Archive for 'Vocabulary'
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…
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…
Mental Health in South Korea Posted by Flying Oyster on Jun 16, 2021
Have you heard of a competition for doing nothing? Yes, it is a real event in South Korea. (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/22/screen-addicted-south-koreans-compete-in-space-out-contest) A Korean artist 주최하다 (joo-choi-hah-dah: host) 멍때리기 (mung-dde-ri-gi: space out) competition since 2014. The participants literally do nothing for 90 minutes. They are not allowed to talk, sleep, eat or use electric devices. The…