It is always better to share 경조 (kyung-jo: congratulations and condolences) with your people whether it is good or bad. Koreans consider that it is important to participate in 지인 (ji-in: an acquaintance)’s 경조사 (kyung-jo-sah: a family event) in order to share 희노애락 (hee-no-ae-lak: all kinds of emotions in life.)  It is one of the Chinese character idioms that is often used in Korean. It is literally translated as pleasure, anger, sadness, and joy in life.

 

With your loved one’s 경조사, it is a courtesy to 격식을 차리다. (gyuk-sik-eul-chah-ri-dah: stand on formality), particularly in a sad occurrence. Therefore, saying the proper phrases with the right terms for a given circumstance is crucial.

 

Today, I am going to share some proper Korean expressions with terms that you might want to use at a Korean family event.

 

결혼 (gyul-hon: marriage, wedding)

 

 

First, let’s look at some commonly used terms at a wedding. 

 

• 결혼 (gyul-hon: marriage, wedding)
• 축하 (chuk-hah: congratulation)
• 두 분 (doo-boon: both of you)
• 바랍니다 (bah-rap-ni-dah: wish, hope It is derived from a verb 바라다)
• 소중한 (so-joong-han: precious)
• 결합 (gyul-hap: a union)
• 참된 사랑 (cham-deon-sah-rang: true love)
• 결실 (gyul-sil: fruition)
• 부부 (boo-boo: a married couple)
• 더없이 (duh-up-si: beyond measure, immensely)
• 백년가약 (bak-nyun-gah-yak: a wedding vow, literally translated as a hundred year’s pledge of eternal love)
• 앞날 (ahp-nal: in future)
• 행복 (hang-bok: happiness)
• 존중 (jon-joong: respect)
• 사랑 (sah-rang: love)

 

 

Here are phrases you can say to a newly married couple:  

1. 결혼을 축하하며 두분의 앞날에 행복하기를 바랍니다. (As I congratulate your marriage. I also wish you happiness in your future.)

2. 두 사람의 소중한 결합을 축하하며 더없이 행복한 부부 되시기 바랍니다. (As I congratulate a precious union of you both, I also hope you to be a happily married couple beyond measure.)

3. 결혼을 축하하며 서로 존중하고 더 많은 사랑 나누는 부부가 되시기를 바랍니다. (I congratulate your marriage and I wish you to be a couple who respects each other and share far more love.)

4. 두 분의 앞날에 밝은 웃음만 가득하기를 바랍니다. (I only wish for cheerful laughs in both of your future.)

 

출산 (chool-san: childbirth)

We will review some commonly used terms:

 

• 출산 (chool-san: childbirth)
• 건강 (gun-gang: health)
• 아드님 (ah-due-nim: a son.  It is an honorific word.)
• 따님 (tda-nim: a daughter. It is an honorific word.)
• 예쁘다 (yea-pou-dah: pretty, beautiful)
• 몸조리 (mom-joh-ri: recuperation, take care of oneself)
• 공주님 (gong-joo-nim: princess)
• 왕자님 (wang-jah-nim: prince)
• 탄생 (tahn-sang: birth)
• 산모 (sahn-moh: a mother who delivers a baby)
• 아기 (ah-gi:a baby)
• 사랑스런 (sah-rang-sui-run: adorable, lovable)
• 기원 (gi-won: pray, wish)
• 득남 (deuk-nahm: begetting a son)
• 득녀 (deuk-nye: begetting a daughter)
• 진심 (jin-sim: the whole heart)
• 산후조리 (sahn-hoo-joh-ri: postnatal care)
• 키우다 (kee-woo-dah: raise)

 

Here are several phrases you can say to new parents and their baby:  

 

1. 출산을 진심으로 축하드립니다. (I sincerely congratulate your childbirth.)

2. 건강하고 예쁜 아기의 출산을 축하드립니다. (I congratulate your childbirth of a healthy and beautiful baby.)

3. 몸조리 잘 하시기 바랍니다. (I wish you to have a good recuperation after childbirth.)

4. 공주님/왕자님의 탄생을 축하하며 산모의 건강을 기원합니다. (I congratulate a birth of a princess/prince and I also wish the best of health for the mother.)

5. 득남/득녀을 축하하며 산모와 아기의 건강을 기원합니다. (I congratulate you on begetting a daughter/a son and I pray for the best health for a mother and a baby.)

6. 산후조리 잘 하시고 건강하고 예쁘게 키우세요. (Please have good postpartum care and raise a healthy and beautiful baby.)

 

 

돌잔치 (dol-jahn-chi: the first birthday party) or

백일 (bak-il: one hundredth day celebration)

In the olden days before the medical advanced era, only a few babies lived beyond 100 days. Korean parents celebrated 백일 to wish a baby’s health and 장수 (jang-soo: longevity). Nowadays, mortality rates are much lower, but 백일잔치 (bak-il-jahn-chi: one hundredth day party) is still a significant occasion for Korean parents as well as 돌잔치. 

 

Let’s look at some vocabulary to celebrate a baby’s birthday:

 

• 아기 (ah-gi: a baby)
• 백일 (baek-il: a hundredth day)
• 첫돌 ( chut-dol: the first birthday)
• 자라다 (jah-rah-dah: grow up)
• 더욱 (duh-wook: more)
• 귀엽다 (gui-yup-dah: cute)
• 튼튼하다 (teun-teun-hah-dah: healthy, strong)
• 키우다 (kee-woo-dah: raise)
• 맞이하다 (mah-ji-hah-dah: reach, receive)
• 더없이 (duh-up-si: beyond measure, immensely)
• 큰 (kuen: big)
• 사랑 (sah-rang: love)
• 축복 (chook-bok: a blessing)
• 깃들다 (git-dul-dah: indwell)

 

Here are a couple of phrases you can say at a party:  

 

1. 아기의 백일/첫돌을 축하합니다. 더욱 건강하게 자라길 기원합니다. (I congratulate your baby’s hundredth day/the first birthday. I wish the baby grows up healthy.)

2. 아기의 백일/첫돌을 축하하며 귀엽고 튼튼하게 키우시기를 바랍니다. (I congratulate your baby’s hundredth day/the first birthday and I wish you can raise her/him up as a cute and healthy baby.)

3. 백일/첫돌을 맞이한 아기에게 더없이 큰 사랑과 축복이 깃들기를 바랍니다. (I wish for more love and blessings for the baby who reaches the hundredth day/the first birthday.)

 

Stay tuned. I have more expressions at different circumstances for the next post.