The text above is called "hangul," or written Korean. Though expats really have their own language in Korea (more on this below), it stems to reason every foreigner in Seoul picks up at least a little Korean (or with the case of many, more than a little--it would be a waste to live in another country and not learn the language, right?). Expats in Korea often enroll in classes in universities, join free Korean clubs and take lessons from volunteer groups, make language exchange partners, or study Korean at home using books, CDs and youtube.
The amount of Korean someone knows can often be an indication of how long they have been in Korea. But what if languages are hard for you? Well, it is true that the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) ranks Korean as a category IV language (requiring 2200 hours of study in order to gain proficiency), but luckily hangul is easy. The Korean alphabet has just 24 letters, all of which make one unique sound (so there is no confusion like when using an English "c" for example, which makes both the "k" and "s" sounds). Foreigners can pick up hangul in as little as a week and once you do it is easy to read signs in Korea, buy groceries, or send coded messages to your friends. For example:
The amount of Korean someone knows can often be an indication of how long they have been in Korea. But what if languages are hard for you? Well, it is true that the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) ranks Korean as a category IV language (requiring 2200 hours of study in order to gain proficiency), but luckily hangul is easy. The Korean alphabet has just 24 letters, all of which make one unique sound (so there is no confusion like when using an English "c" for example, which makes both the "k" and "s" sounds). Foreigners can pick up hangul in as little as a week and once you do it is easy to read signs in Korea, buy groceries, or send coded messages to your friends. For example:
해피 버쓰데이 =
HA-PEE BU-TH-DAY-EE
(happy birthday)
Cool, huh?
As mentioned at the end of the Learn tab, learning hangul can be quite necessary--it's often hard to get respect in the expat community if you haven't assimilated into Korean culture a bit (if you refuse to learn ANY Korean after months and months at the very least you will look lazy). But don't worry, in time you'll probably pick up some of the expat lingo. Some examples of the way expats in South Korea talk and the meanings behind those examples (in no particular order):
As mentioned at the end of the Learn tab, learning hangul can be quite necessary--it's often hard to get respect in the expat community if you haven't assimilated into Korean culture a bit (if you refuse to learn ANY Korean after months and months at the very least you will look lazy). But don't worry, in time you'll probably pick up some of the expat lingo. Some examples of the way expats in South Korea talk and the meanings behind those examples (in no particular order):
- Choowa: This is Korean for "it is cold" and "is it cold?" And it's a good example of how many Korean words mean full sentences in English. Stay in Korea long enough, and you will notice you start shortening many things you say. Examples: "Fun!" (it is fun!), "hungry!" (I am hungry!), "ugly!" (you are ugly!).
- Ajjuma: This is the Korean word for "married women." And The older you get in Korea, the more respect you deserve (it's related to Korea being a Confucian society). Older people in Korea, and especially women, tend to be a bit... pushy. It's not uncommon for anyone (foreigners or Korean) to get cut in line by an ajjuma, or even thrown off the sidewalk by an ajjuma! So, how do foreigners use the word? Well, start pushing your friends in Korea and see what they call you!
- Hageema: It simply means "Don't do that!" in Korean. Foreigners haven't really changed this word much--they just like to use it a lot.
- Chingu: This means "friend" in Korean. However, like many Korean nouns that foreigners use, it is usually pluralized incorrectly. Korean doesn't make a big distinction between singular and plural words. Most English speakers do though. So it's common to hear people say things like "What's up chingus?" or "Just hanging with my chingus." It's wrong, but also in the expat community, right.
- Midnight runner: Sometimes English teachers wind up working in bad schools. Hopefully it doesn't happen to you, but it is an occupational hazard (do your research before going to Korea, on sites such as hagwonblacklist on Dave's ESL Cafe). In such situations some foreigners leave their school secretly in the middle of the night. Those people are also known as "jetters."
- Soju: "Soju wanna do this?" or "Soju wanna do that?" Soju is pretty much the national drink of Korea (some people call it "Korean sake," while others call sake "Japanese soju"). Many foreigners love to throw the word into conversation in place of "so do you." It's a bit of a lame joke, but you'll hear it frequently.
- Dakcha: "Shut up" in Korean, but don't you dare say it when not surrounded by other foreigners because it's one of Korean's worst cuss words.
It's fair to say most foreigners in Korea know at least their Korean numbers, can order food and go clothing shopping, and know a few hundred nouns--and only after a couple of months. Don't believe me about learning all of those nouns? Korean for "bus" is "bus-uh." Korean for "juice" is "juice-uh." Computer is "comput-uh." Stay in Korea long enough and you'll start adding "-uh" to everything too. Nice-uh.
And another interesting thing about Korea; you learn HOW to talk, and WHEN to talk. For example, want to say a few things with your mouth full of food? A-OK! But want to have a conversation around the lunch or dinner table? It's not rude per se in Korea, but most Koreans think saying anything more than "pass this" or "that tastes good" is awkward. You save the talking for the after-meal drinks, and that's when you can learn about "second round" (exactly what it sounds like), hear "gumbae!" (cheers!), or drink some nasty "so-mae" (soju and beer combined).
And another interesting thing about Korea; you learn HOW to talk, and WHEN to talk. For example, want to say a few things with your mouth full of food? A-OK! But want to have a conversation around the lunch or dinner table? It's not rude per se in Korea, but most Koreans think saying anything more than "pass this" or "that tastes good" is awkward. You save the talking for the after-meal drinks, and that's when you can learn about "second round" (exactly what it sounds like), hear "gumbae!" (cheers!), or drink some nasty "so-mae" (soju and beer combined).
If you read the bottom of the Activities page, you know that "waygookin" means foreigner. Another word you might be called in Korea is "migookin," or "American" (yes, even if you aren't one). "Migookin" isn't anything bad, but it's interesting to note that many people think the derogatory term "gook" came from Koreans yelling "Migook" to American liberating forces during the Korean war. Americans heard "me gook," or "I'm a gook." Considering that "migook" translates directly to the compliment "beautiful country," how the word got warped is especially sad.