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?
Happy studying~!
위 = Above 아래, 밑 = Under, below 안 = Inside 밖 = Outside 앞 = In front 뒤 = Behind 옆 = Beside, next to 사이 = Between
use with ~에(서), ~(으)로, 쪽, 층, ~ㄹ/을/를, ~의 etc.
물이 우리 무릎 위로 올라왔다 = The water came above our knees. 내가 사는 아파트 위층에 사는 사람들= the people in the apartment above mine 우리는 안으로 옮겨야 했다 = We had to move inside 그 문은 안에서 잠겨 있었다 = The door was locked from the inside. 사람들이 테이블 앞에 몰려 있다 = People are crowded in front of the table 그 학교는 공원 옆에 있어 = The school is beside the park. 커튼 사이로 햇빛이 들어왔다 = The sun shone in between the curtains. 학교와 공원 사이에 있어요. = It’s between the school and the park.
자동자 위에 있어요 – It’s on top of the car. 책상 위에 컴퓨터가 있어요 – The computer is on the desk. 소파 위에서 자고 있어요 – i am sleeping on the sofa
아래/밑: under
자동자 밑에 – Under the car 책상 아래 (밑에) 구두가 있어요 – The shoes are under the desk. 나무 밑에서 책을 읽고 있어요 – i am reading a book under a tree.
앞: in front of
자동자 앞에 – In front of the car 책상 앞에 의자가 있어요. The chair is in front of the desk. 친구를 어디에서 만날 거예요? – Where are you going to meet your friends? 은행 앞에서 만날 거예요 – I will meet them in front of the bank.
뒤: behind, back
책상 뒤에 책장이 있어요 – The bookshelf is behind the desk. 자동자 뒤에 있어요 – It’s behind the car
옆: beside
자동자 옆에 – Beside the car 책상 옆에 화분 하고 옷걸이가 있어요. The coat hanger and the plant are beside the desk.
왼찍: left
책상 왼찍에 화분이 있어요. The plant is to the left of the desk.
오른찍: right
책상 오른찍에옷걸이가 있어요. The coat hanger is to the right ofthe desk.
사이: in between, among relationship or the space between certain objects or people
에 – objects 화분과 옷걸이 사이에 책상 있어요. The desk is in between the plant and the coat hanger. 은행하고 공원 사이에 있어요 – I am between the bank and the park 약국은 학교하고 경찰서 사이에 있어요 – The pharmacy is between the school and the police station
에서 – people
친구들 사이에서 인기가 많아요 – He is popular among friends
이 가수는 한국인들 사이에서 인기가 많아요 – This singer is popular among Koreans.
가은데: in the middle of
책상 가은데에 인형이 있어요. The teddy bear is in the middle ofthe desk.
중: among, between 중 – center, middle
에서, not locative
Between A and B – A하고 B 중에서 이 책하고 저 책 중에서 – Between this book and that book
Sutdy-Korean 