An A to Z of Korean English (Konglish) expressions

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- weak coffee, the opposite of espresso – same in Japanese, and “Americano” is used in Italian for the same thing
• apart (pronounced “apartu”) – apartment building/ block of flats
• arbeit (from the German for “work”) – part-time/ casual job  – same in Japanese
• AS / after service – after sales service- “after service” is the same in Japanese
• auto-bi (from “automatic” plus “bike”, pronounced “auto bye”) – motorbike – same in Japanese
• back- connection (to politicians etc)
• back mirror- rear view mirror – same in Japanese
• back music- background music – apparently the same in Japanese, but never heard anyone use it
• back number- number on the back of your sports shirt
• ball pen- ballpoint (pen)/ biro – same in Japanese
• band- band aid/ sticky plaster
• boiler – heating
• bond – super glue
• Burberry – trench coat.
• cash corner – ATM/ cash machine – they are sometimes labelled as such in Japanese, but in conversation it always seems to be “ATM”
• centi (pronounced “senti”, from centimetre)- cm – same in Japanese
• CF (from “commercial film”)- television advert/ commercial – “CM” (from “commercial message”) in Japanese
• chorus – choir
• cider – a soft drink similar to 7 Up, with no connection to apples – same in Japanese
• claim – complaint (demand for refund etc)
• classic – classical (music) – same in Japanese and some other languages
• clip- paper clip – same in Japanese
• cloak – cloakroom – same in Japanese
• close – closed
• clover- clubs on playing cards – I seem to remember that it is the equivalent word in Spanish playing cards too, and maybe some other Romance languages
• cola- the normal short form for Coca Cola (usually “Coke” in English) – same in Japanese and some other languages
• combi (from “combination”) – sports jacket and trousers
• condo- time share apartment
• consent- electrical outlet/ socket – same in Japanese, with no clear favourite explanation for where it comes from
• cunning- cheating in an exam – same in Japanese
• cutline – cut off point
• D/B – database
• D/C- discount
• dasu- dozen – same in Japanese
• depart – department store – same in Japanese
• dessert- a hot drink (generally coffee) after a meal
• docu- documentary
• double jacket- double-breasted jacket – apparently the same in Japanese
• driver- screwdriver – same in Japanese
• Dutch pay- going Dutch/ splitting the bill
• ekisu- extract – same in Japanese
• ero- erotic – same in Japanese
• eye shopping- window shopping
• fancy- fancy stationery
• fighting – a Korean cheer meaning “victory!” or “come on!”
• fine play – fair play
• flash- flashlight/ (electric) torch
• form – an affected manner
• four ball- billiards
• free-size – one size fits all
• free-ticket- all day ticket
• gagman- comedian
• gargle – mouthwash
• glamour- buxom (woman)
• goggle – goggles – same in Japanese
• golden ball- sudden death
• golden pants- cords/ corduroy trousers
• golden time- prime time – “golden hour” in Japanese
• gomu- rubber – same in Japanese, originally from French or Dutch depending on who you believe
• gown- dressing gown – same in Japanese
• gyps (from “gypsum”) – (plaster) cast – same in Japanese, probably originally from German like most medical terms
• hair pin- hair clip
• hand phone – mobile phone/ cell phone – similar to German “handy phone”
• handi (pronounced like “handy”) – handicap (golf)
• handle- steering wheel – same in Japanese
• heading shoot- header – same in Japanese
• headphone – headphones
• health centre – fitness centre
• health- health club
• hearing- listening comprehension – same in Japanese, and apparently a typical Chinese thing to say too
• heli (short for “helicopter”) – chopper
• hiking- cycling
• hip- buttocks – same in Japanese
• homepi- homepage/ website
• Hotchkiss (from a brand name)- stapler – same in Japanese
• ice bar- ice lolly/ popsicle
• ice skate – ice skate(s)/ ice skating
• infle (from “inflation”, but the longer word in never used and rarely understood) – inflation/ price rises – same in Japanese
• interphone- intercom – same as Japanese
• jumper- a kind of jacket (rather than a sweater, which exists as a separate word and concept) – same in Japanese
• kasu- cutlet – same in Japanese (pronounced “katsu”) and generally in Japanese restaurants
• kick board- scooter
• klaxon- (car) horn
• le-ports- leisure sports
• light coke- diet coke
• line- managerial staff
• liner – lining (of a coat)
• long leg – long legged
• LT- leadership training
• MacGyver knife (from the American TV series) – Swiss Army knife
• magic – magic marker/ permanent marker – same in Japanese
• manicure- nail polish
• mansion – luxury apartment – similar in Japanese, but the standard word for any high rise apartment building
• marker pen – (board) marker
• meeting – blind date
• melodrama- romantic drama (of whatever level of overacting)
• member ID- username (on the internet)
• menu- today’s special (it also has the same meaning as in English of a list of things to eat, although there is also an alternative Korean word for that)
• mira – (Egyptian etc) mummy – miira in Japanese- not sure which language it comes from, but it is a borrowed word and students often assume it is the same in English
• mission- transmission
• morning call- wake-up call – apparently the same in Japanese
• MT (membership training)- club initiation
• mug cup – mug – same in Japanese
• name card- business card
• necktie – tie
• night- nightclub – same in Japanese, but not meaning a disco (don’t know about in Korean)
• note- notebook- same in Japanese
• O/D- owner-driver
• O/T- orientation
• office-tel -  “office” + “hotel” – a block of flats that can be used for both offices and flats, or an office telephone
• oil bank – gas station
• oil- petrol
• old miss- old maid – apparently the same in Japanese
• one- piece- dress – same in Japanese
• one room – a bedsit/ studio apartment – in Japanese “one room mansion”
• one shot – “bottoms up”/ “down in one”
• ope- overly sensitive
• open car- convertible – same in Japanese
• opener – corkscrew, can opener etc.
• overeat -  vomit (rather than eat too much)
• pang – bread – “pan” in Japanese, both from the Portuguese “pao”
• panties- both men’s and women’s underwear (rather than just women’s)
• panty stockings- tights/ panty hose – same in Japanese, I think
• perma (from “permanent wave”) – perm – same in Japanese
• pierrot- clown – same in Japanese, from the character name of one type of clown
• pine juice – pineapple juice – same in Japanese
• plier – pliers
• pocket ball- pool (as a Korean billiard table doesn’t have pockets)
• punk -  (tyre) puncture – same in Japanese, pronounced “panku”
• quiz- word puzzle
• remo kon – remote control/ zapper – same in Japanese
• rent car – hire car/ rentacar
• res- resort hotel
• revival- cover version
• ribbon – bow – same in Japanese, I think
• rinse – conditioner – same in Japanese, although the word “conditioner” is becoming fashionable
• royal milk tea – tea made entirely with hot milk, as if it were hot chocolate – same in Japanese
• sack – backpack
• sand- sandwich – same in Japanese
• selca – “”self” + “camera” -  the act of taking photos of yourself or home video/ amateur video (according to my different sources)
• self- self service
• service- free of charge – same in Japanese
• SF- science fiction/ sci fi – same in Japanese, pronounced “esu efu”
• sharp – mechanical pencil – similar in Japanese (“sharp pen”, short for “sharp pencil”)
• short leg – short-legged
• short pants- shorts – sometimes used in Japanese
• shutter man – a man who is financially dependent on his wife
• sign- autograph – same as Japanese, but also used for signature
• ski – ski(s)/ skiing
• skin scuba – scuba-diving
• skinship- body contact – same in Japanese
• sofa – a sofa or armchair
• speaker – loudspeaker
• spo-lex- sports complex
• sports dancing-competition ballroom dancing
• stainless – stainless steel – same in Japanese
• stand- lamp – same as Japanese
• sunglass – sunglasses – same in Japanese
• surfing board – surfboard
• t- T-shirt
• talent- TV star – same in Japanese, pronounced “tarento”
• TP (transparency paper) – transparency (for OHP)
• training- sweat suit/ tracksuit – same in Japanese, or maybe “trainer”, can’t remember
• trans- transformer
• trans- transvestite/ transgender
• tube – (swimming) float
• vacance (from French) -  vacation/ holiday – same in Japanese, but rarely used
• villa- small block of flats
• vinyl- any kind of plastic, e.g. plastic bags – same in Japanese
• walker- military boots
• white – white out/ Tippex
• White Day- a day similar to Valentines where men give gifts rather than women (as in Korea it’s the women who give chocolates)- same expression and system in Japanese
• wrap- plastic wrap/ cellophane – similar in Japanese (“saran wrap”)
• Y shirt (from “white shirt”) – shirt/ dress shirt/ business shirt- the same in Japanese
• yacht – any size of boat with a sail – same in Japanese
• yoghurt- drinking/ liquid yoghurt
• Yoplait- solid yoghurt

As I don’t actually speak any Korean, I expect there are many things here that Koreans never actually say and maybe a couple of things that native speakers do say in parts of the world I’ve never been to nor taken an interest in (like Yorkshire). Corrections and suggestions for other words and expressions gratefully accepted, as well as suggested sources for more – I had a great dictionary of borrowed words in Japanese, but haven’t managed to find anything similar in Korean yet.

Tags: Lists

This entry was posted on Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 6:42 amand is filed under EIL (English as an International Language), ELF- English as a Lingua Franca, Error correction, False friends, Japanese language, Konglish, Learning Japanese, Learning Korean, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, TEFL, TESOL, Teaching English in Asia, Teaching English in Japan, Teaching English in Korea, Vocabulary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.