Korean Names & Topics
The Korean language has many differences from that of the English language. One of the biggest differences in the Korean culture is addressing someone by their full name. As you learn Korean, take into account the various ways of speaking to your elders. Take for instance somebody’s surname. This translates into “teacher”. Someone with the name Kim HyeJin would be referred to as Kim HyeJin Songsaegnim or simply Kim Songsaegnim. In other words, teacher is the equivalent of Songsaegnim.
Another difference that you may encounter with Korean names is when addressing females. When a woman marries their husband, they do not take their husbands last name. A simple example is as follows: Mrs. Park marries Mr. Won, and she may be referred to as Won songsaengnim-puin. This literally means Kim mr-wife. She could also be referred t as Misesu Park, almost the equivalent in English terminology as Ms.
Because the Korean culture prides itself on a form of hierarchy system, when acknowledging your elders you must be extra polite. To show this courteous and formal politeness, adding “yo” to the end of the last word of the sentence is commonly used. For example, instead of simply saying 'over there' in Korean, or 'yogi', you would say 'yogiyo' to show you are being extra polite.
On another note, a typical expression used in Korean is the word Kuraeyo, which literally means 'it is like that'. In other words, this could mean any of the following terms: it is, it's like that, that's right. Additionally, the same word, “Kuraeyo”, can be used to ask a question...simply, “Kurayeo?”, which means anything from “really?”, “is it like that?”, or “is that so?”.
Similar to adding a “yo” at the end of certain words, when you learn Korean, you will notice the addition of either “un” or “nun”. These are the equivalent to “as for” or “as for me”. As with the example using teacher, “Songsaengnim”, you would add the “un” at the end of it, which results in Songsaengnim-un, or “as for teacher”. Another example is “soju-nun”, which simply means “as for soju”. Notice that you attach “un” to a vowel whereas “nun” is attached to a noun.
These simple examples of addressing men, women, and the elderly should help you along your way to learning Korean. Keep these tips in mind and continue to learn Korean vocabulary, simple expressions, and basic phrases so you can soon become fluent.
For more information about learning this wonderful language, take a look at http://learnkoreantoday.com
Another difference that you may encounter with Korean names is when addressing females. When a woman marries their husband, they do not take their husbands last name. A simple example is as follows: Mrs. Park marries Mr. Won, and she may be referred to as Won songsaengnim-puin. This literally means Kim mr-wife. She could also be referred t as Misesu Park, almost the equivalent in English terminology as Ms.
Because the Korean culture prides itself on a form of hierarchy system, when acknowledging your elders you must be extra polite. To show this courteous and formal politeness, adding “yo” to the end of the last word of the sentence is commonly used. For example, instead of simply saying 'over there' in Korean, or 'yogi', you would say 'yogiyo' to show you are being extra polite.
On another note, a typical expression used in Korean is the word Kuraeyo, which literally means 'it is like that'. In other words, this could mean any of the following terms: it is, it's like that, that's right. Additionally, the same word, “Kuraeyo”, can be used to ask a question...simply, “Kurayeo?”, which means anything from “really?”, “is it like that?”, or “is that so?”.
Similar to adding a “yo” at the end of certain words, when you learn Korean, you will notice the addition of either “un” or “nun”. These are the equivalent to “as for” or “as for me”. As with the example using teacher, “Songsaengnim”, you would add the “un” at the end of it, which results in Songsaengnim-un, or “as for teacher”. Another example is “soju-nun”, which simply means “as for soju”. Notice that you attach “un” to a vowel whereas “nun” is attached to a noun.
These simple examples of addressing men, women, and the elderly should help you along your way to learning Korean. Keep these tips in mind and continue to learn Korean vocabulary, simple expressions, and basic phrases so you can soon become fluent.
For more information about learning this wonderful language, take a look at http://learnkoreantoday.com
