Have You Heard These Korean Words?
Koreans words that you might have heard of.
Basics
Komapsumnida (고맙습니다)
Thank you. Formal greeting. You can say komawoyo (고마워요) or komawo to your close friends.
-yo: suffix to show respect in this case. This can be tricky and personal. It’s probably safe that you say komawo to your close friends or your family members. I say komawo to my sister and brother, but komawoyo to my parents. Some Koreans say komawo to their parents, too. Not that I’m not close with my parents or they are rude to their parents, I just prefer the expression that shows more respect in general.
Kamsahamnida (감사합니다)
Thank you. More formal than komapsumnida (고맙습니다). It’s recommend to use this than komapsumnida in business meetings.
Annyonghaseyo (안녕하세요)
Hello, hi, good morning, good afternoon or good evening. Formal and generic greeting.
Food
Massitseoyo (맛있어요)
Delicious
Jajangmyun (짜장면, also spelled Jajangmyeon, jjajangmyeon or jjajangmyun)
a Korean noodle dish topped with thick black sauce made of black soybean paste, chunjang. More about jajangmyun…
Mandu (만두)
one of the most favored Korean snack dishes, refers to crescent-shape (or less commonly round-shape) food of meat (usually pork) and vegetable mix wrapped with a thin piece of flour dough. More about mandu…
Culture
Hallyu, aka Hanryu (한류, 韓流)
Korean wave (the waves of Korean culture) refers to the rise of Korean culture around the world, especially in many Asian countries and some Central American countries. The trend started when Korean TV soap operas such as Winter Sonada or Dae Jang Keum hit other Asian countries. The waves have spread out to other fields of culture such as music or movies. Hallyu is based on the way people pronounce it and Hanryu on the way Koreans spell it. A Chinese journalist started the word Hallyu 韓流 to refer to growing popularity of Korean culture in China.
Seollal
Seollal(설날), Korean New Year, also known as sullal, seolnal, gujung, gujeong, the first day by the Korean lunar calendar is the most important Korean holiday. Families and relatives get together to celebrate the first day of the year and to wish the best luck. More about seollal…
