Posts from November 2008

Thank You

Posted by Ginny 2 Comments
Nov 27 2008

In honor of Thanksgiving Day, today’s post will focus on how to say ‘thank you’ in Korean.  In addition to that we’ll go over some related phrases that may serve useful on this special day.

The first word everyone should know is kam-sa-hap-ni-da (감사합니다).  Kam-sa-hap-ni-da (감사합니다) means ‘thank you’ in Korean.  It’s also a formal way to say ‘thank you’.  If you’re dining with people you know very well you would probably use the word ko-map-sup-ni-da (고맙습니다) instead.  Ko-map-sup-ni-da (고맙습니다) is a less formal way to say thank you in Korean.

The word for ‘thank you’ is a general phrase that can be used in any situation.  However if you want to convey your appreciation in a specific way, especially in regards to a delicious meal; I would use the phrase: ma-shi-ke  mo-gos-sum-ni-da (맛있게 먹었습니다).  Ma-shi-ke  mo-gos-sum-ni-da (맛있게 먹었습니다) means ‘I ate well.’ 

If someone urges you to try for seconds and you’re full, you can politely decline with the phrase, aniyo be-bul-up-ni-da (아니요, 배가 부릅니다).  This phrase literally means ‘no, my stomach is full.”  You can also respond with ’aniyo kwen-chan-sup-ni-da’ (아니요, 괜찮습니다).  This means ‘no, it’s alright’ as in when you want to say ‘no, I’m fine I don’t want another helping.’

If you want to excuse yourself from the table you can use the phrase, shil-le-hap-ni-da (실례합니다).  Shil-le-hap-ni-da (실례합니다) means ‘excuse me’ or ‘pardon me.’  Of course you could just apologize and say I’m sorry with je-song-hap-ni-da (죄송합니다).  Je-song-hap-ni-da (죄송합니다) is a formal way to say I’m sorry.  You can also say I’m sorry with mi-an-hap-ni-da (미안합니다).  Mi-an-hap-ni-da (미안합니다) is still polite but less formal.  However, if you use any of the apologies you would have to give a reason as to why you’re apologizing.  It’s a little awkward if you just started to apologize and left the table immediately after that.  If your Korean is not that great, just use the phrase for ‘excuse me.  It’s understood that you need to leave the table without having to explain why.

Ok everyone, that’s it for today.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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Kam (감)

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Nov 26 2008

What are some of your favorite fruits?  Do you like strawberries, apples, oranges?  One type of fruit that is highly sought after by the Korean people is kam (감).  Kams (감) are persimmons.  Persimmons are orange in color and have a chalky sweet taste.  A persimmon is a fruit with so many uses.  Let’s take a look at some of thoses uses.

My favorite traditional Korean drink is sujongkwa (수정과).  Sujongkwa (수정과) is made out of dried persimmons, cinnamon and ginger.  The persimmons give the sujongkwa (수정과) a sweet taste, while the cinnamon and ginger give the sujongkwa (수정과) a mild spicy taste.  It’s hard to explain, but it tastes sweet and spicy at the same time.  It’s really delicious when it’s served cold.  I add some pine nuts for taste but it’s not absolutely necessary.  Sujongkwa (수정과) is also dark red in color.  Somehow that reminds of the autumn season.

In some rural areas of Korea nothing is wasted.  Even the leaves of the persimmons are used.  The leaves are dried then boiled in some hot water to make kam-ip-cha (감입차) or persimmon tea.  Sometimes the persimmons are fermented and made into a vinegar mixture called kam-shik-cho (감식초).  Interestingly enough the kam-shik-cho (감식초) is thought to have some healing and restorative effects on the body.  As a result some people prefer to use kam-shik-cho (감식초) over regular vinegar.

I also like to consume persimmons in solid form.  For example there is a popular snack called kot-kam (곷감).  Kot-kam (곷감) is persimmon that has been dried in the outdoors for two weeks.  After it’s dried it’s heated even further to let the moisture out.  Sometimes sugar is added to perserve the sweetness that has been lost when it evaporates in the heat.

Of course you can always eat a persimmon raw just as it is, but be careful.  Eating too many unripe persimmons have been known to contribute to stomach complications that result in surgery.  Don’t worry though, this only pertains to unripe persimmons.  You can eat all the ripe persimmons you want without any repercussions.

Other than consumption, you can also use the tree from which persimmons are known to grow from, to make traditional Korean furniture out of them.  Really the uses of persimmons are varied and all very useful.  No wonder they are the country’s most sought after fruit!  Remember everyone, eat only the ripe persimmons and mashike  duseyo (맛있게 드세요) or eat with delight/pleasure!

Social Interaction

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Nov 25 2008

Are you worried about making a fool of yourself in front of a Korean family?  Have you been invited to eat a meal in a Korean household?  If so, I have some tips to help you so that your visit goes smoothly.

Before you arrive at the house make sure you have a small gift ready.  The gift could be a bottle of wine or a box of oranges.  Whatever it is, don’t arrive empty handed.  Since you’re going to be treated to a meal, be considerate and show your appreciation by bringing a small gift.  Also, before you enter the house the host will say “du-ro  o-se-yo” (들어 오세요) which means ‘come in.’  When you hear that, that is your cue to say an-nyung-ha-se-yo (안녕하세요) or hello. 

At this time you can also hand over your gift and say “byul kot ani-ji-man ba-du-se-yo” (별 것 아니지만 받으세요).  This phrase translates as ‘this isn’t anything or this isn’t much, but please accept it anyway.’  Then the host will probably say something to the effect of “sa-o-ji  a-na-do-de-nun-de” (사오지 않아도 되는데)  this phrase translates as ‘you didn’t have to buy anything.’  This is an important social interation that Koreans perform daily.  By claiming that you didn’t bring anything worthy, you are being humble.  In return, by claiming that you didn’t have to buy anything the host is being polite. 

If you’ve been invited to a traditional Korean family, the eldest person is the fist person to pick up their chopsticks and eat.  Only after the eldest person has picked up their spoon or chopstick are you allowed to eat.  If you’re not eating with a traditonal Korean family you may hear the phrase “mani du-se-yo” (많이 드세요).  This means ‘eat to your fill.’  When you hear this, this is your cue to start eating.  Although the host requests you to eat to your fill, be polite and make sure that you eat so that other people can have their share of the food. 

It is also typical to hear a host say, “mani charin kot ob-ji-man mani du-se-yo” (많이 차린 것 없지만 많이 드세요).  This phrase means ‘I haven’t prepared much but please eat to your fill anyway.’  This phrase can seem particularly ironic, especially when there is so much food prepared.  In this case the host is showing humility by understating the situation.  If it does happen to be true that there isn’t much food prepared, don’t reply by agreeing or confirming the host’s comment.  Rather deny or disagree with the host, even when it’s obvious that that’s not the case.

One thing about Korean communication that you should understand is that you shouldn’t always understand a phrase literally.  Korean people tend to state things so as to sound humble and polite.  Don’t abuse this politeness and be considerate.  The host’s politeness is not a license for you to do whatever you wish.  Remember that you should return the host’s politeness by being humble and polite as well. Ok everyone.  That’s it for today.  I know this post wasn’t really helpful but I hope you still learned a lot anyway.  (Did everyone notice my humble comment there? Lol.)

Hanbok (한복)

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Nov 24 2008

For special occasions and other formal events it’s not unusual to see Korean people wear a hanbok (한복).  For women, a hanbok (한복) consists of a fluffy skirt called a chima (치마) and a jogori (저거리), which is a short jacket with long sleeves.  The collar of the jogori (저거리) is v-necked and lined with a white band.  Older women tend to wear dark colors such as brown and gray.  However at weddings older women will wear light pastel colors similar to the color sky blue and light pink.  In general, women 50 years old and above will wear subdued colors.  It’s not considered fitting and proper for a women of mature age to wear bright colors.  However it’s quite alright for children and younger women to wear bright colors such as yellow, red, gold and green.

Hanboks (한복) can be quite expensive.  They tend to start at around $200 and cost more depending on the design and quality of silk used.  For example some hanboks (한복) have a different color cuff at the end of the sleeves.  Sometimes the cuff is lined with white rabbit fur.  My favorite hanboks (한복) are the ones with print on them.  The prints can be of various design, but they tend to be subtle so as not to overpower the dress.  The most popular prints are of Chinese characters.  A lot goes into the designs made for animals and plants.  Stichers spend hours sewing intricate details, often by hand.  Sometimes oil paints are used.  The oil paints take just as long and look very polished.

For men, hanboks (한복) tend to be a lot less elaborate.  (This is why it’s more fun to be a girl!)  They consist of baggy pants called baji (바지) and a jogori (저거리) but more in the shape of a vest.  The baji (바지) and jogori (저거리) are of different colors and sometimes they have Chinese print on them.

In the old days only nobles could wear a hanbok (한복) of different colors.  People born of low rank were required to wear a white hanbok (한복).  Today, only people who are in a state of mourning wear a white hanbok (한복).  Even if you don’t wear a hanbok (한복), it’s nice to just have one as a decorative piece in your home.  You’ll certaintly get questions about it from your guests.  So go ahead and get one!

Korean Greetings

Posted by Ginny 35 Comments
Nov 23 2008

Hello everyone!  Today we’re going to learn some important Korean greetings.  The most basic and frequently used greeting is an-nyung-ha-se-yo (안녕하세요).  An-nyung-ha-se-yo (안녕하세요) means hello.  You might be surprised to know that there is no separate greeting for good morning, good afternoon or good evening.  Whether it’s the morning, afternoon or evening, you just use the phrase an-nyung-ha-se-yo (안녕하세요). 

There is one exception.  For the phrase ‘good night’ it’s more natural to use the phrase jal ja-yo (잘 자요).  This literally means sleep well.  Now some Koreans from time to time might use the phrase jo-un a-chim (좋은 아침).  Jo-un a-chim (좋은 아침) means good morning.  However, the predominant method for saying good morning is still an-nyung-ha-se-yo (안녕하세요).  I tell my students to just learn the phrase an-nyung-ha-se-yo (안녕하세요) because it’s easier to remember and the more common greeting that Koreans use to say good morning.

Also, if you want to ask someone how they have been you can use the phrase an-nyung-ha-shim-ni-kka (안녕하십니까).  This phrase is on the formal level.  You can also say ’how are you’ as jal ji-nes-sum-ni-kka (잘 지넸습니까).  While jal ji-nes-sum-ni-kka (잘 지넸습니까) is still formal, it’s a little less formal than an-nyung-ha-shim-ni-kka (안녕하십니까).

While there is only one phrase used to say hello, there are actually two phrases that you could use to say good-bye in Korean.  Each phrase depends on the situation and the person you are talking to.  For example, if you say good-bye to your professor in the hallway and the professor is physically walking away from you, you would use the phrase an-nyung-hi ka-se-yo (안녕히 가세요).  However, if you say good-bye to your professor in his/her office and the professor stays put at his/her desk, you would say an-nyung-hi-ke-se-yo (안녕히 계세요).  As you’ve noticed, whether the person is leaving or staying put, determines the specific good-bye greeting used.

If you want to be less formal when you say good-bye, use the phrase an-nyung (안녕).  This phrase can be used whether the person you’re talking to is staying or leaving; it doesn’t matter.  However, don’t use this phrase when you’re talking to someone older than you or someone you don’t know that well.  While saying good-bye using an-nyung (안녕) is easier to remember, it can only be used with certain people.  One way I try to remember which good-bye greeting to use is by the verb stem.  The greeting used for people who are leaving contains the verb stem ka (가) which means ‘to go’ while the good bye used for people who are staying contains the verb stem ke (계) which means ‘to be.’  They are very subtle in sound, so make sure you know the difference between the two good-byes.

Ok everyone, I have to go, so for now I’m going to say daume bayo (다음에 봐요) or see you next time!

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