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Post by Fritz on Feb 26, 2015 15:09:56 GMT
KOREAN WORD OF THE DAYAs the title implies, this will be a daily feature presenting a new Korean word (or phrase) each day. I may also add a "Bonus Lesson" from time to time to teach you some basic grammar. Many find that learning a bit of this exotic foreign language you hear in the dramas will enhance your enjoyment of them and, who knows, you may actually want to visit the Korea someday. In any case, hopefully folks will enjoy these words and phrases. It appears that only a couple members from the old board have migrated over here. Given that, I'm going to assume that at least some of you are absolute beginners, so I'm going start fresh. For those of you who may already know some Korean, please bear with us and consider it a refresher course. I expect we'll get to stuff you don't know soon enough. A note about HangulMost beginner Korean lessons start with learning to read Hangul (한글), the Korean written language. There are a number of very good reasons for this, first of all is pronunciation. The Korean language uses quite a few sounds that don’t really Romanize (transcribe into our alphabet) very well. So, sticking with Romanized Korean will make learning proper pronunciation more difficult. Another reason is the grammar. The various grammatical structures are hard to recognize when Romanized and tend to look like so much gibberish (at least they do to me). With that said, I’m not going to teach you Hangul here. There are plenty of excellent free online resources that teach Hangul if you wish to learn it. Personally, I found learning the basic letters and their sounds is not nearly as daunting as it first appears and I would encourage anyone serious about studying Korean to do so. Here is link to a handy guide to the various letters and sounds of Hangul, which will help you with pronunciation: Sounds of HangulOkay, with all that out of the way, let’s get started! Although many of you will already know this, for the sake of the beginners, let's start at the beginning. Korean Word of the Day for Feb. 26 is: Hello = Annyeonghaseyo (pronounced ahn-nyuhng-hah-seh-yoh) Hangul: 안녕하세요This is the most common greeting you will hear in Korean and can be used as we would use "Hello", "Hi", "Good morning", "Good afternoon", "Good evening", etc... It is jondaetmal (존댓말), polite language, so it's pretty much good for any circumstance and any time of the day. It's also proper to bow when you say it. The phrase itself is composed of these two parts: annyeong (안녕) = well-being, peace, health haseyo (하세요) = you do, do you?, please do When someone greets you with Annyeonghaseyo, it is quite customary to reply back with Annyeonghaseyo. Koreans say it all the time, so they tend to say it very fast. In less formal situations, such as between close friends, they may shorten it to just annyeong or I've even heard just seyo. seyo is not really proper Korean, but you may certainly hear in Korean dramas or variety shows occasionally.
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Post by Fritz on Feb 27, 2015 12:43:59 GMT
Korean Word of the Day for Feb. 27 is:
thank you = gamsahamnida (pronounced gahm-sah-hahm-nee-dah) Hangul: 감사합니다 (formal, polite)
This is your most commonly used polite expression for "thank you". You hear it a lot in dramas, although when they say it very fast, they often lose a syllable and it sounds more like "gamsamnida".
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Post by Crystoph on Feb 27, 2015 17:47:02 GMT
Oh, I see. I figured that it was probably the polite version of thank you because sometimes when I hear them say thank you, it sounds like they're saying 'kamoua'. Something like that. xD
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Post by Fritz on Feb 27, 2015 18:23:12 GMT
Oh, I see. I figured that it was probably the polite version of thank you because sometimes when I hear them say thank you, it sounds like they're saying 'kamoua'. Something like that. xD With a society that prides itself of being polite, there are lots of ways to say "thank you" in Korean. gamsahamnida is one of the more formal ways. It's also one of the ones you hear most often in dramas. It comes from the verb, gamsahada (감사하다), "to be thankful". The one you're referring to is gomawa (고마워), which is a very informal, casual "thanks". After all, not every expression of gratitude really warrants a formal polite "thank you".
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Post by Fritz on Feb 28, 2015 13:40:55 GMT
Korean Word of the Day for Feb. 28 is:
Korean (the language) = Hangugeo (pronounced hahn-goog-uh) Hangul: 한국어
You might also sometimes hear Hangukmal (한국말) for the Korean language.
Both words mean the same thing, but Hangugeo is considered a bit more formal.
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Post by Fritz on Feb 28, 2015 17:55:30 GMT
Bonus Lesson: Korean Levels of SpeechWatching Korean dramas you have likely encountered references to the various levels of formality and politeness of Korean speech. To us westerners this can be quite confusing. The rigid class structure of the feudal Joseon dynasty may have been abolished over a century ago, but a deep-seated sense of respect for one's seniors and elders is still ingrained in Korean culture today. Woe be to those who violate this practice. Anyone who happened to watch the first season of the Korean reality show Roommate, may remember that the young K-Pop star Nana was widely criticized by the Korean viewers for using casual speech with her elders on the show. While she claimed she was only trying to be friendly, they accused her of being rude and disrespectful. It was a big scandal and she almost had to leave the show. Now even if you may have no real interest in ever learning to actually speak Korean, being aware of these levels of formality will actually enhance your enjoyment of watching K-Dramas. For instance, there always comes a point in the series where the romantic couple will transition from more formal polite speech to the more intimate casual speech. Naturally, Koreans are quite attuned to this. It's a pivotal point in the romantic story arc. In total, there are seven speech levels in Korean, known as malche (말체), but fortunately for us, we only really need to concern ourselves with the three most commonly used ones. Three others are used much less frequently and the last one is only used in writing. So without really learning the language, what are the levels of speech and how can you detect them? The first two are jondaetmal (존댓말), polite formal language, while the last is banmal (반말), informal casual speech. Hapsyoche ( 합쇼체) is the most formal and polite. It is used in business settings, by TV broadcasters, and frequently in historical dramas. You can recognize it by the verbs ending with " -nida" or " -nika" ( -니다 / -니카). A common example is your commonly used formal expression for "thank you", gamsahamnida (감사합니다). Haeyoche ( 해요체) is less formal, but still polite. This is what you will hear most in dramas, particularly between strangers and when speaking to elders. This is recognized by the verb ending " -yo" or " -iyo" ( -요 / -이요). An example of this is the expression you would use to get someone's attention, jeogiyo (저기요). We might translate jeogiyo as "excuse me", but not in the sense of an apology. It's more like saying "Hey, you there", but in a polite way. Haeche ( 해체) is informal casual speech. This is used between close friends and relatives and with younger people, children, or pets. Casual speech doesn't use any of these verb endings. An example is a commonly used informal "I'm sorry", mianhae (미안해).
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Post by hgrimmy on Feb 28, 2015 23:29:17 GMT
I had no clue Nana caught so much flack for her way of speech. I knew people were upset, but I figured it was all the Nana/Se-ho shippers back in season one. Is this why she seems to have changed so much, practically overnight on the show?
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Post by Fritz on Mar 1, 2015 0:49:29 GMT
I had no clue Nana caught so much flack for her way of speech. I knew people were upset, but I figured it was all the Nana/Se-ho shippers back in season one. Is this why she seems to have changed so much, practically overnight on the show? Yeah, Nana was in hot water from the first episode of season 1, but we as foreign viewers were oblivious as to why. We of course didn't notice that she was using casual speech to her elders, which is really frowned upon in Korean culture. In contrast, Ga Yeon, who was the youngest member of the cast, habitually used the more polite -yo form all the time, until the older members insisted she drop it. Every time she slipped up and reverted to the polite form, they tweaked her over it.
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Post by hgrimmy on Mar 1, 2015 1:15:34 GMT
I had no clue Nana caught so much flack for her way of speech. I knew people were upset, but I figured it was all the Nana/Se-ho shippers back in season one. Is this why she seems to have changed so much, practically overnight on the show? Yeah, Nana was in hot water from the first episode of season 1, but we as foreign viewers were oblivious as to why. We of course didn't notice that she was using casual speech to her elders, which is really frowned upon in Korean culture. In contrast, Ga Yeon, who was the youngest member of the cast, habitually used the more polite -yo form all the time, until the older members insisted she drop it. Every time she slipped up and reverteId to the polite form, they tweaked her over it. I miss Ga Yeon and Chan Yeol the most from the original cast. The only person I was happy about leaving was Mama Shin, not because i didn't like him but it felt like he wound up suffering the most and doing the most work when the rest of the cast just played around. I wish the original cast would visit from time to time, like when Ga Yeon stopped by quick.
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Post by Crystoph on Mar 1, 2015 1:31:02 GMT
I'm currently watching the first season of Roommate. I love this show. =3
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Post by Fritz on Mar 1, 2015 13:47:58 GMT
Korean Word of the Day for Mar. 1 is:
I'm sorry = mianhae (pronounced mee-ahn-hae) Hangul: 미안해 (informal, casual) I'm sorry = mianhaeyo (pronounced mee-ahn-hae-yo) Hangul: 미안해요 (informal, polite) I'm sorry = mianhamnida (pronounced mee-ahn-hahm-nee-dah) Hangul: 미안합니다 (formal, polite)
From the verb: to be sorry = mianhada (pronounced mee-ahn-hah-dah) Hangul: 미안하다
It can also mean "to be ashamed of oneself".
Koreans have many ways to apologize, but this is probably the one you hear the most in dramas. From the very casual mianhae for something like "Sorry" (I didn't call you) to a much more formal and contrite mianhamnida, "Sorry" (I've been such a jerk lately), you'll hear all three speech levels of this one pretty regularly.
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Post by Crystoph on Mar 1, 2015 18:47:31 GMT
Finally! xD I was wondering how you say 'I'm sorry'. xD
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Post by Fritz on Mar 2, 2015 13:40:14 GMT
Korean Word of the Day for Mar. 2 is:
Okay / Good / Alright = gwaenchana (pronounced gwaen-chahn-ah) Hangul: 괜찮아
In common usage, the first syllable is typically contracted, so it sounds more like "ginchana" or "kinchana" to our ears. The emphasis is on the second syllable. It is often said as a question, meaning "Are you okay?"
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Post by rjcloset on Mar 2, 2015 21:10:05 GMT
Korean Word of the Day for Feb. 27 is: thank you = gamsahamnida (pronounced gahm-sah-hahm-nee-dah) Hangul: 감사합니다 (formal, polite) This is your most commonly used polite expression for "thank you". You hear it a lot in dramas, although when they say it very fast, they often lose a syllable and it sounds more like "gamsamnida". Thanks for explaining the lost syllable thing - I've been trying too hard!~
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Post by Fritz on Mar 3, 2015 12:27:21 GMT
Korean Word of the Day for Mar. 3 is:
yes = ne (pronounced neh) Hangul: 네
It's the simplest of words, but very versatile. Sure, it means “Yes” or “I agree”, but can also mean “I see,” “I got it,” or “I understand.” When they want to particularly emphasize their agreement, they often add the expression majayo (맞아요) after it: Ne, majayo! = Yes, that's right!
Ne can also be used as a response when someone calls your name, meaning “I’m here.”
It's also a typical response when you weren’t paying attention or didn’t hear what the other person was saying, where we might say “Eh?” or “Pardon me?” In this usage, you should intone it as a question, raising your pitch at the end, just as we would: Ne?
It’s frequently used as a conversation filler. If one person is speaking at length and the listener will often repeatedly say ne, where we might say “yeah” or “uh-huh”.
Note: When watching K-Dramas, you will often hear characters say ne, but is sounds to our ears more like “deh”. It’s not a different word, they are just pronouncing it strangely. They sometimes clip the n sound and it comes out sounding like a d. It’s a very common habit and most native Koreans are not even aware that they do it.
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