Let's Learn Korean!

A source of education and reference for those learning Korean. Questions are welcome.

[onestopkorean]

Word of the Day

깨닫다 - (v.) to realize

[onestopkorean]

Word of the Day

상상력 - (n.) imagination

[onestopkorean]

Is there anyway to get to the bottom of your blog. Sorry I am new to tumblr

No worries! I’m not sure about mobile, but if you’re viewing it on a computer, there should be a rectangular grey button labeled “next page” below one of the columns of posts. Hope this helps!

[onestopkorean]

Word of the Day

배우자 - (n.) spouse

[onestopkorean]

Word of the Day

오해 - (n.) misunderstanding

오해하다 - (v.) to misunderstand

[onestopkorean]

What does "미쳤나봐" mean? i'm having trouble trying to translate it... Isnt "봐" supposed to mean something like "look"? Im so confused😭

Sorry for the late reply! Yes, “봐“ is the informal conjugation of the verb 보다, which means “to see/look.” However, 보다 is also used in many different grammar patterns. The grammar pattern -나 보다 is used with a verb to say that something seems to be a certain way. So in this case, 미쳤다, the past tense form of the verb to go crazy/lose one’s mind, is combined with the grammar pattern -나 보다 and conjugated in 반말 (informal speech) as 미쳤나 봐, meaning “It seems that (subject) has gone crazy/lost their mind.”

(Note that -(이)ㄴ가 보다 is used for nouns, while -은/ㄴ가 보다 is used for adjectives/descriptive verbs.)

[onestopkorean]

Word of the Day

주름 - (n.) wrinkle, crease

[onestopkorean]

In Korean, there are some words that have an honorific counterpart. These honorific words should be used instead of the usual word when speaking about someone who should be honored. For example, when speaking about an elderly/respected/honored person’s house, the honorific word for “house” should be used. If an elderly/respected/honored person eats something, the honorific verb for “to eat” should be used.

In the following list, the honorific word comes first, followed by its non-honorific equivalent in parentheses.

House: 댁 (집)

Birthday: 생신 (생일)

Age: 연세 (나이)

Meal: 진지 (밥)

To sleep: 주무시다 (자다)

To eat/drink: 드시다 (먹다/마시다)

To stay/exist: 계시다 (있다)

To bring/escort (someone): 모시다 (데리다)

[onestopkorean]

Hello do you know of any places I could go to practice making sentences in korean, like sentence building activities or exercises?

Hi! I apologize for the late reply. I don’t know of any game-like activities or practice exercises for this, but one option is to use a website or app where you can have your writing corrected by native speakers. italki, lang-8, HelloTalk, and HiNative are all options that allow your writing to be corrected by native speakers (although I have only personally used italki and HelloTalk).

[onestopkorean]

Word of the Day

맞춤법 - (n.) spelling (i.e., of a word)

[onestopkorean]

hi! I'm going to a concert and want to make a sign that says: (name), you are my sunshine -- but i dont want to be informal/inaccurate/rude -- what would you recommend? These are the variations i know/found: 넌 내 / 당신은 나의 행복입니다 당신은 나의 햇빛입니다 당신은 나의 태양입니다 Thank you for all the help you give!!

Hello! I don’t usually do translations. I might be able to give you some pointers, but I’m not sure what the exact translation of that phrase would be in Korean since direct translation might not have the same connotation. However, 햇빛 is Korean for sunshine (while 행복 is happiness and 태양 is sun). While I don’t know if “you are my sunshine” is a commonly used phrase in Korean, I think saying someone is your sunshine would likely have a positive meaning.

If I were you, I would avoid using 당신 since it’s a little formal and intimate. While in everyday life, you wouldn’t speak to a stranger in 반말 (using informal words like 넌/내), I have seen people using 반말 in banners or signs for K-pop concerts, so it seems to be more acceptable as a cute banner than it is in actual verbal interactions with people.

As for “my,” 나의 or 내 would be fine, although 내 sounds a bit more colloquial.

Since you will be using less formal speech on your sign, I suggest using (noun)+(이)다 or (noun)+(이)야 instead of 입니다.

Lastly, it would probably be better to directly use the singer’s name with a topic marker instead of their name plus “you.” This might depend on the singer, but if it’s a K-pop idol, I think it would be reasonable to use name (or name + 오빠/언니)은/는 내/나의 (noun)+(이)다/(이)야. -(이)다 is the plain form, which is used when the audience is unknown or for things like journal writing and articles, while -(이)야 is 반말 and would likely sound less formal than -(이)다, although it should be fine to use on a sign for a K-pop concert. Remember that if the name/noun ends in a consonant sound, you should use the topic marker -은 and -이다 or -이야, and if the name/noun ends in a vowel sound, you should use the topic marker -는 and -다 or -야. Here are some examples: 민호 오빠는 내 햇빛이다. 서현 언니는 내 햇빛이야. 민석은 내 햇빛이다.

So while I can’t tell you with absolute certainty that this is the best way to say “you are my sunshine” in Korean, I hope that some of these tips will help you out in your sign-making. Let me know if you have any more questions!

[onestopkorean]

Can you use 이다 to express how you're feeling? For example, "I am happy"? Or can 이다 only be used when you are SOMETHING?

이다 is only used as “to be” with a noun. While adjectives in English are used with the verb “to be,” Korean adjectives are actually descriptive verbs- there are specific verbs for describing what would be an adjective in English. Looking at your example, although in English we would say “I am happy,” in Korean we would use the descriptive verb 행복하다 (to be happy) instead of the verb 이다.

[onestopkorean]

Hi can you help me in how to pronounce characters when they're placed like this (I always have a bad time) ~~ 와, 워, 외, 위

Hi! Since these are diphthongs, my best advice is to look at the two vowels that combine to make each one, sound them out, and then blend the sounds together.

와: 오 (oh) + 아 (ah) = wah

워: 우 (ooh) + 어 (uh/eo) = wuh

외: pronounced as “weh”

위: 우 (ooh) + 이 (ee) = wee

You can also check out this post on the Korean alphabet to get a better feel for the sounds that the diphthongs make!

[onestopkorean]

Hii, could you translate this for me? "Is stalking me fun?"

Sorry, I don’t do translations to Korean! Since I’m still learning myself and not a native speaker, I don’t feel confident that I can always provide accurate/natural translations to Korean. But there might be some Korean-speaking blogs or language exchange websites that can help you!

[onestopkorean]

What's the difference between 아프지말고 and 아파지말고?

As far as I can tell, 아프지말고 is the correct way of saying “don’t hurt and…,” while 아파지말고 is incorrect.

[onestopkorean]

Do you know why we use 에 when it comes to allergies and addiction? Isn't this a location and time particle?

You’re right, this is a location and time particle. It can also be used for direction and in some ways that are a little less clear. I am not sure about addiction, but when it comes to food containing a certain ingredient, (ingredient) (food)에 들어가다 can be used. Since -에 is also a directional particle (”to”), it can be used in instances like this to mean “to” or “into.” As another example, 술에 취하다 is used for describing being drunk.

As for the less clear-cut instances, I conceptualize it this way: -에 can be used to describe “location” that is not exactly a physical location like the library or school, but more as the location being the actual meaning of part of the sentence. For example, the grammar pattern -기에는 can be used to describe something being too (adjective) for a certain purpose. The subject is doing the verb that comes before, so I think of -에 as marking it, like “In doing ___” or “When it comes to doing ____.” However, I am not absolutely sure if this is the actual reason for -에 being used that way or if it’s simply the way I have come to think about it/conceptualize it.

If this didn’t clarify anything, feel free to ask again! I haven’t seen -에 used much with allergies, so I’m curious about the ways you’ve seen it being used.

[onestopkorean]

Word of the Day

신청하다- (v.) to apply (to something)