#8lvl

[aja-aja-hanja]

Character Story:

Originally based on the form of a flame, 白 백 white or clean originally had the meaning of bright or brilliant, as in the light coming from a flame. As time passed, the form of the character became more rectangular and the meaning evolved to “white” (and through that meaning “clean”).

Study vocab here!

Vocabulary:

黑白      흑백      black and white

black * white

白金      백금      white gold

white * gold

白人      백인      white person, Caucasian 

white * person

白紙      백지      white paper; blank paper

white * paper

              얼굴이 백지 장 같다     to look as pale as a sheet

空白      공백      blank; blank space

empty * white

白髮      백발      white/grey hair

white * hair

蒼白하다            창백하다            to be pale

ash-grey * white

*漂白    표백      bleaching

bleach * white

白鳥      백조      swan

white * bird

白飯      백반      plain cooked rice

white * cooked rice

白雪糖  백설탕  white sugar

white * snow * sugar

蛋白質  단백질  protein

egg * white * quality

白熱燈  백열등  incandescent lamp

white * hot * lamp

明白하다            명백하다            to be clear, be evident

bright * white

淡白하다            담백하다            (food) to be light, plain

diluted/weak * white

*潔白    결백      innocence

clean * white

*獨白    독백      monologue

alone * white

* 自白    자백      confession (of crime)

self * white

* 告白    고백      confession (of feelings)

to tell * white

白痴      백치      moron

white * imbecile

*add 하다 to make a verb

[aja-aja-hanja]

Character Story:

Combining the characters 生 생 life and 井 정 well,  靑 represents the colors blue and green (natural green-blue color of foliage and deep water), and also over time took on the meaning of “youth”, fresh much like the 靑色 green colored plants in summer.

Study vocab here!

Vocabulary:

靑色      청색      blue (color)

blue x color

靑바지  청바지  blue jeans

blue x pants (K)

靑瓦臺  청와대  the Blue House (Korean presidential office)

blue x roof tile x platform

靑天하늘            청천하늘            blue sky

blue x heaven x sky (K)

靑年      청년      young man

green x years

靑少年  청소년  young boys and girls; teenagers

green x few x years

靑春      청춘      youth

green x spring

**二八靑春            이팔청춘            the flower of youth

two x eight x green x spring 

**the meaning of the 二八 (2 8) here is opaque to me. The explicit definition of the flower of youth according to Naver is around 16 years old.  (LOL)

[aja-aja-hanja]

Character Story:

The distance between the base of the palm of the hand and the point where one’s pulse can be taken is one 寸.  The original form of the character is based on a simplified version of a hand and arm, with one line indicating the pulse point.

一寸 (1촌) is about 3 cm or so. It is also referred to in English as a “Chinese inch”. 

A beautiful Chinese song from the very popular (in China, Korea, and abroad) drama 步步惊心  (Scarlet Heart) uses the term 寸 to describe an ephemeral (”three inch” or very small) “heaven” when with the one you love but must leave. 

三寸天堂 (Three Inches of Heaven) :  严艺丹 (Yan Yi Dan) 

https://youtu.be/138E39Cobgw (for whatever reason i cannot embed this video, please follow the link if you’re curious to listen!)

This drama was remade into a popular Korean 사극 drama set in 고려 Korea, 달의 연인. It  starred IU. Here is her version of the original~ 

Study vocab here!

Vocabulary:

寸刻      촌각      moment, instant

inch x quarter hour (also - to carve)

寸志      촌지      token of good will

inch x will, aspiration, sign

寸鐵殺人            촌철살인            a pithy remark

inch x iron x kill x man (a little remark kills a man)

寸心      촌심      token of one's feelings

inch x heart

**三寸      삼촌      uncle

three x inch (also used as a marker of relation distance - see above)

**四寸      사촌      cousin (father's side)

four x inch

**外四寸  외사촌  cousin (mother's side)

outside x four x inch

**寸 is also used for family relations. 

Based on my understanding, the system works as below: 

I am 1 寸. 

My parents are 1 寸 away so total 2 寸.

My uncle (brother of my parents) is one 寸 away from my parents so total 3 寸, hence 삼촌.

My cousins (the children of my uncle) are one 寸 away from my uncle so total 4 寸, hence 사촌. 

[aja-aja-hanja]

Character Story:

The 日 sun rises through the 木 trees in the east.

img credit:  트립닷컴 via article below

A popular Korean trip itinerary is watching the sun rise 해돋이 or 日出 일출 over the East Sea 동해 東海 on New Year’s Day. As a matter of fact, the practice is so famous that you can find hundreds of Koreans as well as a few resident foreigners gathering on the shores of the east coast cities such as 강릉 Gangneung, 동해 Donghae (city), and especially 속초 Sokcho. 

The following article describes how during this past New Year’s (dawn of 2020), Sokcho accommodations (hotels, small hotels, 펜션, 민박, etc) experienced a 5.3 times increase from the month before (November) and Gangenung accommodations experienced a 3.7 times increase. 

map: Google Maps, my own annotations

Study vocab here!

Vocabulary:

*東問西答            동문서답            irrelevant or incoherent answer

east x ask x west x answer

*東奔西走            동분서주            to busy oneself

east x run x west x run

中東      중동      Middle East

middle x east

東洋      동양      the Orient

east x ocean

東쪽      동쪽      east side

east x (Kor) side

*東取西貸     동취서대       to borrow from here and there

east x take x west x borrow

*can add 하다 to make a verb form

[aja-aja-hanja]

Character Story:

A  儿 person who leads his siblings with his 口 mouth/words is an older brother. 

This is the same 형 you can frequently hear in Korean dramas and variety shows! Only men use 형 to speak about older men, whether their real brother or a friend or associate with whom they are close  and to whom they want to show respect. “Hyung” in return is expected to take care of his “younger brothers” or sometimes underlings - 

often times via buying them meals! :)))) 

Dumbfoundead’s song Hyung 형 is a pretty humorous video talking about the respect associated with the term:

Study vocab here!

Vocabulary:

兄弟      형제      brothers

older brother * younger (brother)

兄夫      형부      (woman's) older sister's husband, 언니의 남편

older brother * husband

兄嫂      형수      (man's) elder brother's wife, 형의 아내

older brother * older brother’s wife

妹兄      매형      (man's) older sister's husband, 누나의남편

[aja-aja-hanja]

Character Story:

Multiple roots/last names 氏  씨 under 一  일 one nation.

In Korea, more than half the population shares just 5 Hanja based 성 surnames (last names). Because of this, people tend to keep track of where their family originated, as in 안동 박 씨 or the most populous clan, the 김해 김 씨. The words preceding the names here are the city names. If you’d like to read more about these “many” 성 gathered under one country, the two links below were pretty interesting!

(img src: http://www.balluff-transnational.eu/study-notes/2012/06/a-korean-family-history/

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_name) 

Study vocab here!

Vocab:

國民      국민      a nation; nation's citizens

country x people

民族      민족      race; ethnicity

people x race

少數民族            소수민족            minority  ethnicity

small (quantity) x count x people x race

庶民      서민      common people

common x people

貧民      빈민      the poor/needy, poor people

deficient x people

農民      농민      farmers; peasantry

to farm x people

市民      시민      citizen

city x people

住民      주민      resident

to live x people

原住民  원주민  native (people)

former/original x to live x people

移民      이민*    emigration; immigration

to move x people

移民者  이민자  immigrant; migrant

to move x people x one is doing

民間人  민간인  civilian

people x between x person

民防衛  민방위  civil defense

people x to protect x to guard

民主主義            민주주의            democracy

people x owner x owner x justice, meaning

民俗      민속      folk customs

people x custom

民俗村  민속촌  folk village

people x custom x village

民俗舞踊            민속무용            folk dance

people x custom x to dance x to leap

民謠      민요      folk song

people x popular ballad

Notes:

*can add 하다 to make a verb

[aja-aja-hanja]

Character Story:

Depicting a 人 인 man carrying 禾 벼 rice stalks on his back, the farmer’s year ended with his harvest. Thus it indicated for common people the end of the farming cycle and their year.

<벼타작>, 김홍도 “Rice Threshing” , Kim Hong Do.

 image source: National Museum of Korea

The most important grain crop in Korea was rice for many, many years. Still the staple grain of the Korean diet, recently with the increase in popularity of bread and pastries, pasta etc., wheat flour has been steadily increasing in consumption at the expense of rice. However, historically rice production has constituted more than 90% of the arable land. Many older people, and even some more traditional young people, feel like without rice, anything you eat is just snacks and not a meal.

Study vocab here!

Vocabulary:

年度      년도      year

year x limit

今年      금년      this year

now x year

來年      내년      next year

coming x year

昨年      작년      last year

재昨年  재작년  the year before last

yesterday x year

後年      후년      the year after next

after x year

往年      왕년      the years past

go x year

閏年      윤년      leap year

leap month x year

豊年      풍년      year of good harvest

abundant x year

凶年      흉년      year of bad harvest

unlucky x year

年末      연말      end of the year

year x end

年俸      년봉      annual salary

year x salary

年金      연금      annuity; pension

year x money

年平均  연평균  yearly average

year x average

年賀狀  연하장  New Year's card

year x congratulate x card

學年      학년      school year; grade

school x year

(一)週年              (일)주년             (first) anniversary

first x revolve x year

年代      연대      years and generations; chronology

year x generation

年代順  연대순  chronological order

generation x order

90年代               90년대               the nineties (years)

90 x generation

年齡      연령      age; years

year x age

年歲      연세      age (높임말)

year x age

老年      노년      old age

old x age

中年      중년      middle age

middle x age

少年      소년      boy

few x year

靑年      청년      young man

green x year

年老하다            연로하다            to be old, aged

year x old

靑少年  청소년  young boys and girls; teenagers

green x few x year

年上      연상      senior in age

year x above

年下      연하      junior in age

year x below

[aja-aja-hanja]

Character story:

A person who joins 一 sky,  一 earth, and  一 people. 

Study vocab here!

Vocab:

王           왕           king

國王      국왕      king (of a country)

country x king

女王      여왕      queen

woman x king

王妃      왕비      queen (consort)

king x imperial concubine

王子      왕자      (royal) prince

king x child

王冠      왕관      (royal) crown

king x hat/crown

三冠王  삼관왕  triple gold-medalist

three x crown x king

王개미  왕개미  giant ant

king x ant (K)

**王           왕-         king-sized, giant, the most

**as is 왕당까스 : 

https://m.post.naver.com/viewer/postView.nhn?volumeNo=14158455&memberNo=32920277