Do you know ... K-Facts?

Here are some interesting facts about the Koreans, its language and its culture that I think it would be best to highlight and be shared with you. Hopefully, you'll find this an interesting read.

• Koreans bend their upper body by about 45 degrees when greeting people who are senior to them (such as age, social status, etc). If only the phrase "안녕하세요?" is uttered and is not accompanied by this gesture (the bow), or if simply hands are waved, the person could be considered rude. Among closer acquintances, phrases like "식사 하셨어요 (Shiksa haseyo)?" or "밥 먹었어요 (Bab meokgeosseoyo)?" are frequently used.

• The most popular snacks on a Korean cart bar, or 포장마차 (pojangmacha), are 떢볶이 (ttokbokki - finger-like rice cakes in red hot chili sauce), 호떡 (hoddeok - Chinese stuffed pancakes) and 김밥 (kimbab - rice rolled in dried seaweed). The 떢볶이 tastes spicy but is popular among people from all over the world.

• You may often hear people calling clerks, waiters or waitresses with words such as 아쩌씨 (ajusshi), 아주머니 (ajummoni), 아줌마 (ajumma) or 아가씨 (agasshi). These expressions are used in an informal and friendly settings. Sometimes 어머니 (eomeoni) or 이모 (imo) are used instead of  아주머니 (ajummoni), and 언니 (eonni) other than 아가씨 (agasshi), which are originnaly terms used among families and are used to be even more friendly and casual.

• Days of the weeks are ordered starting with Sunday in many cultures, but in Korea, a weeks starts with Monday in the spoken language, although the first column on the Korean calendar is Sundays.

Monday 월요일

Tuesday 화요일

Wednesday 수요일

Thursday 목요일

Friday 금요일

Saturday 토요일

Sunday 일요일

What day 무순 요일

Last week 지난주

This week 이번주

Next week 다음 주

Weekend 주말

• Koreans have "미역국 (miyeokguk)", or seaweed soup on their birthdays. You could ask someone whether the birthday person had "미역국", instead of congratulating someone with the phrase "생일 축하해요 (saengil chukha haeyo)", with the same effect.

• When you initiate a talk with a stranger to ask the time or direction, it is polite to use phrases such as "실레지만 (sillejiman)", "고맙습니다 (gomapsumnida)" or "감사합니다 (kamsahamnida)".

• Koreans prefer the first person plural "we" over the first person singular "I". "Our house" rather than "my house", is predominantly used. Likewise, Koreans are more likely to use the expressions like our family, our neighborhood, or our country rather than my family, my neighborhood or my country. This aspect of the language reflects the strong sense of communal life and culture among Koreans.

• Koreans do not like the number four (4) as the pronunciation of it coincides with the Chinese character " 死", which means death. You can easily observe this while using an elevator in Korea. Many buildings refer the fourth floor as the "F floor" rather than using the actual number and some buildings have eliminated the fourth floor altogether. You will never find the "fourth floor" in a Korean hospital building.

• 여기 and 거기 can be used interchangeably because what they refer to are broad areas. Yet, 여기 is where the listener is when the speakers are far away as in telephone conversations.

• A "multiplex" is a type of building that has a movie theater, a shopping mall and a food court. Buildings of this type have been drawing a lot of young people in Korea because of their convenience - you can watch a movie, go shopping and eat dinner in the same building without having to move to different places.

• Korea boasts the highest rate of broadband internet connection subscribers, and access to the Internet is ubiquitous - it is available at libraries, public offices and subway stations. You may even easily check out an Internet cafe in any of the neighborhood.

• The Korean expression "삼한사온 (samhansaoun)" or three cold (days) and four warm (days), is a shortened expression that means three days of cold weather is followed by four warm days in winter. In Korea, spring generally begins in March and the weather gets warmer and then turns chilly again briefly. This cold weather is referred as "꽃샘추위 (kkotsaemchuwi)", meaning the cold weather is being jealous of the upcoming flower blossoms.

• Korean government and colleges have built many libraries buildings that you may visit freely. Notable library buildings include the National Assemble Library, which has the largest collection of books in Korea, and Namsan Public Library, which has a gorgeous path for walking. Seeing many books in those libraries might motivate you to study the Korean language even more diligently.

• Instant coffee is popular among Koreans. Many expatriates having lived in Korea for more than a few years find instant coffee favorable to their taste after having gotten used to strong-tasting Korean dishes.

• Bars that sell beers are called "호프 (hopeu)" in Korea. You can find many of them near colleges or business districts. Quite a few of them sell a wide variety of beer from all over the world. Koreans love to order side dishes such as chicken and pork cutlet along with their beers.

• Wine has been catching on in Korea in recent years. A wide variety of wines are imported from Europe and South America. An increasing number of cultural centers have been offering courses on wine, reflecting the growing population in wine.

• 그럼 (geureom) is a shortened form of 그러면 (geureomyeon). In the spoken Korean language, 그럼 is preferred.

• Korea has a very well-developed subway system. Seoul has nine (9) different subway lines that connect most parts of the city, and there are a few more lines that are connected to the suburban areas such as Bundan or Incheon. Each subway line has a different color and each station has an ID number so that even a foreigner visiting Seoul for the first time could use it conveniently.

Seoul Subway Map (Open on New Tab to view map in its original size)

That's all for now, in this post. When I have gathered more interesting facts to share, be sure to look out for the next series of "Do you know ... K-Facts?". ;)