84. SOS Korean: 여러분, 한국말을 구해주세요! Dear Korean Learners, Please Save the Korean Language from Konglish, Francoréen, etc.!
When I was little, I was taught that Koreans were well known for their love and pride for 한글 and the Korean language. Alas, that…
Corea
82. The Importance of Repeated Words in Korean; 가곡 Gagok, or Korean Art Song; 고향 (Hometown) Interpreted by 조수미
Long before BTS and Blackpink, ordinary Koreans sang songs called “가곡 (歌曲),” which can be best translated as either “gagok” or “Korean Art Song” in…
81. The Importance of Rhyme in K-pop; Meter in 시조 Sijo, Korean Classical Poetry; Indirect Quote with -다고; Ditto (2022) by NewJeans
Rhyme is a concept reserved for poetry in European languages, generally speaking. It is not often used in Korean poetry, mainly due to the agglutinative…
80. Days of the Week and the Solar System; 애 Intestines vs. 애 Child; 마스크 걸 Mask Girl (2023), Ep. 4
In many languages, days of the week are named after words of various etymological origins. English days, for example, have both words from Norse and…
79. 인생의 갈림길에서 At a Crossroads in Life; 어쩔 수 없었어 I Didn’t Have Any Choice; 형사록 2 Shadow Detective 2 (2022), Ep. 8
Like it or not, time passes relentlessly. And life goes on. But sometimes, on some fine day, you feel suddenly sober and look back at…
78. 광복절 Liberation Day of Korea (August 15); 미스터 션샤인 Mr. Sunshine (2018), Ep. 24
In Korea, today is 광복절 (光復節) – Liberation Day, which commemorates Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allies on August 15, 1945, which ended not only…
77. A Few Idiomatic Expressions; A Cautionary Note on 감히; Love Dive by Ive (2022)
궁금하다 to be curious / to wonder about [ The subject with the subject marker (-이/가) of this Korean adjective corresponds to the object of…
76. First and Foremost, Numbers! How to Count in Korean; 아부의 왕 Mr. XXX-Kisser (2012)
What are the most important words you should learn to survive in a foreign country? How to say hello? Not really. How to say thank…
75. After All, We All Live Life Alone 어차피 인생은 혼자; A Simple Way to Ask a Tag Question; 50 Shades of the English Word “Life”; 형사록 Shadow Detective (2022), Ep. 8
In English, a tag question is formed by stating a positive sentence followed by a negative question, or vice versa: In Korean, however, you don’t…
74. How to Call In-Laws; The Simplest Negation with 안; What Do You Mean?; 아씨 두리안 Mrs. Durian (2023), Ep. 1
Koreans don’t call family members by their names, except between siblings or cousins. Of course, you call your children by the names you or your…
