Don’t have time for an extended post on this very busy day — the lunar new year’s first day and the most romantic day of the year rolled into one.
But did want to say…
새해 복 많이 받으세요!
Have a Very Happy New Year!
해피 발렌타인 데이!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Archive for the ‘Korean Language’ Category
Happy Korean New Year!
Sunday, February 14th, 2010Happy Korean Language Day!
Friday, October 9th, 2009October 9 is Hangul Day (한글날), the celebration of the promulgation of the Korean alphabet Hangul (한글) by King Sejong the Great in 1446. Not a legal holiday in South Korea — not since 1991 — but everyone marks the day as special.
As you can see, Google Korea featured Hangul letters forming its logo on its home page. Ain’t that cool?
The alphabetic system used for writing the Korean language consists of 24 letters, including 14 consonant and 10 vowel symbols. Its “inventor” King Sejong is supposed to have said that even a fool can learn the hangeul alphabet in ten minutes. It’s that simple!
Trivia: North Korea celebrates its Chosŏn’gŭl Day (조선글날) on January 15, in line with the lunar calendar that was in use in the 15th century.
Korean Words in the English Language
Thursday, September 10th, 2009There are at least five Korean words that are now part of the English language: soju, taekwondo, kimchee, hangul and hapkido.
The earliest Korean word spotted in the United States was “kimchi” (pronounced gimchee) in 1898. A magazine listed it as one of the world’s healthiest foods, identifying it as the national dish of Korea. American GI’s serving in South Korea facetiously declare that they’re “in deep kimchi” when the American equivalent is to say they’re in deep excrement.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary notes that the word “hangul” (meaning the Korean language) entered the English lexicon in 1946.
The third Korean word to enter the English language seems to be “taekwondo” in the late 1960s. And with the growing popularity of Bruce Lee’s movies in the United Sates (yes, he was Chinese), another Korean form of martial arts joined English vocabularies in the early seventies: hapkido.
Finally, in 1978, the Korean vodka soju made its debut in an American English dictionary.
Our Korean vocabulary lesson:
- hangeul (한글)
- soju (Hangul 소주; Hanja 燒酒)
- tae kwon do (Hangul 태권도; Hanja 跆拳道)
- hap gi do (Hangul 합기도; Hanja 合氣道)
- kimchi (Hangul 김치; no Hanja because its is a native Korean word)
UPDATE: I just came across an English word with an interesting Korean origin. The hantavirus was named after the Hantan River (한탄강 / 漢灘江) in South Korea — near the place where Westerners were first infected by the virus in the 1950s.
Hamcho is Glasswort in Korean
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009Hangul name: 퉁퉁마디 (“plump branch”)
English name: slender (?) glasswort
Scientific name: Salicornia herbacea
생약명: 함초. Hanja: 鹹草
What is glasswort?
It’s a species of Salicornia that grows in salt marshes. It has fleshy stems and rudimentary, scalelike leaves. Also known as samphire.
Called glasswort because it was used in England in the manufacture of glass. It’s a halophyte, a plant that thrives in saline environments. The Chinese-derived Korean name Hamcho can be literally translated “salty grass” or “salty weed” or “salty herb.”
Serious dieters may be familiar with the weight-loss product Hamcho Slim which supposedly causes your body to lose six pounds in 10 days while at the same time clearing up your skin. Aside from hamcho, its other ingredients include: Rumex crispus (curly dock), watermelon, hoelen mushroom / poria fungus, sea tangle, Fructus crataegi and garlic extract.
According to Hamcho Slim, its product is 100% natural and 100% organic. Hamcho, they say, has seven times more calcium than milk, 40 times more iron than laver (kelp) and three times more potassium than oysters.
The Chinese call it salty grass 鹹草 and even holy grass 神草. The Japanese call it three branches (sakikusa, さきくさ, 三枝) and lucky grass 福草. Japan has given this herb ‘Precious National Treasure’ designation.
New Korean Words
Monday, April 13th, 2009Spotted a rash of new Korean slang words derived from the English word paparazzi, which itself is derived from the name of Signor Paparazzo, a character in La Dolce Vita, the Federico Fellini movie.
SEONGPARAZZI (seong-parazzi) 성파라치(←性+paparazzi)
The “seong” refers to sex.
Korean definition: 성매매 현장을 포착·신고하여 보상금을 타 내는 일. 또는 그런 일을 하는 사람. English translation: The work of filming and then reporting prostitution to the authorities for the sake of reward money; a person engaged in such work
SEONPARAZZI (seon-parazzi) 선파라치(←選擧+paparazzi)
The “seon” refers to election.
This term refers to reporting election irregularities. Also known as
PYOPARAZZI (pyo-parazzi) 표파라치(←票+paparazzi)
The “pyo” refers to ballot paper.
SSUPARAZZI (ssu-parazzi) 쓰파라치 (←쓰레기 + paparazzi)
The ssu (pronounced ssuh) is short for ssuh-reh-ghi, meaning garbage.
South Korea has very strict rules on recycling, especially when it comes to disposing your garbage. These paparazzi lie in wait for the lazy citizen who dumps his trash at the wrong place. They record video proof of the malfeasance and bring the film to the police for a reward.
Lots of Korean housewives and unemployed men can make a decent living off this digital snitching. I’ve spoken to Korean professionals (lawyers, doctors) who say they’re appalled at the way the government’s compensation system is fostering a culture of mistrust. It reminds them of a totalitarian state like North Korea, where you can’t trust your neighbors who might report you for some casual remark you made…
If there were such a thing in United States, I’d be a millionaire because I always have my tiny camcorder with me and every other store here in Los Angeles (even the 7-11, for heavens’ sake!) does not give customers a receipt.
