Korean Onomatopoeia Posted by Ginny on Jun 21, 2011
Korean is a language with a lot of onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates or suggests the sounds that they describe. Have you heard of the following onomatopoeia? 1. 빵! 2. 톡톡 3. 두근두근 4. 빵빵 5. 쾅! 6. 쿨쿨 7. 꿀꿀 8. 띵동 9. 엉엉 10. 멍멍 11. 똑똑 12. 훨훨 13. 쿵…
Korean Gates Posted by Ginny on Jun 18, 2011
There are several famous Korean gates that serve as important landmarks and reminders of Korea’s history. The Independence Gate (독립문) is one of those gates that fall into this category. The Independence Gate is located in Seoul (서울). It commemorates Korea’s independence from China as a sovereign nation. The Indpendence Gate is made of granite…
Why did you come to our house? Posted by Ginny on Jun 15, 2011
There is a popular Korean children’s song that can be heard in preschools all over Korea. Take a listen: 우리 집에 왜 왔니 왜 왔니 왜 왔니 (oori jibeh weh watni weh watni weh watni) Why did you come, why did you come, why did you come to our house? 꽃 찾으러 왔단다 왔단다 왔단다…
Dashik Posted by Ginny on Jun 6, 2011
Dashik (다식) is a type of Korean confectionary consumed with a cup of tea. They are kind of like the Korean version of a cookie. Dashik is made by forming a dough and pressing the dough in a dashiki board (다식판). A dashik board is a board with several holes. The holes are the mold…
Korean Festivals in June Posted by Ginny on Jun 3, 2011
The month of June is a wonderful time to spend one’s time in the great outdoors. One way to do that is to attend a Korean festival in Korea. The Gangneung Danoje Festival (강릉단오제축제) is a festival that preserves the folk culture of the lower classes. There are lots of contests and competitions that you…
Jeongseon Arirang Posted by Ginny on May 31, 2011
There are several renditions of a traditional Korean song called Arirang (아리랑). These different renditions are named after the county in which they are from. My favorite Arirang rendition by far is the one from Jeongseon County. It’s called Jeongseon Arirang (정선 아리랑) and the singer that is best associated with this song is a…
Great Korean Kings Posted by Ginny on May 29, 2011
There are only a few Korean kings that have the title “Great” in their name. What does it take to be known as “Great”? Let’s find out! Probably the most well known Korean king that has the title of being called a great king is King Sejong the Great (세종대왕). King Sejong is best known…