Korean Job Discussion Forums

Wisco Kid · Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Location: Changwon

Has anyone else noticed this interesting item of Konglish? I've heard several Koreans use the word "hip" when they are definitely referring to a "butt".

Ex. #1: One student said they would kick their friend "in the hip" if they were angry with them. Mad

Ex. #2: At the hospital, the nurse told me to pull my pants down so she could give me a shot "in the hip". Embarassed

Ex. #3: I came across a set of illustrated flashcards. One card had a picture of a boy with his pants around his ankles, sticking his butt out. The card was labelled "hip", and it included an example sentence: "Shake your hips". Confused

Did Koreans screw this one up themselves or was it the workof Christian missionaries? Twisted Evil

skinhead · Joined: 11 Jun 2004

Very good question. It's obviously offensive to their sensibilities to use the a-word, "arse". Kind of like the b-word, "breasts" is on here.

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

Somewhere, in some book that Korean students use, they've made a HUGE mistake about hips! I've been fighting the "hip" battle for a LONG time now!

There are SO may words to use for ... um... NOT hips!

Rear, butt, bottom, heiney...to name a few! But my HIPS are the place where I place my hands when I'm angry!

skinhead · Joined: 11 Jun 2004

heiney?

Would you use that word for your bum? Reeeeeeeeally? Like in a non-joking way? Curious.

Wisco Kid · Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Location: Changwon

I can imagine there'd be some confusion if you told a Korean friend that your Grandma was in the hospital for hip-replacement surgery.

skinhead · Joined: 11 Jun 2004

That is saintly. Thanks Wisco. Laughing

Try explaining to your students that yer Ma & Da were hippies when they got married, and that you're pretty 'hip' as a result.

J.B. Clamence · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I've noticed that some body parts in Korean aren't defined with the same boundaries as body parts in English.

For example, in Kumdo, one of the target areas that you aim to strike with your sword is the "heori", which means waist, as in the ticklish parts on the sides of the abdomen just below the rib cage. However, I've also heard the same word used to refer to the lower back, at the bottom of your spinal column. In fact, when Koreans use the expression referring to someone who "broke their back" (working really hard) trying to do something, they use the word "heori". So it would seem that the Korean concept of the "waist" includes the lower back as well. Thus it's very likeley that the hips are considered to be part of the butt in the way Koreans think of the body.

thorin · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

justagirl · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Cheonan/Portland

yep. as far as I know they don't have two words to differentiate between hip and butt.

but then...in spanish they don't have two words to differentiate between fingers and toes...

strange.

Khunopie · Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2004 5:52 pm Post subject:

Hyalucent · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: British North America

Next time the Korean Rocky Horror is playing, go check it out to see them dance the Timewarp.

"... step to the right. Put your hands on your hips..."

chi-chi · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Doesn't anyone remember that 70's show about the waitress called Vera? (I wasn't alive back then, but I digress.)
"Kiss my grits"
Someone teach it to them, please....*lol*
But kiss my hip is cute I think.

On the other hand · Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Location: I walk along the avenue

tommynomad · Joined: 24 Jul 2004 Location: on the move

Incidentally, Flo has since been immortalised in the game "Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot" as carrot #4.

Go with the Flo.