Archive for the ‘Learning Korean’ Category

Like “Japanese English”, “Korean English” is often used not to refer to a variety of English (like Singlish or Indian English) but to the use of English in the Korean language, including some words and expressions that were created in Korea from English and other European roots and don’t exist outside Korea. As I am using this meaning of “Konglish”, the expressions below are neither wrong English nor a variety of English but simply a category of Korean vocabulary similar to “French” expressions like “cul de sac” in English. The reasons for including them on a blog about English teaching are:
1. Korean people speaking English sometimes think they are used in other countries, and so they are an important source for error correction (in a recent Pre-Intermediate class of mine doing The Alibi Game, almost all the vocabulary mistakes were ones that were in this list), as long as it doesn’t make the students paranoid about using the vast majority of English phrases in Korean that have more or less the same meaning
2. It’s the one part of the Korean language that is interesting and accessible to people who will never even come here, including people who are teaching Korean students in other countries
3. This list took me hours, and until I manage to work out how to make some fun worksheets out of this, putting them on the blog makes me feel it wasn’t a complete waste of time…

Sorry about the uncharacteristically serious intro, but I was accused of being a racist (!) for doing a similar list of Japanese English, and have only just got over the trauma of that enough to do this with a new language and to use that list to label ones that are the same in Japanese (as well as other languages in the few cases I know) below:

• accel- accelerator- same in Japanese
• accessory- jewellery
• agree! – I agree
• all ri (from “all right”) – only used when backing up a car – same in Japanese
• American coffee- (more…)

Common differences in words that are the similar in Japanese and Korean

-tsu in Japanese is often -r in Korean, especially at the end of a word
chilmun = 質問 – shitsumon = question
yokshiri = 浴室 – yokushitsu = bathroom
susul = 手術 – shujutsu = operation (medical)
chumal = 週末 – shumatsu = weekend

A Japanese –ku has a very quiet vowel sound, and almost sounds like the –k that it is usually written as in Korean
set’akki = 洗濯機 – sentakuki = washing machine
sukpak= 宿泊 – shukuhaku= accommodation
yaksok = 約束- yakusoku = promise/appointment
toch’ak =到着- touchaku = arrival

Korean does not have lengthened vowels (written in Japanese as the vowel repeated, u after an o, or a dash)
kosok bosu = 高速バス – kousoku basu = long distance bus
chusa = 注射 – chuusha = injection
muryo = 無料 – muryou = free (no charge)
magarin = マーガリン – maagarin = margarine (pronounced in Japanese and Korean with a hard g)
chumun = 注文 – chuumon = order (in a restaurant)
chuch’a = 駐車 – chuusha = parking
toch’ak =到着- touchaku = arrival

Korean uses the pronunciation from Chinese for a single word when in Japanese that pronunciation is only used in compounds
hae = 日 – hi = sun (in Japanese, usually 太陽 – “taiyo”)
mal = 馬 – ma = horse (as a separate word rather than as part of a compound, the Japanese usually say “uma”)
yaku = 薬 – yaku = drugs/ medicines (except when used in compounds, Japanese usually pronounce that kanji “kusuri”)
san = 山 – san = mountain (as in Fuji-san, as a single word in Japanese it is pronounced “yama”)

Korean does not have sha, shu and sho sounds (only shi)
suri = 修理 – shuuri = repairs
kasu = 歌手 – kashu = singer
sajin = 写真 – shashin = photo
soryu = 書類 – shorui = documents

An initial h- or f- sound in Japanese is often p- or b- in Korean (even though Korean has initial h words)
ban = 半 – han = half
piso = 秘書 – hisho = secretary
pibu = 皮膚 – hifu = skin
p’yojune = 標準 – hyoujun = standard
pando = 半島 – hantou = peninsular (literally- half island)
podo = 歩道 – hodou = footpath
t’aep’ung = 台風 – taihuu = typhoon

t and d are often switched
toro = 道路 – douro = road
sokto = 速度 – sokudo = speed

b and p are often switched
shinbu = 新婦 – shinpu = bride

Korean is one of the languages that has always seemed so alien and has had so little impact on my life till now (apart from the most important word- “kimchi”), that I’ve had a complete mental block on even your basic “anyong haeseyo”s. Luckily, being in Japan has not only added several important words to my Korean vocabulary (bulgogi, kalbi, namul- all foods, I’m afraid) but has also made learning Korean very slightly easier. This is not because I have personally proved the historical link between the roots of the Japanese and Korean languages (I’ve finally learnt enough about linguistics to understand that I know nothing about historical linguistics), but mainly because they have both spent the last 1500 years or so importing Chinese words with the passion of present day Americans importing Chinese toys. Add in some Japlish influence on Konglish and some grammatical similarities due to something or another that I don’t understand, and there is at least enough to stop me panicking for now. It has also given me something to collect that doesn’t take up any room in my luggage:

Vocabulary similarities between Japanese and Korean Part One
Months are named “one moon”, “two moons” etc. (irwol, iwol/ ichigatsu, ni gatsu etc)

The Chinese symbols and therefore meanings of the days of the week are the same, being 日／月／火／水／木／金／土曜日 – sun/ moon/ flame/ water/ tree/ gold/ earth day. The pronunciations of Wednesday (suyoil/ suiyoubi), Thursday (mogyoil/ mokuyoubi), Friday (kumyoil/ kimyoubi) and Saturday (t’oyoil/ doyoubi) are also similar.

Many words made from English roots but not used in English are similar, e.g. wonrum = ワンルームマンション – wanruum manshon = studio apartment (from “one room”), rinsu = リンス – rinsu = conditioner (from “rinse”), otobai = オートバイ- outobai = motorbike (apparently from auto + bike), nait’u = ナイト – naito = nightclub (in Japan, of a dodgy kind). There are also hundreds of shared words borrowed directly from English, and a few from other European languages like pang = pan (Portuguese- pao = bread) and misa (Latin- misa = Catholic mass)- Looooads more on this coming up I’m sure, maybe even a whole collection!

In both languages, there are totally different words for cooked and uncooked rice and for salt and salty.

Jar and bottle is the same word (byong/ bin)

Vocabulary that is exactly the same in Japanese and Korean (more…)

This is when my studies with the Lonely Planet phrasebook started getting completely out of hand, I think I might have been just short of giggling like a school boy on the train at one point… Not that hysterics is a bad thing for language learning, mind you.

chim pogwanhami issossumyon hanundeyo = I’d like to store my luggage
 
ilbon ch’ulgu = entrance number 1
 
kaduk ch’aewojuseyo = please fill the tank

chuch’a hanunde olmaeyo = how much does it cost to park here

kio sut’ik (more…)

Here is another attempt of mine to cope with my complete lack of language learning motivation, Playstation-generation attention span and need for something new every couple of hours. And the new method is- trying to find as many rude things in the language as I can… Not a method that many schools advocate, but I think they might be missing out on a real motivator with teenage classes!

As with My Lonely Planet Is Full of Eels, all the sentences below come straight out of the Lonely Planet Korean phrasebook but it is no reflection on this rather useful publication that I found the things below amusing and so learnt them easier that way:

han-gugesonun igol ottok’e haeyo? = How do you do this in your country?

hajinun ank’o pogiman halkkeyo = I don’t mind watching, but I’d prefer not to participate (more…)

Again, if you want to learn Korean or try this vocab learning trick out, try to guess each word from your knowledge and the hints before scrolling down to check.

komun – it’s the most COMMON colour for a little dress
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Here are some actual sentences taught in the Lonely Planet Korean phrasebook which, while not quite “My hovercraft is full of eels”, tickled me once I realised that trying to find silliness was another whole motivation for using language learning materials. If it doesn’t amuse you so much first off (and you don’t have the more sensible motivation of learning Korean), try picturing saying these things to immigration or the receptionist in your hotel:

p’ibu e t’ongjung-i issoyo = I have a pain in my skin
 
maengjangul umjigilsuga opsoyo = I can’t move my appendix

chon changnogyo indeyo, kohoenun chal annagayo = I’m a Presbyterian, but I’m not practicising

imshinjung ishin-gayo? = (more…)

Read the Korean and my attempt to turn it into a picture based on the closest English sounds, see if you can guess the English meaning and then scroll down and check. Hopefully worth a look for people who are learning other languages and want to check this method out too, and a few of them are amusing (or at least amused me, which is the main point when I am learning vocab!) I’ll be putting some tips on how to use this method at the end of the posts too. Some of the Korean words are repeated, which is tip 1- do as many versions of each one as you can.

chongmaek – if you CHOMp on someone’s arm you will MAKE this bleed =
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With this little collection of vocab have a look at the expression in Korean, then my effort to make an image/ sound combination that will make it memorable and see if you can guess what the meaning might be before scrolling down to find the answer. See what you think of it as a memory technique, and then we’ll discuss it at the bottom:

ajumma – she’s the same AGE as YER MA =

(more…)