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thorin
Joined: 14 Apr 2003
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 Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 12:22 am Post subject: What does "handsome" mean? |
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| I'm sure I'm not the only "handsome boy" here. I have a feeling if you translate handsome into Korean it means something like "visible". Am I wrong? |
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tomato
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 2:24 am Post subject: |
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| It seems to be �Ƹ��ٿ� for both genders. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:32 am Post subject: |
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| I suspect Korean lacks the rich range of adjectives we have in English. |
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Son Deureo!
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 7:02 am Post subject: |
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I think the opposite is true, actually. The Korean language is very descriptive. When I struggle through Korean fiction, I'm constantly running across words that have no proper English equivalent. Particularly adjectives describing sights and sounds.
But what Tomato is pointing out that Koreans tend to use the same adjectives to compliment men and women, ex. �Ƹ����, �����, and ���ڴ�. In English we call women "beautiful", and men "handsome", but that doesn't mean every language has to make this kind of distinction. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Son Deureo! wrote: |
| I think the opposite is true, actually. The Korean language is very descriptive. When I struggle through Korean fiction, I'm constantly running across words that have no proper English equivalent. Particularly adjectives describing sights and sounds. |
What would be a good example of that? When I look in dictionaries for a Korean word, I always find the same word ends up getting used for all kinds of English words with very different meanings. |
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gi66y
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:09 am Post subject: |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
| I suspect Korean lacks the rich range of adjectives we have in English. |
I used to think that too...I was (and you are) wrong. I used to also think Korean couldn't have nearly as much slang as English, but I keep hearing new words everyday. Actually because I work with kids everyday, I often learn new slang before other adults my age do.
I would say Korean has as many if not more descriptive words than English in regular use. Of course, like English, some are more commonly used than others. Most (nearly all) Korean words won't have an exact English equivalent that's true in all cases...so the dictionary will give you the more commonly used English words.
Eg. ������, �ǰ��ϴ�, �����, �Ƿ��ϴ�, �����ϴ�, ��ġ��, ���� ������
All of these words could mean "tired" in certain cases, but don't all mean the same thing.
For further proof take a look at your Korean/English dictionary. Is the English side a lot thicker? |
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gi66y
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:16 am Post subject: Re: What does "handsome" mean? |
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| thorin wrote: |
| I'm sure I'm not the only "handsome boy" here. I have a feeling if you translate handsome into Korean it means something like "visible". Am I wrong? |
I think you're just noticing that Koreans like to compliment people, but most lack the English vocabulary, so every man is handsome and every woman beautiful.
It's this lack of vocabulary that my low-level students tell me that �ٺ�, ��û��, or any other kind of insult means "crazy"...it's the only insulting word they know.
On a side note, Ever had anyone compliment you by telling you you had a small head? |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:46 am Post subject: |
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| never small head, but small face- yes. Another one I've heard is "mountain nose" |
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cheem
Joined: 18 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| Son Deureo! wrote: |
| But what Tomato is pointing out that Koreans tend to use the same adjectives to compliment men and women, ex. �Ƹ����, �����, and ���ڴ�. In English we call women "beautiful", and men "handsome", but that doesn't mean every language has to make this kind of distinction. |
That's not correct. �Ƹ���� and ���ڴ� can be translated to "beautiful" and "pretty", while �����'s literal translation is "good-looking" but can be translated to "handsome" since it's used almost exclusively for men. |
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MixtecaMike
Joined: 24 Nov 2003
Location: 3rd Largest Train Station in Korea
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 5:40 pm Post subject: Re: What does "handsome" mean? |
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| gi66y wrote: |
| every man is handsome |
Yes, we are, so glad you noticed.  |
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peony
Joined: 30 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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well, there's
mi-nam: beautiful man
jalsenggin namja: good looking man |
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zappadelta
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 12:55 am Post subject: |
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| what's the best korean translation for "nerd"? |
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tomato
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 1:57 am Post subject: |
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Zappadelta, �� means "elegance" or "style."
���ִ� means to have elegance or style, and ������ means to lack elegance or style.
So the best term for nerd that I know is ������ ���. |
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schwa
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Yap
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 2:51 am Post subject: |
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| tomato wrote: |
Zappadelta, �� means "elegance" or "style."
���ִ� means to have elegance or style, and ������ means to lack elegance or style.
So the best term for nerd that I know is ������ ���. |
I mangled the term for "tasty" one time in a restaurant & the server seemed nonplussed -- my friend told me I'd just told the guy he was "handsome." |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2005 3:31 am Post subject: |
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I was watching the television show "Average Joe" with a Korean friend last week. In case anyone doesn't know, Average Joe features plain- to ugly-looking men competing for a beautiful woman. So we were watching, and as they'd flash across these average guys, my friend kept saying, "Oh! Handsome!" And I'm like, those guys would be considered overweight, ugly nerds in America.
I'm starting to think the phenomenon is similar to the way Asian women are viewed by American men: exotic and beautiful, almost de facto. A girl that wouldn't turn heads in Korea may have every guy drooling in the US; similarly, a guy that is plain in his home country would be handsome in Korea.
That's my $0.02. Please pay at the door. |
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