirety.
It also means sharing, being generous, being nice or getting attached to something or someone. Say, the act of offering help to an elderly person carrying a heavy bag or walking upstairs can be called jeong. Also, the concept applies to attachment to certain objects, such as old blankets or any other items packed with sentimental value.
The Chinese character for this Korean word (情) has two parts: one that means "heart" (忄), and the other that means the color blue or green (青) —colors that have no distinction in Korean,— which is also deemed to be the color of youth. Thus, jeong has the essence of the feeling you have when you meet someone for the first time, but remember them, as though from a past life, and it’s the thing that bunches up in your throat, day by day, so that when it disappears, it takes something of yourself. It’s the thing that makes you hold on when you should let go. Koreans often say that love is tragic, but jeong is lethal.
I guess, the trick would be not to take the concept too far in the misguided zeal as the hero of the following video definitely did (3:44):
There are some other quite interesting Korean words that have no representation in English, but I'll just mention one more: eomchina (엄친아 ), which is a contraction of 엄마 + 친구(의) + 아들, or literally "mother’s friend’s son" —such an irritatingly skillful at everything and well-educated person you just can’t compete against. The female version for this, as in "mother’s friend’s daughter", is eomchinddal (엄친딸).
Has your mother or father made a comparison or any comments about one of the sons of their friends being better at doing something than you (say, in math, or finding a job, or choosing a spouse)? The first friend that comes to your mind is a classic example of eomchina/eomchinddal. Thanks to Korean, now, dude, I have a word to call you by! :)
One more thing that will be great —and fun!— to learn about Korean is Korean fillers —those little details that make you sound more like a native and additionally give you time to think of a sentence you are about to drop onto your listeners. Well, maybe Billy explains it better (3:11):
On this note, having learned a few new Korean words and understood the biggest basic points about the Korean culture through the language, it is time to beed our farewells. Thank you all for being with me on that exciting trip into the neat, man-made and alien-looking writing system, somehow Japanese-sounding pronunciation, and uniquely Korean soul of words. See you in the next Langventure!
응, 잘 있어! Eung, Ahn-nyoung! Ok, bye!
"I feel a very Korean jeong 정 to this article! Love it!!!"
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