It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself.
믿음이 부족하기 때문에 도전하길 두려워하는 바, 나는 스스로를 믿는다.
– 무하마드 알리, Muhammad Ali
Courtesy of Hwangssabu on Twitter.
Author: jaemijamie
Want to be my 친구? (how to say ‘friend’ in Korean)
안녕하세요!
If you’re just starting to learn Korean, there are probably some phrases you want to learn. Like “Hello,” How are you,” “I really can’t speak Korean at all,” “What on earth did you just say,” and as many people like to look up first, swearwords. Continue reading
Anonymous Quote
Don’t wish for it, work for it.
바라지만 말고, 실천해.
Courtesy of Hwangssabu on Twitter.
What I’m listening to…
What is 기분이 and why is it 좋아?
안녕하세요!
Well, between being sick for a week and then being extremely busy, I’ve been too swamped to post anything lately. So what could possibly drive me to write a post?
Jay Park.
Have you heard his latest single? Joah? It’s become my anthem since I bought it on iTunes last Saturday, and I have no regrets about keeping it on repeat along with K.Will’s Love Blossom and Standing Egg’s 사랑한대 ft. Windy. Jay Park’s song came just in time to herald some sunnier days and the hopefully imminent arrival of true spring – not to mention the allure of summer… Continue reading
Jim Ryun
Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going.
출발하게 만드는 힘이 ‘동기’라면, 계속 나아가게 만드는 힘은 ‘습관’이다.
– 짐 룬, Jim Ryun
Courtesy of Hwangssabu on Twitter.
Victor Hugo
People do not lack strength, they lack will.
강인함이 부족한 것이 아니라 의지가 부족한 것이다.
– 빅토르 위고, Victor Hugo
Courtesy of Hwangssabu on Twitter.
Do NOT tell someone you’re excited – mistakes in Korean
안녕하세요!
I seem to have a propensity for making awful mistakes while learning Korean. If you think of either an inappropriate or an extremely simple, everybody-knows-this word, I’ve probably already used it accidentally in a conversation with a language partner. The mistake I’m focusing on in this post is one that I must blame entirely on my lazy Google Translate ways. I have brought dishonor on my language-learning.
In one of my early conversations with an italki language buddy on Kakaotalk, we were discussing college. He told me that studying in college would help my Korean. I replied with,
“그죠? ^_^ 흥분해요~”
“Right? I’m excited*~”
I hadn’t already known the word for ‘to be excited,’ so in my haste to reply, I had grabbed the phrase from Google Translate. If I’d gone to Naver‘s online dictionary or used my Naver app for it, maybe I’d have already known what he was about to say.
“haha 흥분해요 usually means sexually excited.”
If you search 흥분 in Naver’s dictionary, you discover that not only does the word have several usages meaning excitement, agitation, upset, to be thrilled, but it also turns up as parts of phrases that mean to arouse and to stimulate.
Talk about being an awkward conversationalist. You’re jealous of my mistake-making abilities, aren’t you? Have you made any awkward mistakes while learning a language? Or do you know how to properly tell someone in Korean that you’re excited (to hear good news, to do something fun, to try something new)? Please leave a comment!
감사합니다!
KakaoTalk: yet another app you need
안녕하세요!
If you’ve been studying Korean and trying to connect with native speakers on site like italki, Livemocha, or other language learning networks, you’ve probably encountered the usual, “혹시 카카오톡 있으세요?” Do you have Kakaotalk? And while yes, many people have Skype, Facebook, or at least an email, in Korea, they also use Kakaotalk.
Kakao is a (mostly) free messaging app that allows you to send chat messages, pictures and videos, have voice calls, and send these awesome little moving emoticons – some you can download for free, some you can buy. It’s relatively easy to set up an account, and it allows you to easily connect to other users. I use it to speak with Korean speakers. Some of my other friends use it as well, and we use it to chat instead of Facebook or texting.
Kakaotalk has numerous related apps, from drawing to games (like Anipang!) to a mini social-networking app called KakaoStory, where you can post pictures and stories, comment on other peoples’ stuff, and absorb more of your life into technology. I think I have an overwhelming count of three KakaoStory friends.
Yo! 얼마나 있나?
Basically, if you’re learning Korean, Kakaotalk is a great app, because you can message native speakers and they’re much more likely to respond – and that response is usually faster than just messaging on a language learning site. Also, it’s a great place to make mistakes and then learn from them.
Do you already use Kakaotalk? Or do you prefer to use Line by Naver Japan? I have both apps and I’m curious to see which one people like better.
감사합니다!
{seoul} dream’s 노래 for today:
Leessang feat. Yoon Do Hyun – Someday
Familial Titles in Korean: Who Are You?
Sometimes at big family reunions, you might find yourself staring at a relative and wondering who on earth they are. Hopefully not in English, but you’re wondering this in Korean. 누구세요? Who are you? What do I call you in Korean? Or perhaps you think you know what to call them but apparently you don’t and you should just give up because you brought tears to everyone’s eyes when you called your older sister by the wrong title. Not that I’ve ever done that…
Ahem. So, go ahead and start learning all those titles. I have two sites to get you started. Firstly, here’s a site with a list of major relative titles, from close family members to your eldest brother’s wife and your younger sister’s husband. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include titles for cousins and such, so you should also check out this site, which includes a lot more! Like a video, which is almost always awesome.
Speaking of awesome videos, Talk To Me In Korean has a plethora of these.
Korean Kinship Terms Part 1 (Oppa, Nuna, Hyeong, etc.)
Korean Kinship Terms Part 2 (Parents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts…)
And by the way, if you’re a girl, don’t ever call your older sister 누나. Not that I’ve ever done that. 그죠, 언니?
Mistakes in Korean: And with one word, I changed my gender
안녕하세요!
If you know a little bit about Korean culture and how Koreans generally refer to each other with titles based on their relationship and gender, you’ll probably be very disappointed in this failure of mine. It’s a mistake on something so elementary (and you know I just wanted to use that word instead of basic—makes me feel like Sherlock Holmes—don’t judge me) that I cringe every time I remember reading the comment on my italki post.
A while ago, I wrote an italki post about how my sister and her husband just bought their first house. I was extremely excited as I began to type.
“오늘은 우리…”
And with the third word, I already made a mistake and essentially changed my gender.
“…누나이랑매형”
오, 오, 오오오오오~!!!! 이거 봐?!
Nuna? Nuna?
What is nuna, you ask. Allow me to explain. Nuna is the name given to a close older sister or female friend of a guy.
Just so you know, my friend, I am female. In Korean, I should call my older sister eonni. 언니.
Perhaps you don’t think this isn’t that bad of a mistake but I was extremely embarrassed.
(Not to mention I used the wrong version of irang/rang to link my sister and my brother-in-laws titles, and his title was also wrong because it should’ve been 형부 for a girl calling her brother-in-law. But you don’t need to know that I did that. It’s just my personal insult to injury. Oh thanks, brain. You da best.)
Have you made any mistakes while language learning?
감사합니다!
서울드림 