Archive for August, 2011
Cute Korean Children’s Song Posted by Ginny on Aug 31, 2011
There is a popular Korean children’s song that describes some of the features and shapes of faces by using various fruits and vegetables. If you look at the song, the song uses the example of a 호박 (hobak) or squash to describe a characteristic of a face. Generally when someone’s face is said to look…
Traditional Korean Mask Dances Posted by Ginny on Aug 30, 2011
There are several Korean mask dances that are considered important intangible cultural properties because they represent Korean culture and history. The Yangju byeolsandae nori (양주별산대놀이) is a mask dance that is Intangible Cultural Property #2. The dance is from the Yangju Region and is known throughout Gyeonggi Province (경기도). Korean mask dances like this one…
Korean Homophones Posted by Ginny on Aug 27, 2011
Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but have a different meaning. Here are some of the most common Korean homophones: Horse (말) Ex: 말을 타기 싫다 = I don’t like to ride a horse Word/speech/speak/talk/language (말) Ex: 약간 망설이다가 그는 말하기 시작했다 = After a slight hesitation he began to speak Three (세)…
Gyeongju Posted by Ginny on Aug 18, 2011
Gyeongju (경주) was the former capital city of Silla (신라). The Silla Kingdom formerly ruled the Korean Peninsula and traces of its existence can be seen all over Gyeongju. For example, the Cheomseongdae (첨성대) is an astronomical observatory that dates back to the Silla Period. The Cheomseongdae is an important discovery because as of yet…
Korean Flower Pancakes Posted by Ginny on Aug 15, 2011
Have you ever had Hwajeon (화전) before? Hwajeon is a Korean style pancake that is usually decorated with a flower. The most common kind of hwajeon is the Jindallae Hwajeon (진달래화전). Jindallae Hwajeon is a type of Korean pancake with azaleas. Making and eating Jindallae Hwajeon used to be a traditional Korean pastime. There are…
Korean Body Parts Posted by Ginny on Aug 9, 2011
There’s a Korean version of the song ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’. A lot of people use this song to help them memorize body parts in Korean. Hope it can be of use to you too! 머리 어깨 무릎 발 무릎 발 (muhri uhggeh mooreup bal mooreup bal) Head, shoulders, knees, foot, knees, foot 머리…
Korean Festivals in August Posted by Ginny on Aug 3, 2011
August is the last month of the summer and as a result, there are so many counties in Korea that are trying to squeeze in one more festival before the summer ends. One such festival is the Bonghwa Fish Festival (봉화은어축제). The Bonghwa Fish Festival is located in Bonghwa County (봉화군) in Gyeongsangbuk Province (경상북도)…