한국어 토론 (Korean Discussion Thread)

[Farnhamia]

안녕하세요 여러분. 한국어로 재미있게 대화 하기 바랍니다 ㅋㅋㅋ

한국인 저 만 있는거 아닐텐데... ㅋㅋㅋ

한국말 배우는 외국인도 있으면 여기서 도와줄수있어요. 사실은 저도 많이 서툴해요 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ ㅠㅠ

NS를 어떻게 찾게 된것입니까? 어떻게 생각합니까?

This is a Korean language thread. Don't use Google Translate - Google Translate Korean might as well qualify as a completely different language. If you're trying to learn Korean, we can help out.

Are you interested in Korea? What aspects of it? K-Pop? K-Dramas? Cuisine? The North Korean regime? Do you know any Koreans? How about on NS?

If you're interested in learning more about Korea, here is a good place to discuss things regarding it. There are a few aspects of Korea that dominate coverage and views of it in the West (such as PC gaming culture, stereotypes regarding NK, fried chicken consumption), but they do not at all provide a complete or accurate picture.

If you don't have anything relevant to add to the discussion, don't post.

For all you foreigners~

http://www.howtostudykorean.com/
^ I heard this is pretty useful

rip

Have you ever been to Korea?

Lived there/live here: 3 (7%)
More than a month: 3 (7%)
Less than a month: 1 (2%)
Less than a week: 2 (5%)
Only on layovers: 1 (2%)
No, but I want to go: 23 (56%)
No, but I don't really care for going: 6 (15%)
No, and I definitely don't want to go: 2 (5%)

Total votes: 41

[Arumdaum]

A common misconception among many Westerners is that Korean is very similar to Chinese, due to stereotypes in the West of there being little diversity in Asia, with everyone acting and looking the same.

Obviously, though, that is not true.

Apart from Chinese not being a spoken language, Korean is completely unrelated to the various varieties of Chinese, not being a part of the Sino-Tibetan language family. However, China did have a large impact on Korea culturally, and a considerable amount of Korean vocabulary is derived from Chinese.

A good example is Farsi, Turkish, or even Spanish to Arabic - many borrowed words, but all unrelated to Arabic. Also, a bit like how English has many words borrowed from French, Latin, and Greek, apart from the fact that they are still part of the Indo-European langauge family.

[Gim]

In terms of Korean pop culture, K-Pop is slowly knocking at the doors of the entire globe, hence its populairty in not just Asia but also in Europe and South America. Many people around the globe continue to be exposed to Korean, and some of them write fan letters and banners solely in Korean.

So far, excluding the general ubiquitousness of Hallyu, two instances were notable in influencing K-pop to North America. One was when Wonder Girls made into the Top 100 billboard chart and another one was Gangnam Style in 2012.

[Camelza]

A common misconception among many Westerners is that Korean is very similar to Chinese, due to stereotypes in the West of there being little diversity in Asia, with everyone acting and looking the same.

Obviously, though, that is not true.

Apart from Chinese not being a spoken language, Korean is completely unrelated to the various varieties of Chinese, not being a part of the Sino-Tibetan language family. However, China did have a large impact on Korea culturally, and a considerable amount of Korean vocabulary is derived from Chinese.

A good example is Farsi, Turkish, or even Spanish to Arabic - many borrowed words, but all unrelated to Arabic. Also, a bit like how English has many words borrowed from French, Latin, and Greek, apart from the fact that they are still part of the Indo-European langauge family.

When I was younger I considered Korea to be more similar with Japan rather than with China, basicaly because 'Hyundai' sounded very Japanese-like to my ignorant Westerner ears.

[Gim]

A common misconception among many Westerners is that Korean is very similar to Chinese, due to stereotypes in the West of there being little diversity in Asia, with everyone acting and looking the same.

Obviously, though, that is not true.

Apart from Chinese not being a spoken language, Korean is completely unrelated to the various varieties of Chinese, not being a part of the Sino-Tibetan language family. However, China did have a large impact on Korea culturally, and a considerable amount of Korean vocabulary is derived from Chinese.

A good example is Farsi, Turkish, or even Spanish to Arabic - many borrowed words, but all unrelated to Arabic. Also, a bit like how English has many words borrowed from French, Latin, and Greek, apart from the fact that they are still part of the Indo-European langauge family.

When I was younger I considered Korea to be more similar with Japan rather than with China, basicaly because 'Hyundai' sounded very Japanese-like to my ignorant Westerner ears.

Korean and Japanese sound similar. It is known that Japan was formed from southern Koreans who migrated to the island next to their peninsula. It is also speculated Baekje Empire in about 300-400 A.D. made Japan its vassal state during the height of its empire.

[Arumdaum]

A common misconception among many Westerners is that Korean is very similar to Chinese, due to stereotypes in the West of there being little diversity in Asia, with everyone acting and looking the same.

Obviously, though, that is not true.

Apart from Chinese not being a spoken language, Korean is completely unrelated to the various varieties of Chinese, not being a part of the Sino-Tibetan language family. However, China did have a large impact on Korea culturally, and a considerable amount of Korean vocabulary is derived from Chinese.

A good example is Farsi, Turkish, or even Spanish to Arabic - many borrowed words, but all unrelated to Arabic. Also, a bit like how English has many words borrowed from French, Latin, and Greek, apart from the fact that they are still part of the Indo-European langauge family.

When I was younger I considered Korea to be more similar with Japan rather than with China, basicaly because 'Hyundai' sounded very Japanese-like to my ignorant Westerner ears.

Hyundai was actually intentionally romanized that way to look more Japanese to Westerners, so that it could cash in on the positive associations Westerners made with the Japanese automobile industry.

I guess it's worked pretty well.

[Gim]

When I was younger I considered Korea to be more similar with Japan rather than with China, basicaly because 'Hyundai' sounded very Japanese-like to my ignorant Westerner ears.

Hyundai was actually intentionally romanized that way to look more Japanese to Westerners, so that it could cash in on the positive associations Westerners made with the Japanese automobile industry.

I guess it's worked pretty well.

To be honest, Hyundai cars, along with Toyota ones, produce excellent sedans. The low price and quality of the engines really are outstanding.

[Arumdaum]

Hyundai was actually intentionally romanized that way to look more Japanese to Westerners, so that it could cash in on the positive associations Westerners made with the Japanese automobile industry.

I guess it's worked pretty well.

To be honest, Hyundai cars, along with Toyota ones, produce excellent sedans. The low price and quality of the engines really are outstanding.

Yeah, I trust Korean and Japanese cars a lot more than American brands, tbh...

[Gim]

To be honest, Hyundai cars, along with Toyota ones, produce excellent sedans. The low price and quality of the engines really are outstanding.

Yeah, I trust Korean and Japanese cars a lot more than American brands, tbh...

I've driven Ford and Pontiac in the past, and I didn't feel comfortable controlling the steering wheel. Also, water tank condition was terrible; it leaked when the car was about two months old.

Also, Arumdaum hyung, can you send TG to Quebec to remind him of this place? I can't, because I'm on mobile and it is very slow.

[Arumdaum]

메시지 보냈음~

운전한건 부럽다 ㅋㅋ 난 아직 운전 한 적 없는데 ㅠㅠ

[Gim]

메시지 보냈음~

운전한건 부럽다 ㅋㅋ 난 아직 운전 한 적 없는데 ㅠㅠ

작년부터 운전면허 딸수 있어서 땄어요 ㅋㅋㅋ

한번 배우면 쉬어요 ㅎㅎ

[Korlsan]

Would it be possible for someone to directly help me in learning Korean? I've tried many times but the way they have taught on lessons and videos is learning exact English phrases and it doesn't teach the literal beyond words and their meanings in Korean. I've learned German by learning the literal way, but now I want to move onto something else (This is an alt. RP nation, but I'm active with it mostly right now.) in terms of a language, I've tried Russian which did not work out. Swedish was outright confusing, and Dutch gave me a migraine. I'd try the Romance languages but their pronunciation just gets butchered when I speak it. Korean pronunciation, however, I've had no issue with doing and the Hangul is actually quite enjoyable as a letter system and since learning more about both Koreans and their past, it only made me more and more interested in learning the language (Sorry if I'm blabbering on).

TL;DR Could someone help teach me Korean in the literal fashion rather than how it would be taught with English sentences and phrases?

[Ainin]

I'm going to Seoul in a few weeks. Any food recommendations?

[King Lorcan]

I've always been interested at how South Koreans view the Korean War and the North. Do they see the North as evil or corrupted souls or as fellow Koreans of the North?
Also I've heard that there has always been a sort of North-South kind of sub-culture divide; is there any truth to this?

[The Archregimancy]

A common misconception among many Westerners is that Korean is very similar to Chinese

People genuinely think that?

I thought it was fairly well known that Korean is, like Basque, generally considered a language isolate with no clear relationship to any other spoken language. Indeed, Korean is by far the largest living language isolate, with more speakers (c.78 million) than all of the other language isolates put together.

[The Republic of American Freedom]

I once went to Seoul. Nice place and food, can't say I'm a fan of K-Pop though.

[Tuthina]

A question that may or may not be relevant about learning Korean:
As someone who speaks a Chinese language as the native tongue, I am curious as to how many Koreans can read Chinese character (Hanja) now. I know there are a lot of Chinese loanwords in Korean to the point that most compound noun phrases are pretty much identical to its Chinese form, but since both Koreas seem to write exclusively in Hangul now, I am curious that how many Korean would still be able to read a Korean sentence or paragraph if all Chinese loanwords are written in Hanja.

Also, 安寧하세요!

[Arumdaum]

A common misconception among many Westerners is that Korean is very similar to Chinese

People genuinely think that?

I thought it was fairly well known that Korean is, like Basque, generally considered a language isolate with no clear relationship to any other spoken language. Indeed, Korean is by far the largest living language isolate, with more speakers (c.78 million) than all of the other language isolates put together.

ignorance is everywhere in america :')

I'm going to Seoul in a few weeks. Any food recommendations?

There's a good place somewhere around Seoul that has very good seolleongtang... gah... I can't remember the name.

Itaewon has lots of foreign food places (like Levant/Nigerian/Turkish/Persian/etc.), so if you're missing those in China... There's also a two-story Taco Bell there, lol, but it's not very good.

I really like galbijjim and spicy galbijjim. Spicy galbijjim is especially good if you're in Daegu. Same with makchang. You can probably find some good places for KBBQ.

If you end up going to any of the Chinese restaurants, you'll find that it's mostly just Koreanized Dongbei cuisine.

I've always been interested at how South Koreans view the Korean War and the North. Do they see the North as evil or corrupted souls or as fellow Koreans of the North?
Also I've heard that there has always been a sort of North-South kind of sub-culture divide; is there any truth to this?

The Korean War was a civil war instigated by foreign forces upon the small, weak, and oppressed nation that was Korea. I think that's probably how people view it? I haven't really asked people about it, though.

I know a lot of seniors tend to view North Koreans as evil and unlike them due to anti-communist/anti-NK propaganda while SK was still a dictatorship, as well as a lot of younger people, who don't really feel connected to North Koreans.

but i think it changes a lot based upon NK's actions, the US' actions, the political climate, etc.

but you will always find that South Koreans view Japan as much more of an enemy than NK

to many people they are fellow koreans, but to others they are enemies

vast majority still in favor of reunification though

38th parallel is artificial line decided by foreigners in 1945

linguistic divide is more east-west

but as you went more north, more christians due to less confucian influence in north (not true anymore obviously lol)

food in north is also less spicy i guess cuz it's colder

[Arumdaum]

A question that may or may not be relevant about learning Korean:
As someone who speaks a Chinese language as the native tongue, I am curious as to how many Koreans can read Chinese character (Hanja) now. I know there are a lot of Chinese loanwords in Korean to the point that most compound noun phrases are pretty much identical to its Chinese form, but since both Koreas seem to write exclusively in Hangul now, I am curious that how many Korean would still be able to read a Korean sentence or paragraph if all Chinese loanwords are written in Hanja.

Also, 安寧하세요!

Chinese characters and Classical Chinese are part of the curriculum beginning from 7th grade until graduation; 1800 characters are taught in total.

Guess who learned only like 50 after attending 7th and 8th grade there

Not sure about North Korea, though... They stopped using Chinese characters soon after independence, but I don't know whether they stopped teaching them as well.

安寧하세요 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Would it be possible for someone to directly help me in learning Korean? I've tried many times but the way they have taught on lessons and videos is learning exact English phrases and it doesn't teach the literal beyond words and their meanings in Korean. I've learned German by learning the literal way, but now I want to move onto something else (This is an alt. RP nation, but I'm active with it mostly right now.) in terms of a language, I've tried Russian which did not work out. Swedish was outright confusing, and Dutch gave me a migraine. I'd try the Romance languages but their pronunciation just gets butchered when I speak it. Korean pronunciation, however, I've had no issue with doing and the Hangul is actually quite enjoyable as a letter system and since learning more about both Koreans and their past, it only made me more and more interested in learning the language (Sorry if I'm blabbering on).

TL;DR Could someone help teach me Korean in the literal fashion rather than how it would be taught with English sentences and phrases?

Well, I can try helping! I also think the link I provided in the OP is pretty helpful. It doesn't just teach how to say certain phrases, but goes into detail about the grammar, which I think is best when learning a language.

Can you already read Hangul?

[Arumdaum]

메시지 보냈음~

운전한건 부럽다 ㅋㅋ 난 아직 운전 한 적 없는데 ㅠㅠ

작년부터 운전면허 딸수 있어서 땄어요 ㅋㅋㅋ

한번 배우면 쉬어요 ㅎㅎ

ㅇㅇ 난 이번 달 딸라구~ ㅋㅋㅋ

I once went to Seoul. Nice place and food, can't say I'm a fan of K-Pop though.

When'd you visit? What'd you try?

Yeah, I don't listen to too much K-Pop either, haha. However, there's a lot more to Korean music than just K-Pop. I tend to like a lot of Korean hip hop and Korean indie music, which I guess are more my style.

I think IU is pretty good, though.

[King Lorcan]

People genuinely think that?

I thought it was fairly well known that Korean is, like Basque, generally considered a language isolate with no clear relationship to any other spoken language. Indeed, Korean is by far the largest living language isolate, with more speakers (c.78 million) than all of the other language isolates put together.

ignorance is everywhere in america :')

I'm going to Seoul in a few weeks. Any food recommendations?

There's a good place somewhere around Seoul that has very good seolleongtang... gah... I can't remember the name.

Itaewon has lots of foreign food places (like Levant/Nigerian/Turkish/Persian/etc.), so if you're missing those in China... There's also a two-story Taco Bell there, lol, but it's not very good.

I really like galbijjim and spicy galbijjim. Spicy galbijjim is especially good if you're in Daegu. Same with makchang. You can probably find some good places for KBBQ.

If you end up going to any of the Chinese restaurants, you'll find that it's mostly just Koreanized Dongbei cuisine.

I've always been interested at how South Koreans view the Korean War and the North. Do they see the North as evil or corrupted souls or as fellow Koreans of the North?
Also I've heard that there has always been a sort of North-South kind of sub-culture divide; is there any truth to this?

The Korean War was a civil war instigated by foreign forces upon the small, weak, and oppressed nation that was Korea. I think that's probably how people view it? I haven't really asked people about it, though.

I know a lot of seniors tend to view North Koreans as evil and unlike them due to anti-communist/anti-NK propaganda while SK was still a dictatorship, as well as a lot of younger people, who don't really feel connected to North Koreans.

but i think it changes a lot based upon NK's actions, the US' actions, the political climate, etc.

but you will always find that South Koreans view Japan as much more of an enemy than NK

to many people they are fellow koreans, but to others they are enemies

vast majority still in favor of reunification though

38th parallel is artificial line decided by foreigners in 1945

linguistic divide is more east-west

but as you went more north, more christians due to less confucian influence in north (not true anymore obviously lol)

food in north is also less spicy i guess cuz it's colder

Thanks. How do you think Reunification will occur if in the near future? Will it be peaceful? If the North Korean collapses, what will happen do you think?

[MC United]

In terms of Korean pop culture, K-Pop is slowly knocking at the doors of the entire globe, hence its populairty in not just Asia but also in Europe and South America. Many people around the globe continue to be exposed to Korean, and some of them write fan letters and banners solely in Korean.

So far, excluding the general ubiquitousness of Hallyu, two instances were notable in influencing K-pop to North America. One was when Wonder Girls made into the Top 100 billboard chart and another one was Gangnam Style in 2012.

I spent some time in Gwangju on business in 2001-2002. I picked up a little of the language when I was there, and have kept on studying since then. Not at all fluent, unfortunately, but I try. Anyway, while I was there, I started listening to K-pop via music videos I would see while eating at Pizza Hut (!). My favorites were "Takara" by Uhm Jung-hwa (doesn't seem to be on YouTube any more ) , and "Uyon" by Baby VOX ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VqBu1pam_U ).

[Arumdaum]

Unfortunately, I don't think reunification will happen in the near future. Any reunification, though, would likely be peaceful. North Korea is unwilling to and could not invade the South, and any government in SK would not want to invade the North.

SK is China's largest import partner, with nearly 10% of the goods China imports from other countries coming from South Korea. SK and China also tend to get along pretty well, especially when it comes to issues regarding Japan. Xi Jinping isn't very fond of North Korea either.

North Korea is implementing changes that are likely to ensure a longer survival of the regime, but South Korea is generally expected to take over if there is a North Korean collapse, with US cooperation. I'm afraid that eventually, as time passes, North Korean and South Korean identities will diverge to the point where neither really identify with each other much.

Considering that China will eventually become the world's economy, SK is getting stronger, and SK is seeking to be maintain friendly relationships with both the United States and China, SK may seek less military cooperation with the United States in the future.

In terms of Korean pop culture, K-Pop is slowly knocking at the doors of the entire globe, hence its populairty in not just Asia but also in Europe and South America. Many people around the globe continue to be exposed to Korean, and some of them write fan letters and banners solely in Korean.

So far, excluding the general ubiquitousness of Hallyu, two instances were notable in influencing K-pop to North America. One was when Wonder Girls made into the Top 100 billboard chart and another one was Gangnam Style in 2012.

I spent some time in Gwangju on business in 2001-2002. I picked up a little of the language when I was there, and have kept on studying since then. Not at all fluent, unfortunately, but I try. Anyway, while I was there, I started listening to K-pop via music videos I would see while eating at Pizza Hut (!). My favorites were "Takara" by Uhm Jung-hwa (doesn't seem to be on YouTube any more ) , and "Uyon" by Baby VOX ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VqBu1pam_U ).

Wow, that's quite a while ago!

여기서 연습 좀 하면 좋을텐데요 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Sadly, I don't recognize either of those artists... I really need to familiarize myself with more Korean things ackkkcjaogijerog

Are there any contemporary artists you enjoy listening to?

[Arumdaum]

한국말 할수 있으신분 너무 없네요 울고싶네요 너무 안됐네요 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Gim]

한국말 할수 있으신분 너무 없네요 울고싶네요 너무 안됐네요 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

내가 있잖아요~~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
자주 좀 들어와요 형 대화 좀 하게 ㅋㅋㅋ