The sole official tongue of both North and South Korea, the Korean language is used by upwards of seventy million people, making it by some estimates the eleventh most spoken in the world. A highly tricky language to pick up, much to the chagrin of linguists it remains stubbornly “unclassified” on the global language tree, its very origins something of a mystery. Some lump it in with the Altaic group (itself rather vague), which would put it on the same branch as Turkish and Mongolian, though many view it as a language isolate. Korean is therefore in the same boat as Japanese, its closest linguistic brother; both share a subject-object-verb syntax and similar grammar, though well over half of the Korean words themselves actually originate from China. Korea also used Chinese text for centuries, even after creating its own characters – known as hangeul – in the 1440s, but now almost exclusively uses the local system for everyday functions.
Native speakers of European languages will encounter some highly significant grammatical differences. Korean nouns remain unaffected whether they refer to singular or plural words; very little use is made of articles; and verbs do not change case according to who or what they’re referring to – gayo can mean “I go”, “he/she/it goes” or “we/they go”, the meaning made clear by the context. Verbs do, however, alter depending on which level of politeness the speaker desires to use. The country’s Confucian legacy is still evident, so the conversation will sound quite different depending on whether it’s between a child and a mother, a boss and an employee, or even good friends of slightly different age. In general, it’s pretty safe to stick to verbs with the polite – yo ending.
Many foreigners find Korean text, a scrawl of circles and Tetris shapes, surprisingly easy to learn. Koreans are immensely proud of hangeul, which they see as the world’s most logical written system. While this is no great exaggeration, the efficiency also has a downside – user-friendly it may well be, but in reality hangeul is a very narrow system that cannot cope with sounds not found in the Korean language, a fact that partially explains the Korean people’s generally poor pronunciation of foreign tongues. Koreans tend to assume that foreigners don’t have the inclination or mental capability to decipher hangeul, so your efforts will not go unappreciated.
Hangeul
Korean characters are grouped into syllabic boxes of more-or-less equal size, and generally arranged left-to-right – if you see a line of text made up of eighteen of these character-chunks, it will have eighteen syllables when spoken. The way in which the characters fall into the boxes is rather unique and takes a bit of figuring out – some have two characters in the top half and one at the bottom (the top two are read left-to-right, followed by the bottom one, so 
makes han), while others have two or three characters arranged vertically (these are read downwards, so 
makes guk). Thus put together, we have 
– hanguk, meaning “Korea”. The basic building blocks are listed here, though note that some of these symbols change sounds depending on whether they’re at the beginning or end of a syllable or word (syllable-ending sounds are bracketed in the boxed text), and that “ng” is used as an initial null consonant for syllables that start with a vowel. Guides to pronouncing the vowel clusters are given in the next section; there also exist consonantal clusters, though these are beyond the scope of this guide. A short history of the text is given in the “Introduction”.
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g (k) |
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n |
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d (t) |
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r/l |
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m |
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b (p) |
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s (t) |
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j (t) |
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ch (t) |
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k |
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t |
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p |
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h |
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ng |
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a |
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ya |
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eo |
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yeo |
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o |
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yo |
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u |
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yu |
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eu |
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i |
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e |
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ae |
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ye |
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yae |
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wi |
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we |
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wae |
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wa |
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oe |
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ui |
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wo |
Pronouncing Korean words is a tough task – some sounds simply do not have English-language equivalents. You’ll see from the Hangeul box that there’s only one character for “l” and “r”, with its actual sound some way in between the two – try saying both phonemes at the same time. The letters “k”, “d”, “b” and “j” are often written “k”, “t”, “p” and “ch”, and are pronounced approximately half-way towards those Roman equivalents; unfortunately, the second set also have their place in the official system, and are usually referred to as aspirated consonants, accompanied as they are by a puff of air. Consonants are fairly easy to master – note that some are doubled up, and spoken more forcefully – but pronunciation guides to some of the tricky vowels and dipthongs are as follows (British English readings offer the closest equivalents):
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a |
as in “car” |
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ya |
as in “Jan” |
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eo |
as in “hot” |
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yeo |
as in “yob” |
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o |
pronounced “ore” |
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yo |
pronounced “your” |
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u |
as in “Jew” |
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yu |
pronounced “you” |
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eu |
like the e in “bitten”; grimace and make a quick “uhh” sound of disgust |
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i |
as in “pea” |
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e |
as in “bed” |
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ae |
as in “air” |
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ye |
as in “yet” |
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yae |
as in “yeah” |
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wi |
as in “window” |
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we |
as in “wedding” |
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wae |
as the beginning of “where” |
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wa |
as in “wag” |
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oe |
as in the beginning of “way” |
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ui |
no English equivalent; add an “ee” sound to eu above |
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wo |
as in “wad” |
Transliteratary troubles
Rendering the Korean language in Roman text is a battle that can never be won – a classic problem of square pegs and round holes. Numerous systems have been employed down the years, perhaps best exemplified in the Korean family name now usually romanized as “Lee”: this has also been written as Rhee, Li, Ri, Lih, Rhi, Ree, Yi, Rii and more besides. Under the current system it would be “I”, but the actual pronunciation is simply “ee” – it’s amazing how much trouble a simple vowel can cause (especially when almost a fifth of the country has this name).
A Korean’s age, schooling, family and even lifestyle influence the way that they’ll romanize a given word, but official standards have long been in place. The Yale and McCune-Reischauer systems became widely accepted in the 1940s, and the latter is still much in evidence today; under its rules, aspirated consonants are marked with apostrophes, and certain vowels with breves. One problem – other than looking ugly – was that these punctuation markings are often neglected, even in language study books; though it remains the official system in North Korea, the South formulated its own system of revised romanization in 2000. While this is far from perfect, it’s the official standard, and has been used throughout this guide; exceptions include names of the many hotels, restaurants, universities and individuals who cling to the old ways. One other issue is the Korean syllable shi; this is now romanized as si, a rather ridiculous change since it takes Koreans years of language classes before they can pronounce the syllable without palatalizing it – “six” and “sister” will be pronounced “shix” and “shister”. We’ve written it as shi in the language listings to help you achieve the correct pronunciation, but obeyed the official system in the rest of the guide – Sinchon is pronounced “Shinchon”, Sapsido “Sapshido”, and so on.
Koreans find it hard to render foreign words in hangeul as there are many sounds that don’t fit into the system – the difficulties with “l” and “r” sharing the same character being an obvious example – but even when parallels exist they are sometimes distorted. The letter “a” is usually written as an “e” or “ae” in an unsuccessful effort to Americanize the pronunciation – “hat”, for example, will be pronounced “het” by the majority of the population.
Basics
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Yes |
ye/ne |
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No |
aniyo |
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Please (asking for something) |
…juseyo |
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Excuse me |
shillye hamnida |
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I’m sorry |
mian hamnida |
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Thank you |
gamsa hamnida |
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You’re welcome |
gwaenchan-ayo |
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What? |
muot? |
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When? |
eonje? |
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Where? |
eodi? |
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Who? |
nugu? |
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How? |
eotteokke? |
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How much? |
eolma-eyo? |
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How many? |
myeokke-eyo? |
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I want… |
…hago-shipeoyo |
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Please help me |
dowa-juseyo |
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Communicating
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I can’t speak Korean |
jeo-neun hangugeo-reul mot haeyo |
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I can’t read Korean |
jeo-neun hangugeo-reul mok ilgeoyo |
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Do you speak English? |
yeongeo halsu-isseoyo? |
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Is there someone who can speak English? |
yeongeo-reul haljul a-neun bun isseoyo? |
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Can you please speak slowly? |
jom cheoncheonhi malhae jusilsu isseoyo? |
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Please say that again |
dashi han-beon mal haejuseyo |
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I understand/I see |
alasseoyo |
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I (really) don’t understand |
(jal) mollayo |
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What does this mean? |
i-geot museun ddeushi-eyo? |
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How do you say (x) in Korean? |
(x) eul/reul hanguk-eoro eotteoke mal haeyo? |
(x) |
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Please write in English |
yeongeo-ro jegeo jushillaeyo |
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Please wait (a moment) |
(jamggan) gidariseyo |
( |
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Just a minute |
jamggan manyo |
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Meetings and greetings
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Hello; Good morning/afternoon/evening |
annyeong haseyo |
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Hello (polite) |
annyeong hashimnikka |
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How are you? |
jal jinaesseoyo? |
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I’m fine |
jal jinaesseoyo/jo-ayo |
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Nice to meet you |
bangapseumnida |
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Goodbye (when staying) |
annyeong-hi gaseyo |
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Goodbye (when leaving) |
annyeong-hi gyeseyo |
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What’s your name? |
ireum-i eotteokke doeshimnikka? |
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My name is… |
ireum-i … imnida |
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Where are you from? |
eodi-eso wasseoyo? |
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I’m from… |
…eso wasseoyo |
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Korea |
han-guk |
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Britain |
yeong-guk |
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Ireland |
aillaendeu |
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America |
mi-guk |
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Australia |
oseuteureillia/hoju |
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Canada |
kae-nada |
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New Zealand |
nyu jillaendeu |
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South Africa |
nam apeurika |
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How old are you? |
myeot-sal ieyo? |
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I am (age) |
(age)-sal ieyo |
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Do you like…? |
…...jo-a haeyo? |
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I like… |
jo-a haeyo |
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I don’t like… |
an jo-a haeyo |
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Do you have (free) time? |
shigan isseoyo? |
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Numbers
Rather confusingly, the Korean language has two separate number systems operating in parallel – a native Korean system, and a Sino-Korean system of Chinese origin – and you’ll have to learn according to the situation which one to use. To tell the time, you’ll actually need both – amazingly, minutes and hours run on different systems! The native Korean system only goes up to 99, and has been placed on the right-hand side of the readings in the list here. Dates and months use the Sino-Korean system alone, with il (sun) used as a suffix for days, and wol (moon) for months: June 7 is simply yuk-wol chil-il.
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Zero |
yeong/gong |
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One |
il/hana |
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Two |
i (pronounced “ee”)/dul |
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Three |
sam/set |
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Four |
sa/net |
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Five |
o/daseot |
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Six |
yuk/yeoseot |
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Seven |
chil/ilgop |
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Eight |
pal/yeodeol |
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Nine |
gu/ahop |
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Ten |
shib/yeol |
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Eleven |
shib-il/yeol-hana |
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Twelve |
shib-I/yeol-dul |
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Twenty |
i-shib/seumul |
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Thirty |
sam-shib/seoreun |
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One hundred |
baek |
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Two hundred |
i-baek |
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Thousand |
cheon |
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Ten thousand |
man |
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One hundred thousand |
sim-man |
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One million |
baeng-man |
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One hundred million |
eok |
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Time and dates
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Now |
jigeum |
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Today |
o-neul |
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Morning |
achim |
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Afternoon |
ohu |
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Evening |
jeonyok |
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Night |
bam |
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Tomorrow |
nae-il |
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Yesterday |
eoje |
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Week |
ju |
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Month |
wol/dal |
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Year |
nyeon |
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Monday |
wolyo-il |
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Tuesday |
hwayo-il |
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Wednesday |
suyo-il |
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Thursday |
mogyo-il |
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Friday |
geumyo-il |
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Saturday |
toyo-il |
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Sunday |
ilyo-il |
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What time is it? |
myo-shi-eyo? |
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It’s 10 o’clock |
yeol-shi-eyo |
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10.20 |
yeol-shi i-shib-bun |
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10.30 |
yeol-shi sam-shib-bun |
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10.50 |
yeol-shi o-ship-bun |
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Transport and travel
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Aeroplane |
bihaenggi |
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Airport |
gonghang |
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Bus |
beoseu |
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Express bus (terminal) |
gosok beoseu (teominal) |
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Intercity bus (terminal) |
shi-oe beoseu (teominal) |
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City bus |
shinae beoseu |
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Airport bus |
gonghang beoseu |
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City bus stop |
jeong-ryu-jang |
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Train |
gicha |
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Train station |
yeok |
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Subway |
jihacheol |
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Ferry |
yeogaek-seon |
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Ferry terminal |
yeogaek teominal |
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Left-luggage office |
jimbogwanso |
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Ticket office |
maepyoso |
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Ticket |
pyo |
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Platform |
seunggangjang |
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Bicycle |
jajeon-geo |
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Taxi |
taek-shi |
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Directions and general places
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Where is (x)? |
-i/ga eodi-eyo? |
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Straight ahead |
jikjin |
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Left |
oen-jjok (pronounced “wen-chok”) |
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Right |
oreun-jjok |
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Behind |
dwi-e |
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In front of |
ap-e |
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North |
buk |
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South |
nam |
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East |
dong |
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West |
seo |
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Map |
maep/jido |
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Entrance |
ip-gu |
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Exit |
chul-gu |
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Art gallery |
misulgwan |
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Bank |
eunhaeng |
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Beach |
haebyeon |
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Department store |
baekhwajeom |
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Embassy |
daesagwan |
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Hot spring spa |
oncheon |
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Museum |
bangmulgwan |
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Park |
gongwon |
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Sea |
haean/bada |
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Temple |
Jeol/sachal |
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Toilet |
hwajang-shil |
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Tourist office |
gwan-gwang annaeso |
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Accommodation
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Hotel |
hotel |
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Motel |
motel |
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Guesthouse |
yeogwan |
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Budget guesthouse |
yeoinsuk |
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Rented room |
minbak |
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Youth hostel |
yuseu hoseutel |
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Korean-style room |
ondol-bang |
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Western-style room |
chimdae-bang |
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Single room |
shinggeul chimdae |
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Double room |
deobeul chimdae |
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Twin room |
chimdae dugae |
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En-suite room |
yokshil-ddallin bang |
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Shower |
syaweo |
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Bath |
yokjo |
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Key |
ki |
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Passport |
yeogwon |
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Do you have any vacancies? |
bang isseoyo? |
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I have a reservation |
jeo-neun yeyak haesseoyo |
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I don’t have a reservation |
jeo-neun yeyak anhaesseoyo |
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How much is the room? |
bang-i eolma -eyo? |
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Does that include breakfast? |
gagyeok-e achim-shiksa poham-dwae isseoyo? |
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One/two/ three nights |
haruppam/ i-bak/ sam-bak |
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One week |
il-ju-il |
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May I see the room? |
bang jom bolsu-isseoyo? |
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Shopping, money and banks
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Bank |
eunhaeng |
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Foreign exchange |
woe-hwan |
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Won |
won |
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Pounds |
pa-un-deu |
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Dollars |
dalleo |
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Cash |
don |
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Travellers’ cheque |
yeohaengja supyo |
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How much is it? |
eolma-eyo? |
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It’s too expensive |
neomu bissayo |
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Please make it a little cheaper |
jom kkakka-juseyo |
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Do you accept credit cards? |
keurediteu kadeu gyesan dwaeyo? |
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Post and telephones
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Post office |
uche-guk |
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Envelope |
bongtu |
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Letter |
pyeonji |
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Postcard |
yeopseo |
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Stamp |
u-pyo |
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Airmail |
hanggong u-pyeon |
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Surface mail |
seonbak u-pyeon |
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Telephone |
jeon-hwa |
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Fax |
paekseu |
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Telephone card |
jeonhwa kadeu |
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Internet café |
PC-bang |
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I would like to call... |
...hante jeonhwa hago-shipeoyo |
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May I speak to... |
...jom baggwo juseyo |
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Hello? |
yeoboseyo? |
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Health
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Hospital |
byeongwon |
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Pharmacy |
yak-guk |
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Medicine |
yak |
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Doctor |
uisa |
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Dentist |
chigwa-uisa |
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Diarrhoea |
seolsa |
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Nausea |
meseukkeo-um |
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Fever |
yeol |
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Food poisoning |
shikjungdok |
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Antibiotics |
hangsaengje |
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Antiseptic |
sodok-yak |
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Condom |
kondom |
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Penicillin |
penishillin |
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Tampons |
tampon |
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I’m ill |
jeo-neun apayo |
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I have a cold |
gamgi geoll-yeosseoyo |
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I’m allergic to... |
…allereugi-ga isseoyo |
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It hurts here |
yeogi-ga apayo |
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Please call a doctor |
uisa-reul bulleo juseyo |
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Places
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Restaurant |
sikdang |
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Korean barbecue restaurant |
galbi-jip |
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Korean staples (fast food) restaurant |
gimbap-cheonguk |
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Seafood restaurant |
hoet-jip |
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Western-style restaurant |
reseutorang |
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Italian restaurant |
itallian reseutorang |
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Chinese restaurant |
jungguk-jip |
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Japanese restaurant |
ilshik-jip |
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Burger bar |
paeseuteu-pudeu-jeom |
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Convenience store |
pyeonui-jeom |
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Market |
shijang |
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Café |
kape |
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Bar |
ba/suljip |
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Club |
naiteu-keulleob |
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Expat bar |
woeguk-in ba (pronounced “way-guk-in ba”) |
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Makkeolli bar |
makkeolli-jip |
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Soju tent |
pojangmacha |
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Where’s (a) ... ? |
...eodi isseoyo? |
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Ordering
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Waiter/Waitress (lit. “Here!”) |
yeogiyo! |
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How much is that? |
eolma-eyo? |
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I would like... |
...hago shipeoyo |
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May I have the bill? |
gyesanseo juseyo? |
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I’m a vegetarian |
jeo-neun chaeshikju uija-eyo |
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Can I have this without meat? |
gogi bbaego haejushilsu isseoyo? |
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I can’t eat spicy food |
maeun-geot mot meogeoyo |
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Delicious! |
mashisseoyo! |
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Chopsticks |
jeot-garak |
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Fork |
po-keu |
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Knife |
nai-peu/kal |
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Spoon |
sut-garak |
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Menu |
menyu |
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Staple ingredients
|
Beef |
so-gogi |
|
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Chicken |
dak-gogi |
|
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Duck meat |
ori-gogi |
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Gimchi |
gimchi |
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Fish |
saengsun/hoe (raw fish) |
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Ham |
haem |
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Meat |
gogi |
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Noodles |
myeon |
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Pork |
dwaeji-gogi |
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Red-pepper paste |
gochu-jang |
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Rice |
bap |
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Rice-cake |
ddeok |
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Seaweed laver |
gim |
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Shrimp |
sae-u |
|
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Squid |
ojing-eo |
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Tuna |
chamchi |
|
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Vegetables |
yachae |
|
Rice dishes
|
Bibimbap |
bibimbap |
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Fried rice (usually with egg and vegetables) |
bokkeumbap |
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...on rice |
deop-bap |
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Beef... |
bulgogi |
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Curry... |
kare |
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Spicy squid... |
ojingeo |
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Rice rolls |
gimbap |
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Meat dishes
|
Barbecued ribs |
galbi |
|
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Boiled beef rolls |
shabeu-shabeu |
|
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Dog-meat soup |
boshintang/yeongyangtang |
|
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Marinaded beef |
bulgogi |
|
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Pork belly slices |
samgyeopsal |
|
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Spicy squid on rice |
ojingeo deop-bap |
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Steamed ribs |
galbi-jjim |
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Stews and soups
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Beef and noodle soup |
seolleong-tang |
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Beef rib soup |
galbi-tang |
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Cold buckwheat noodle soup |
naengmyeon |
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Dumpling soup |
mandu-guk |
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Gimchi broth |
gimchi jjigae |
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Ginseng-stuffed chicken soup |
samgye-tang |
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Noodles with vegetables and meat |
makguksu |
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Soybean broth (miso) |
doenjang jjigae |
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Spicy fish soup |
maeun-tang |
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Spicy noodle soup |
ramyeon |
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Spicy tofu soup |
sundubu |
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Tuna broth |
chamchi jjigae |
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Snacks and Korean fast food
|
Battered flash-fried snacks (tempura) |
twigim |
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Breaded pork cutlet |
donkkaseu |
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Dumplings |
mandu |
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Fried dumplings |
gun-mandu |
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Rice wrapped in omelette |
omeuraiseu |
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Rice-cake in red-pepper paste |
ddeokbokki |
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Savoury pancake with vegetables |
pajeon |
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Steamed dumplings |
jjin-mandu |
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Stuffed sausage |
sundae |
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Seafood
|
Broiled fish |
saengseon-gu-i |
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Fried baby octopus |
nakji bokkeum |
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Raw fish platter |
modeum-hoe |
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Sliced raw fish |
saengseon-hoe |
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Spicy squid on rice |
ojingeo deop-bap |
|
Western food
|
Bread |
bbang |
|
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Cereal |
shiri-eol |
|
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Cheese |
chi-jeu |
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Chocolate |
chokollit |
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Eggs |
gyeran |
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Fruit |
gwa-il |
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Pizza |
pija |
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Spaghetti |
seupageti |
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Steak |
seuteikeu |
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Tea
|
Black tea (lit. “red tea”) |
hong-cha |
|
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Chrysanthemum tea |
gukhwa-cha |
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Cinnamon tea |
gyepi-cha |
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Citron tea |
yuja-cha |
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Five flavours tea |
omija-cha |
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Ginger tea |
saenggang -cha |
|
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Ginseng tea |
insam-cha |
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Green tea |
nok-cha |
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Honey ginseng tea |
ggulsam-cha |
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“Job’s Tears” tea |
yulmu-cha |
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Jujube tea |
daechu-cha |
|
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Medicinal herb tea |
yak-cha |
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Plum tea |
maeshil-cha |
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|
Wild herb tea |
ma-cha |
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Alcoholic drinks
|
Baekseju |
baekseju |
|
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Beer |
maekju |
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Blackberry wine |
bokbunja |
|
|
Bottled beer |
byeong maekju |
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Cocktail |
kakteil |
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Dongdongju |
dongdongju |
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Draught beer |
saeng maekju |
|
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Ginseng wine |
insamju |
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Makkeolli |
makkeolli |
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Plum brandy |
maeshilju |
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Soju |
soju |
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Wine |
wain |
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Whisky |
wiseuki |
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Other drinks
|
Coffee |
keopi |
|
|
Orange juice |
orenji jyuseu |
|
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Fruit juice |
gwa-il jyuseu |
|
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Milk |
uyu |
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Mineral water |
saengsu |
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|
Water |
mul |
|
ajeossi an older or married man.
ajumma an older or married woman.
-am hermitage.
anju bar snacks.
-bang room.
-bawi boulder or large rock.
-bong mountain peak. The highest peak in a park is often referred to as ilchulbong (“Number One Peak”).
bongjak a highly distinctive style of Korean music, also known as “Grandmother techno”, and much favoured by older generations.
buk- north.
buncheong a Korean style of pottery that became popular in Joseon times. The end product is often bluish-green.
celadon a Korean style of pottery (also common in China and Japan), used since the Three Kingdoms period but largely overtaken by buncheong in Joseon times. The end product is often pale green, with a cracked glaze.
cha tea.
-cheon stream or river of less than 100km in length.
Chuseok Korean Thanksgiving.
dae- big, large, great.
daeri-unjeon a network of taxi drivers without taxis.
Dangun mythical founder of Korea.
DMZ the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea.
-do island.
-do province.
-dong city neighbourhood; part of a –gu.
dong- east.
dongdongju a milky rice wine much favoured by Korean students; very similar to makkeolli.
DPRK Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea.
-eup town.
-ga section of a major street.
-gang river of over 100km in length.
geobukseon the “turtle ships” as used by Admiral Yi in the late sixteenth century
-gil street.
-gu district of a city, subdivided into –dong neighbourhoods.
-gul cave.
-gun county.
-gung palace.
gwageo civil service examinations in the Joseon era.
Gyopo Koreans, or people of Korean descent, living overseas.
hae sea. Korea’s East, West and South seas are referred to as Donghae, Seohae and Namhae respectively, though the international nomenclature of the first two (more readily referred to as the “Sea of Japan” and the “Yellow Sea” abroad) is a touchy subject with Koreans.
haenyeo diving ladies, a few of whom still live on Jeju Island.
hagwon private academy for after-school study. Many expats in Korea are working at an English academy (yeongeo hagwon).
hallyu the “Korean New Wave” of pop culture, most specifically as regards cinema.
hanbok traditional Korean clothing.
-hang harbour.
hangeul the Korean alphabet.
hanja Chinese characters, which are still sometimes used in Korea.
hanji traditional handmade paper.
hanok a style of traditional, tile-roofed wooden housing.
hareubang the famed “grandfather statues” of Jeju Island.
-ho lake; also used for those artificially created after the construction of a dam.
hof a Korean-style bar.
hompy personal homepage.
insam ginseng.
jaebeol major Korean corporation.
-jeon temple hall.
jeonse Korean system of property rental.
jjimjilbang Korean spa-cum-sauna facilities, often used by families, youth groups and the occasional budget traveller.
Juche North Korea’s state-sanctioned “religion”, a take on Marxist-Leninist theory developed during the Japanese occupation period.
KNTO Korea National Tourism Organization.
KTX the fastest class of Korean train.
makkeolli a milky rice wine very similar to dongdongju.
minbak rented rooms in a private house or building, most commonly found near beaches and national park entrances.
mudang shamanist practitioner; usually female.
mugunghwa Korea’s third-highest level of train, one below a saemaeul. Named
after Korea’s national flower, a variety
of hibiscus; also known as the “Flower
of Sharon”, it arrives punctually
each year.
-mun city or fortress gate.
-myo Confucian shrine.
nam- south.
-ni village; sometimes pronounced –ri.
-no large street; sometimes pronounced –ro.
nocheonnyeo an “over-the-hill” woman.
noraebang a “singing room” often the venue of choice for the end of a night out.
oncheon hot spring bath or spa.
ondol traditional underfloor system of heating, made by wood fires underneath traditional buildings, but replaced with gas-fired systems in Korean apartments and modern houses.
pansori Korean opera derived from shamanistic songs, sung by female vocalists to minimalist musical accompaniment.
-pokpo waterfalls.
pyeong Korean unit of measurement equivalent to approximately 3.3 square metres; still commonly used to measure the floorspace of housing or offices.
Red Devils a nickname for the South Korean national football team, or their noisy supporters.
-ri village; sometimes pronounced –ni.
-ro large street; sometimes pronounced –no.
ROK Republic of Korea.
-sa temple.
Saemaeul Korea’s second-highest level of train, one faster than a mugunghwa but slower than a KTX. Also the name of the “New Community Movement” inaugurated by Korean president Park Chung-hee in the 1970s.
-san mountain; often used to describe an entire range.
sanseong mountain fortress.
seo- west.
Seon Korean Buddhist sect proximate to Zen in Japan.
seonsaengnim title for a teacher, which goes before the family name, or before the given name in the case of most expat teachers in Korea. It’s also used as a version of “Mister”.
seowon Confucian academy, most prevalent in Joseon times.
-si city, subdivided into –gu districts.
sijang market.
soju clear alcoholic drink (around 25 percent alcohol by volume) which is often compared to vodka, and usually cheaper than water at convenience stores.
ssireum a Korean wrestling style inevitably compared to sumo, but far more similar to Mongolian or Greco-Roman styles.
taekwondo Korean martial art; now practised around the world.
tap pagoda.
tongil unification, a highly important concept on the divided Korean peninsula.
tongmu “comrade”, especially useful in Communist North Korea.
woeguk-in foreigner; pronounced “way-goog-in”. Woeguk-saram is also used.
yangban the scholarly “upper class” in Joseon-era Korea.
yeogwan Korean form of accommodation, similar to a motel but privately run and almost always older.
yeoinsuk Korean accommodation, similar to a yeogwan but with communal toilets and showers.