My Korean Husband

Intercultural Life

Category: Korean Language (Page 2 of 12)

Learning Korean and discussions about language

Rubbish

2017/03/06 / / 3 Comments

That sounds a lot worse in Korean… I’ve often heard Koreans use that when they describe someone really bad but “rubbish” in English doesn’t sound as extreme as that. This is why you can’t always directly translate things. I knew it was worse in Korean so I said it deliberately to get a reaction from Hugh. “Trash” in American English may be closer to the way the Korean word can be used, especially with the way younger people call people “trash” but probably still not the same connotations.

What other words or sayings can sound a lot worse when directly translated into English or Korean?

When I posted this comic on Instagram I had some comments like, “But what is the direct translation?” This still is the direct translation, but the point is that words have different meanings and connotations in different languages. It doesn’t always mean what you want it to. It can lead to accidentally offending!

Remembering Names

2016/12/08 / / 3 Comments

He likes the TV show “Luke Cage” but always calls it “Lucas Cage”.

There always comes a point in multicultural marriages where you get scolded for something your partner does constantly as well. I need to try harder to remember Korean names, but Hugh also thinks so many English names are interchangeable. Luckily he has never called me “Nicole” before…

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Crowd

2016/11/08 / / 2 Comments

Crowd

“Oppa” is the Korean term that I often use for Hugh as he is an older male. It can also be used in the context of our relationship as a pet name. Unfortunately in a crowd there are many “oppas” so Hugh often assumes it’s a woman calling out to another guy, and not to him. If I call out “Oppa” to him it doesn’t really get his attention. Calling out “Hugh” also doesn’t get his attention if we are in a loud place. Lately I’ve been calling out “oi” in a very Australian accent and have found it works so much better! Especially when I stress my Australian accent as he knows it’s immediately me. The word “oi” is used quite a bit in Australian English.

Hangeul Day

2016/10/09 / / 4 Comments

Hangeul Day

Happy Hangeul Day! (Also can be spelled “Hangul”). Hangeul is the Korean alphabet and Koreans are very proud of it, for good reason. I recommend reading about the creation of Hangeul.

When you first start learning Korean and discover how relatively easy the writing system is, it’s wonderful! Until you realise how hard Korean grammar is!

Hoju Olympics

2016/08/09 / / 0 Comments

Hoju Olympics

Have you been watching the Olympics? I saw one swimming race that Australia won but besides from that I haven’t seen much. Hugh has been watching more than me.

Do you know the Korean name for your own country?

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Which Meaning?

2016/07/25 / / 1 Comment

Pumpkin Comic

Hugh says: Pumpkin (hobak in Korean), the pumpkin flower is beautiful but pumpkins in Korea have a lot of wrinkles and creases so it doesn’t look pretty. So we say apples and watermelon are pretty. There is even a saying when someone is putting on a lot of makeup to try and look good, “Do you think you can look pretty just by paining black lines on you?” (Like a watermelon).

Even though I know pumpkin means something different in English, and Nichola will use the English word, my automatic reaction is to not like it. So I just tease her saying I mean both meanings when I say “pumpkin”.

Extra Large

2016/06/19 / / 7 Comments

Extra Large

Hugh runs into this problem sometimes where he says something in English and is not understood because he hasn’t used the Konglish version of what he is trying to say. It doesn’t matter if his English was correct if they can’t actually understand him. My problem is going back to Australia and using Konglish words like English.

He also sometimes uses Australian English which can further confuse people. Instead of using the American English of “take out” he will say “take awayyyyyy” in Aussie English. Some people understand it, but some don’t.

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