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?
생기 있는 – lively 생기 없는 – lifeless 생기 충만한 – energetic 생기 없는 얼굴 – a face devoid of animation 생기를 주다 – to invigorate 생기를 빼앗다 – to sap one’s vitality 생기발랄한 – vigorous
*Sample Sentences*
오늘따라 더 생기 있어 보이네요. You’re looking more alive than ever today.
이 그림에는 생기가 없다. This picture lacks soul.
아이의 얼굴에 생기가 없다. The child looks lifeless.
갑자기 그녀의 얼굴에 생기가 돌았다. Her face suddenly glowed.
프림의 얼굴은 빗방울처럼 생기 있고 앵초꽃처럼 사랑스럽다. 앵초, 즉 프림로즈에서 딴 이름이 잘 어울린다. Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named.
화제가 음악 쪽으로 가자 그는 갑자기 생기를 되찾았다. When the discussion turned to music, he suddenly came to life.
사각형 = quadrangle 사방 = the four directions, all directions 사촌 = cousin (fourth degree of relation) 사거리 = crossroads, four corners 사계절 = the four seasons
Expert, teacher
요리사 = a cook 의사 = doctor 약사 = pharmacist 교사 = teacher 강사 = lecturer, instructor 기사 <技師> – engineer, technician 사진사 <寫眞師> – photographer 사제 = teacher and student
Company
회사 = company 사원 = employee 회사원 = office worker
사장 = the president of a company 본사 = the head office, the main office 입사(하다) = entering a company 항공사 = airline (company) 여행사 = travel agency
Work, event
기사 = article (newspaper) 식사 = meal (food event) 사무실 = office 사고 = accident 만사 = all things, all affairs 공사(하다) = construction 사유 = reason, cause 행사 = event, function 인사 = greeting, farewell 농사 = farming, farm work 집사 = a butler 봉사자 = volunteer 잡사 = miscellaneous affairs
Death
사망(하다) = to die 안락사 = euthanasia (안 = comfortable) 의문사 = mysterious death 뇌사 = brain death 추락사 = death from a fall 생사 = life and death 사인 = the cause of death 사체 = dead body
Sutdy-Korean 