Archive for 'Korean Language'
Fun Facts Quiz of Squid Game (Part 1) Posted by Flying Oyster on Oct 26, 2021
I don’t watch a lot of tv shows, but I can’t resist good shows, especially if it is a Korean show. One day, a group of my gym friends was talking about a TV show. I naturally joined the conversation and they asked me if I was watching the show: 오징어 게임 (oh-jing-uh-game: Squid Game)…
Korean Colloquial Expressions (Part 2) Posted by Flying Oyster on Oct 7, 2021
I believe colloquial expressions in any language demand that you use your imagination. A long time ago I had a generous friend who taught me colloquial expressions in English. It was almost 20 years ago, and I still remember how fascinated I was by the brilliance of this particular phrase. “Does it ring a bell?”…
Korean Colloquial Expressions (Part 1) Posted by Flying Oyster on Sep 27, 2021
Learning a language is not an easy task, especially if you start later in life. Everything looks completely different and sounds strange. I know your agony in the journey of learning a foreign language because I, myself, have been there. In fact, I am still hanging in there. Mastering a language is hard work that…
2021 Chuseok Amid Pandemic Posted by Flying Oyster on Sep 13, 2021
추석 (Chuseok) is one of the big holidays in Korea. Chuseok will be on the 21st of September this year since Koreans use the lunar calendar system. This is the second year that Koreans face unusual 민족대명절 (min-jok-dae-myeong-jeol: national holidays) amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Traditionally, 민족 대이동 (min-jok-dae-ee-dong: national migration) occurs during this holiday season…
Four-Character Idioms That Will Improve the Level of Korean Posted by Flying Oyster on Aug 27, 2021
Before 한글 (Hangul: Korean alphabets) was invented, Koreans used Chinese characters. In fact, only 양반 (yang-bahn: higher-class nobles) were allowed to write and read in Chinese. Therefore, the gap between the nobility and 백성 (baek-sung: the ordinary people) was too big to overcome. 세종대왕 (se-jong-dae-wang: King Sejong) in Chosun Dynasty had a desire to enlighten…
Soul Nourishing Food Kimchi Posted by Flying Oyster on Aug 16, 2021
I am currently in a country where daily COVID-19 cases are mercilessly going up. 봉쇄령 (bong-sea-ryung: Lockdown) has been ordered a long ago and it seems to be continually 연기되다 (yeon-gi-dwe-dah: extended). During the lockdown, I was looking for something to do at home. One of the activities I chose to do at home was…
Foreign Residents in Korea Posted by Flying Oyster on Jun 29, 2021
In 2021, over 51 million people are living in South Korea. Over 2 million are 외국인 (wei-gook-in: foreigners). Among them, over 1 million live in the capital city, Seoul. When I was young, I grew up in a town where I didn’t see many foreigners. Although I know that there always have been…