Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kermo]

I'm just a beginner at Korean, but I've noticed some interesting differences between Korean and English. I thought I'd share them for people who know even less than I do, and hope that more proficient speakers would add to it.

The aspect that's interesting to me right now is the way English sometimes has specific words for objects or parts that the Korean language groups together as one. Conversely, sometimes Korean distinguishes between words that English has a broader term for. Here are the examples I know of right now:

fingers and thumbs ������ (each digit has a name, like "middle" or "baby", but they're not commonly used apart from the ones that refer to thumb and index.)
hip and butt: �����/������ (both words refer to posterior/hips)

sister: there are at least 5 different words, depending on whether the speaker is male or female, and whether the sister is older or younger.
sister-in-law: In English, this can refer to your brother's wife, your husband's wife or your wife's sister. In Korean, there are separate words for "elder brother's wife", "wife's younger sister", "husband's younger/elder sister" and "younger/elder brother's wife." If you can keep that straight, I take my hat off to you.
In fact, the names for all relatives in a Korean family are quite complex compared to English.

So, what have you noticed in your studies? Any particular differences that made you think, or taught you something about the difference between the two cultures?

[tomato]

Hello, Kermo!

It seems that the notion of a foreigner speaking Korean is inconceivable to Koreans.

The Korean nation is listed in the dictionary as �츮����.
The Korean language is listed as �츮��.
The rose of Sharon is listed as �츮�����.

[kermo]

[vlcupper]

[Guri Guy]

Many interesting things can be made with Hangul. �� and �� spring to mind immediately but I am sure there are many more. 횽 뚄 뫂 I am not sure if these are words or not but the first looks like a snowman to me, the second like a bug and the third like a toilet or a computer. Hangul is pretty cool I'll admit.

[kermo]

[mithridates]

����(�״) is a pomegranate and ����ź(�״��) is a grenade...checked the meaning of the word and found out that grenade comes from a Spanish word grenada (sp?), which means pomegranate. Grenades are so called because of their shape...
Actually learned this during Japanese study. ���� is zakuro and ����ź is shuryuudan, but the hanja/kanji is the same.

[Zenpickle]

[some waygug-in]