Korean Job Discussion Forums

tomato · Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2005 9:23 pm Post subject: Nina-and-Alice code

There are two sisters in one of my elementary classes who write notes to each other in a code.
I'm trying to break that code.

All I know for sure is that:

means ȫ��.
The symbols must have some resemblance to the actual letters.
Notice that the �� is a triangle with the apex pointing up and �� is a triangle with the apex pointing down.
�� is a triangle with the apex pointing to the right, so I am guessing that �� is a triangle with the apex pointing to the left.

I have just two more inscriptions.

I have that one figured out as �� _ _ �� _ _.

I have that one figured out as �� _ _ �� _ �� _ _.

The symbol which looks like a �� might be a ��,
and the symbol which looks like a �� might be a ��,
but that might be too easy.
We know that the circle can't be an ��, because an �� is a diamond.

This code doesn't seem to be a nationwide custom.
I asked someone else, and they said that they have never seen it before.
If I am wrong, and this is a commonly-known code, I would like to find a chart.

Also, if you can figure out any of the missing letters, let me know.

peemil · Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Location: Koowoompa

They're North Korean spies.

The messages point to an attack on a nuclear power plant.

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

tomato · Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 1:06 am Post subject:

Hello, Joe Doufu!

I made a booboo.
I got the last example in upside-down.
I have it corrected now.
Thank you for calling that to my attention.

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

ok, i see. let me try again.
could it be: ��

i would guess the circle is an �� and they just forgot to put a diamond. it could also be ��, ��, or ��, all of which would be hard to draw as something other than themselves. I noticed squares in the -second- inscription which also probably represent one of those three.

tomato · Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 3:48 am Post subject:

Thanks, Joe Doufu, I think you're onto something!

I looked up ��밣 on the Google search engine, and I found a bunch.
It must mean "gone to the army."
It looks like the symbol which I thought looked like a �� was really a sloppy triangle for ��.

If your hunch is correct, then this inscription probably ends with the word �� followed by a question mark. The circle could be a question mark or ��.

Notice, however, that the ��'s for the ��'s are omitted.
Silent ��'s are omitted in Korean Braille; maybe they're omitted in Nina-and-Alice code, too.

tomato · Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 4:32 am Post subject:

I think I got it.
The second one seems to be �� , which I think means "several forms of severe punishment."
The third one seems to be "��밣 �� ?" which I think means "Oh, why did he go to the army?"

Now that leaves about 9 more letters which I haven't seen.

Thanks again, Joe!
You were a lot of help!

tomato · Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 5:40 am Post subject:

Next Tuesday, I'm going to pull a sneaky trick on those two girls:
I'm going to give the whole class a vocabulary test.
I'm going to ask for the Korean equivalents of the words
eat, live, house, friend, coffee, ride, piano, world, example, he, and mouth.
If I know those two girls like I think I do, they will write the whole test in Spy Code.
And that's exactly what I want them to do--because that will give me the Spy Code signs for all the letters which I'm missing.

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere