창덕궁은 좀 더 유명한 경복궁 옆에 있는데 경복궁보다 조금 더 볼 만한 것 같아요. 경복궁도 정말 좋지만 창덕궁에는 볼 것이 더 많고 아주 예뻐서 구경하기가 좋아요. 건물들은 땅의 모양에 따라 자연스럽게 지어져 있고 경복궁보다 좀 더 오래된 건물도 아직 남아 있어요.
Changdeokgung Palace is next to the slightly more popular Gyeongbokgung Palace, but I think it’s a little better. Gyeongbokgung is really good but Changdeokgung has a lot to see and is really beautiful. The buildings are built naturally into the surroundings and some much older buildings still remain there.
As a beginner, 반말 and 존댓말 is really all you need to know^^
And if you’re a beginner you really don’t need to read the rest of this answer because it’s me getting way too in depth. But you can if you’re interested haha
^Here is a chart with the levels of formality, but only 해체 해요체 and 합쇼체 are common in modern Korean. You may hear elder people use 해라체/하게체, while 하오체 is basically only used when people are being jokingly formal (in my experience).
It’s helpful to know all of them if you want to understand historical dramas/movies.
Even with only the three main levels, 높임법 is tricky, even for advanced speakers, and even for native Koreans at times.
It’s difficult for foreigners because not only does it sometimes involve different endings (-요) and particles (-시) but many of the nouns/verbs differ depending on who is speaking and who is being spoken to.
The nouns are simple enough, if you memorize them.
집>댁, 나이>연세, 밥>진지, 사람>분 etc
The verbs are a little more complicated.
to give: 주다(speaker respecting neither side over the other), 드리다 (speaker respecting receiver), 주시다(speaker respecting giver)
All the ways to ask someone if they ate:
밥 먹었어? (familiar, listener is below/at same level of speaker)
밥 먹었어요? (unfamiliar, listener is below/at same level of speaker)
식사하셨어요? (listener is above speaker, like a parent)
진지 잡수셨어요? (listener is even more above speaker, like a grandmother)
The verb changes based on whether the formality is direct/indirect.
아버지 집에 계시니? : 직접 높임 (direct) > notice how this isn’t 해요체, but it still uses -계시다(formal version of -있다) to respect the subject.
집에 키우는 개가 있으세요? : 간접 높임 (indirect) > notice how grammatically the subject is the dog, which is why -계시다 is not used, but the -시 particle is still used to respect the person who has the dog.
할머니 어디가 편찮으세요? : 직접 높임 (direct) > 편찮다 is used as the formal version of 아프다 to respect the subject.
치아가 아프세요? : 간접 높임 (indirect) > notice how grammatically the subject is the tooth, which is why -편찮다 is not used, but the
-시 particle is still used to respect the person who has the tooth.
This can be difficult for even Koreans because the extent of indirect formality isn’t clear. For example, many Koreans would be appalled at a sentence like “음료가 나오셨습니다” while others insist it’s indirect formality.
And then there’s particles like -께서(는) and -께, which seem simple enough (replacing -는 and -한테 when attached to subject that is above speaker), until you’re in a situation like this:
There’s also this funny thing where Koreans make writing more formal than speech. For example, some Koreans will speak to their parents in mostly 반말 but text them in 존댓말. Or talk to their professors in 해요체 but email them in only 합쇼체.
I bought this book on a whim a while back because both the inside and outside are very pretty, with lots of nice illustrations. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a nice cover! 김수민’s 너에게 하고 싶은 말, which is a compilation of little episodes from a Facebook page of the same name, is a sort of life-advice book, discussing how to maintain good relationships with others, distance yourself from unhealthy relationships, solve problems within relationships, and so on. Each individual episode is very short, and they’re spaced out in a sort of poetic way, making this a book that one could easily blow through in a few sittings.
As for this book’s value to Korean learners… most of the books that I read I would recommend only for advanced learners, but the simple style of the writing and the overall uncomplicated vocabulary and grammar used here would make this a perfect jumping point for someone at the intermediate level looking to getting into reading authentic Korean texts! You could read a few short episodes at a time, make sure you understand everything going on in those, and then move on fairly easily.
Concerning how I personally feel about the book… it’s hard to say. This sort of life-advice stuff is hit or miss, so some sections I find myself identifying with a lot, and some of the advice I don’t quite agree with, but overall I like the calm style of the writing and being able to sit down and read without having to keep track of a plot and a ton of characters (my brain capacity is running a bit low these days!).
Overall, I think this book is a good choice if you 1. want a fairly quick and painless read 2. are an intermediate learner looking for something not-too-heavy to start your foray into Korean literature and/or 3. you like pretty pictures 🙂
No one likes bland food, so obviously no one likes bland food descriptions. Due to Korea’s love for food, there’s an incredible amount of ways to describe food. We’re going to look at some fun ways to describe food beyond the basic 맵다, 달다, etc. Because there are so many adjectives, they each have subtle differences, so each one has an example with it. These are arranged from top to bottom by strength.
Girl you salty,
짜디짜다 – Too salty. (Ex. saltines) 짜디짠 바닷물을 마시니까 정신이 번쩍 든다. – Drinking the really salty seawater shocks me back to my senses.
짭조름하다 – Slightly salty.(Ex. seaweed) 바다에 오니까 공기에서 짭조름한 맛이 느껴져. – Just coming to the beach I can taste the saltiness in the air.
짭짤하다 – Slightly salty, but makes you want to keep eating it. (Ex. potato chips) 맥도날드에서 프랜치 후라이를 더 짭짤하게 먹고 싶으면 소금 더 쳐달라고 하면 돼. – If you want your fries to be extra salty at McDonalds, then you can ask them to put more salt on.
간간하다 – Just the right amount of saltiness (Ex. soup) 설랑탕의 간이 간간해서 딱 좋아. – The ox-bone soup’s perfect because theseasoning is on point.
Don’t be bitter,
쓰디쓰다 – Very bitter(ex. Espresso) 이 쓰디쓴 에스프레소를 내 고독과 마신다. – I drink this overly bitter espresso with my solitude.
쌉쌀하다 – Bitter (ex. Coffee, Medicine) 티백을 너무 오래 두면 맛이 쌉쌀해지더라. – If you leave a teabag in too long it’ll become bitter.
씁쓰름하다 – Slightly bitter (ex. Arugula) 봄나물은 씁쓰름한 맛에 먹는거지. – You eat the spring greens to taste the slight bitterness.
Blander than bland-flakes,
밍밍하다 / 맹맹하다 – Very bland, no taste 이 주스 너무 밍밍한데? 물 탄 거 아니야? – This juice is too bland. Is it mixed with water?
심심하다 – Bland (also means boring) 간을 안한 스크램블 에그는 너무 심심하지 않아? – Aren’t unseasoned scrambled eggs a bit bland (boring)?
싱겁다 – Under-seasoned, slightly bland 싱거우신 분들은 옆에 다대기를 원하시는만큼 넣으세요. – Anyone who thinks the soup is a little bland, you can add as much of the pepper paste next to you as you want.
Welcome to another 漢字 배우자! post~! Today we’ll be looking at “야.”
If you watch Korean dramas, I’m sure you’ve heard “야!” being yelled at someone plenty of times. It’s sort of like yelling “Hey!” at someone to get their attention or let them know they need to back off. However, the 야—or, rather, the 야s—that we will be looking at today are a bit different.
I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of words using “야” in them over the course of your Korean studies, including (but certainly not limited to) words like 야근, 야구, 야채, 야시장, 야외, 야생… The list goes on! But did you know these words are derived from 한자? In the short list of vocab above, we have two different 야s. Let’s check them out to see how they contribute to the meaning of the words we find them in.
들 야 野
Our first 야 is 들 (field) 야 野. Words that contain this character are related to nature and the outdoors. for example:
야채 野菜
들 야 野, 나물 ([edible] plant/vegetable) 채 菜
If we combine these two characters, we get a word that literally means “field plant” or “field vegetable.” Simply, we can just call these vegetables!
야외 野外
들 野; 바깥 (outside) 외 外
Made of a combination of “field” and “outside,” 야외 野外 simply refers to the outdoors or outside. For example, you can enjoy a show at a 야외 극장, or an outdoor/open-air theater.
야생 野生
들 野, 날 (to appear) 생 生
야생 野生 refers to something that has appeared from the field. In English, we could simply say that this word refers to things that are wild or in the wild. An example is 야생 식물, or “wild plants/vegetation.”
야구 野球
들 野, 공 (ball) 구 球
This combo of “field” + “ball” gives us a very literal description of “baseball!”
평야 平野
평평할 (flat, even) 평 平, 들 野
This one is also very literal. This word refers to a flat field, or a plain.
분야 分野
나눌 (to divide) 분 分, 들 野
분야 分野 refers to a division of an area. In English we could translate 분야 to “field,” as in someone’s 연구 분야 (research field).
밤 야 夜
Our second 야 is 밤 (night) 야 夜. It’s pretty self-explanatory! Words containing this character will have something to do with nighttime.
야근 夜勤
밤 夜, 부지런할 (diligent, hard-working) 근 勤
What is being diligent or hard-working at night called…? Overtime! 야근 夜勤 is super-common in Korean companies. If you don’t stay late on the regular, your boss might not think you’re sufficiently committed!
야시장 夜市場
밤 夜, 저자 (old term for “market”) 시 市, 마당 (garden, yard) 장 場
야시장 夜市場 is a pretty literal word meaning “night market.”
야간 夜間
밤 夜, 사이 (space) 간 間
야간 夜間 refers to the space of the night or, far more naturally, “night time.” For example, you could say something occurred at night (야간에), or you can ask your male Korean friends who have gone to the army how they feel about 야간 근무 (night duty). On second thought, they might be trying to forget…
야경 夜景
밤 夜, 경치 (scenery) 경 景
A combination of “night” + “scenery”, 야경 夜景 refers to the night views. A lot of tourists in Seoul like to go to Namsan Tower to check out the 야경 from up high! If you decide to go, make sure you go on a day when the air is clear or you might be disappointed.
야식 夜食
밤 夜, 밥 (rice, meal) 식 食
A meal at night… This is the Korean word for “midnight snack”!
야행성 夜行性
밤 夜, 다닐 (to go, frequent) 행 行, 성품 (characteristic) 성 性
Something that has the characteristic of going around at night is nocturnal. How many 야행성 夜行性 animals can you think of?
Sutdy-Korean 