Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ladyandthetramp]

The purpose of this thread is to provide words or expressions that are likely to be misunderstood by non-native speakers of Korean. Words with nuances that you think others probably don't know, idioms and grammatical structures used in ways other than what we learned in the books are all welcome here. Mainly, it is intended to help us learn the nuances of Korean.

I'll begin with a few examples:

Animal vs. ����
���� is much more limited in the range of living creatures it encompasses than the word "animal." ���� refers to animals living on land. However, among these animals it excludes insects. Fish are not ����, likewise crustaceans and other such animals are not. According to my friend, even whales and dolphins, while we consider them mammals, are not generally thought of as ����.

���� vs. Meat
���� is only meat when it is used after the animal's name. For example, �Ұ���, ������, etc. Ham is not ���� because it is simply �� in Korean. Exception: ������ which refers to the *living* sea creatures.

�Ľ� vs. Dessert
�Ľ� is more general than dessert. While dessert is something sweet usually eaten after meals, �Ľ� is not limited to sweet foods. Things such as coffee or tea, taken after the meal, are also considered �Ľ�.

~���� vs. Until/By
While ~���� often has the same meaning as "until, by" it sometimes has the meaning "around (a certain time)." For example, the sentence "9�� ����" doesn't mean "I'll be there by 9:00," but rather "I'll get there around 9:00." In the same manner, "9�� ��" means "Come around 9:00" and not "Come before 9:00." The latter requires the use of ����: "9������ ��." However, in the sentence "����� 6������ ��������" ~���� means "by": "Finish the construction by June."

There's a few examples for you. I'll post more as I think of them, assuming others also join in and post.