Remember to try the Byki Korean to hear the complex vowels!
애 - 애인 (boyfriend/girlfriend)
얘 - 얘기하다 (to talk)
에 - 전에 (before)
예 - 예상 (anticipation)
와 - 왕자 (king)
왜 - 왜 (why)
외 - 외국 (foreign country)
워 - 월급 (salary)
웨 - 웨이터 (waiter)
위 - 위지 (dangerous situation)
의 - 의자 (chair)
Did you know that there are 10 simple Korean vowels? I’ll try and give you an idea of what these vowels sound like; with examples of words that contain these sounds in English. However, the best way to learn these vowels is to hear them over and over. The Korean Byki has a list where you can hear these vowels. Check that out for more practice.
아 - “a” like in father
야 - “ya” like in yard
어 - “u” like in cut
여 - “yu” like in yup
오 - “o” like in oil
요 - “yo” like in yoke
우 - “u” like in sue
유 - “you” like in you
으 - “o” like in hood
이 - “e” like in easy
Honorific titles can help you figure out the nature of your relationship with other people.
For example, shi (씨) can be translated as Mr./Miss/Mrs. When you use this title, you are showing a level of respect. Shi (씨) is attached at the end of the name. We’ll use Minji (민지) as the first name. Minji shi (민지 씨), means Miss/Mrs. Minji. (Minji is a typical name for a girl). Using shi (씨) also indicates a level of formality. This would be used towards strangers, but not friends.
Nim (님) is also a title of respect. Nim (님) is usually attached to professions. The difference between nim (님) and shi (씨) is that shi (씨) is used after actual names, while nim (님) is used after an occupation. The word for teacher (선생님) is a word that often has the nim (님) attached. It’s not only the professions that attach nim (님). The word for god (하나님) also contains this honorific title, so do family members like grandmother (할머님).
Sunbe (선배) is used to address someone who is either older than you or someone who has more experience in the same occupation as you. You’ll often hear the title sunbe (선배) in schools and at work. Sunbe (선배) is gender neutral, meaning you can use this towards women and men. There are rare situations where a sunbe (선배) can be younger than his collegue and yet have more experience in the workplace. In this case, it’s still okay to use the title sunbe (선배).
Ok, time to go. Najungeh ba (나중에 봐) or see you later!
Today’s sajasongo (사자성어) or four letter proverb is 초록동색 (草綠同色). 초 (草) = means “grass.” 록 (綠) = green. 동 (同) = alike. 색 (色) = color.
There’s a similar saying in English as well. Before I tell you what that English proverb is, let me give you hints as to what the Korean version could possibly mean. If we jumble the words around to make the proverb into a coherent sentence, you get something like, “like the color green gets along with the grass, so does every color that is alike get along.”
Technically, color is not an object, it’s a physical aspect of an object. However, if the grass is healthy, it’s most likely green. That’s what I mean by the “green getting along with the grass.” Green is the color that looks good on grass, hence that’s why it “gets along with the grass.” (Trust me, this makes more sense in Korean than in English)
Okay, so the English proverb that is similar to this Korean proverb is “Birds of a feather flock together.” In other words, people who are alike in personality, habits, ways of thinking are going to hang out with people who are just like them. If you connect this with the Korean proverb, it’s like saying, people with similar shades of color are likely to want to be together.
“Shades of color” is a code word for character. People who are dishonest, will tend to gravitate towards people who are dishonest. Another example is, people who are wealthy will want to hang out with people who are wealthy. Of course, there are lots of real life examples that prove this proverb to be false. However, if you look at your circle of friends, this proverb might hold true for you.
The President of the United States lives in the White House. The President of Argentina lives in the Pink House. What color house does the South Korean president live in? You guessed it, it’s the Blue House, or what is aptly called Chungwade (청와대). The Chungwade (청와대) contains the press hall or chunchukwan (춘추관), where the President makes his speeches. It also contains the guesthouse, or the youngbingwan (영빈관).
The Chungwade (청와대) is surrounded by centuries of history. It was first built by King Sukjong (숙종) in 1104 A.D. and continued to be the main palace for Korean kings up until the last king of Korea. It was then taken over by the Japanese in the 1900s and used as the headquarters for the Japanese military. Then it went back to South Korean control after WWII. In 1968 there was an infamous event when North Korean spies took over the Chungwadae (청와대). 68 South Koreans and 3 Americans died. In sum, this building has a wide span of history to it.
Not only is the Chungwade (청와대) historically valuable, it’s also located in a geographically strategic spot. The Chungwade (청와대) is surrounded by mountains. The names of these mountains are: Bukhansan (북한산), namsan (남산), and naksan (낙산). These mountains provide a natural barrier for to protect against any invasions. (Although if you look at the history behind the Chungwade (청와대), it’s protection is not absolute.) In addition to the mountains there are two bodies of water called the Chunkechun (청계천) and the hankang (한강).
Security is tight, so the only way you can see the President’s residence is to get a tour bus guide. You won’t be able to step inside the mansion, but at least you can view it from the outside.
