Korean for Dummies (22 page)

In Korea, sizing units are very different than the sizing units used in the U.S.

For example, for shoes, Koreans use centimeters to measure their feet and for bottoms (for example, pants, skirts, jean) they use the waist sizes. So it might be a good idea to measure the size of your waist before you go shopping in Korea. Following are comparison of Korean and U.S. sizes in various clothing.

Underwear:

Korea:
75A/75B/80A/80B/85A/85B

U.S.:
32A/32B/34A/34B/36A/36B

Tops:

Korea (1):
44/55/66/77

Korea (2):
85/90/95/100

U.S.:
XS/S/M/L

Bottoms

Korea (1):
44/55/66/77

Korea (2):
23–24; 25–26; 27–29; 30–32 (waist sizes in inches)

U.S. (1):
XS/S/M/L

U.S. (2):
0–2; 4–6; 8–10

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Shoes

Korea:
230/235/240/245/250 (feet sizes in centimeters)

U.S.:
6/6.5/7/7.5/8

Asking about colors

If you find a shirt that you like, but would like it in blue, you can ask the attendant, “
igeorang gateungeo paransaegeuro isseoyo?
” (
ee-guh-rang gateun-guh pa-ran-sae-geu-ro ee-ssuh-yo?;
Do you have same one as this one in blue?). If you’re looking for it in green, you can ask, “
igeo choroksaek
isseoyo?
” (
ee-guh cho-rok-saek ee-ssuh-yo?;
Do you have this in green?).
saek
(
saek
), or
saekgal
(
sae-kkal
) is the Korean word for color, so if you know what color you want, you can add
isseoyo
(
ee-ssuh-yo;
Do you have it) after the color. For example,
norangsaek isseiyo?
(
no-rang-saek ee-ssuh-yo?;
Do you have it in yellow?). Check out Table 6-1 to discover how you say your favorite color in Korean.

Table 6-1

Terms for Colors

Korean Word

Pronunciation

Translation

hayansaek

ha-yan-saek

White

noransaek

no-ran-saek

Yellow

juhwangsaek

joo-hwang-saek

Orange

ppalgansaek

ppalgan-saek

Red

choroksaek

cho-rok-saek

Green

parangsaek

pa-rang-saek

Blue

borasaek

bo-ra-saek

Purple

geomjeongsaek

gum-jung-saek

Blank

bamsaek

bamsaek

Brown

hoesaek

hwae-saek

Grey

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Trying on clothes

When you try something on, you can ask the attendant, or the person you’re with the question, “
eottaeyo?
(
uh-ttae-yo
).”
“eottaeyo?
” means “How is it?” or

“what do you think?” In the interest of being polite, they will most likely say,

“
meosisseoyo
(
muh-shi-ssuh-yo;
you look fashionable, it looks good). The

“you” in that last phrase is assumed.
meot
(
muht
) in Korean means a lot of different things. It can mean sophistication, taste, and class, among other things.
isseoyo
(
ee-ssuh-yo
) means “to be present.” So, when someone says
meoshisseoyo
(
muh-si-ssuh-yo
), it means “you look good,” or “you look classy,” or sophisticated, or tasteful, and so on.

Talkin’ the Talk

Natalie and Kate are at a department store shopping for clothes.

Natalie:

yeogiyo. jeohui jom dowajuseyo.

yuh-gi-yo! juh-hee jom do-wa-joo-sae-yo.

Excuse me/here please. Please help us.

Attendant:

ne, mueoseul chajeuseyo?

ne. moo-uh-seul cha-jeu-sae-yo?

Yes, what are you looking for?

Kate:

yeoja bajirang chimaga eodi itjyo?

yuh-ja ba-ji-rang chi-ma-ga uh-dee it-jyo?

Where are women’s pants and skirts?

Attendant:

ye. boyeodeurilkkaeyo? jeoreul ttaraoseyo.

ye. bo-yuh-deu-ril-kka-yo? juh-reul tta-ra-o-sae-yo.

Yes, do you want me to show you? Please follow me.

Natalie:

(Holding up a skirt)
igeoneun eottaeyo?

ee-guh-neun uh-ttae-yo?

How’s this one?

Kate:

meosisseoyo. paransaegeun innayo?

muh-shi-ssuh-yo. pa-ran-saek-eun in-na-yo?

It’s pretty. Do they have it in blue?

Attendant:

ye. jamshiman gidariseyo. jega gatda deurilkkeyo

ye. jam-shi-man gi-da-ree-sae-yo. jeh-ga gat-da deu-

rilkkae-yo.

Yes. Wait here a moment. I’ll bring it for you.

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Words to Know

yeogiyo

yuh-gi-yo

Here please

chajeusaeyo

cha-jeu-sae-yo

Looking for

boyeodeurilkkaeyo

bo-yuh-deu-ril-kka-yo

Would you like to see it

meosisseoyo

muh-shi-ssuh-yo

It looks good/

it’s fashionable

jamsiman

jam-shi-man

A moment

gidariseyo

gi-da-ree-sae-yo

Please wait

paransaek

pa-ran-saek

Blue color

saek

saek

Color

boseoksang

bo-seuk-sang

Jewellery store

kkotgagye

kkot-ga-gae

Flower shop

supeomaket

su-puh-ma-ket

Super market

yakguk

yak-gook

Pharmacy/drug store

munbanggu

moon-bang-goo

Stationary/toy store

Shopping for Specific Items

Korea is very well known for its textile industry, but there are other popular buys in Korea. Besides clothing, Korea is also well known for leather and fur goods, antiques and replicas, electronic equipment, jewelry, ginseng, folk arts and crafts, traditional liquors and teas,
gimchi
(
gim-chee
), and other foods.

Many of these items are readily available in duty-free shops and large department stores, but some of the treasures require a bit of hunting. A word of caution for the antique collectors is necessary here, though. Any antique items over 50 years old, including chests, calligraphy works and pottery, are not allowed to be taken out of the country, so if in doubt, you should check with the Art and Antiques Assessment Office.

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Groceries

Many large, chain grocery stores carry international goods should you feel homesick, and you can find many Western eateries as well. If you’re looking for an authentically Korean experience, you might want to visit a
sijang
(
shi-jang
), which is like a farmer’s market. Here, you’ll find many different varieties of
gimchi
being sold out of gigantic tubs, and these people are more than happy to give you a taste. While the large grocery stores have prices clearly labeled on the items, you can haggle for prices at these farmer’s markets. Koreans are big on fresh food items, so you can find live fish and extremely fresh vegetables in these markets.

If a price is not clearly labeled on an item, you can ask, “
igeo eolmajyo?
” (
ee-guh ul-ma-jyo?
), which means, “How much is this?” “
igeo eolmaeyo?
(
ee-guh
ul-ma-ae-yo
; How much is this?)” is also acceptable.
gagyeok
(
ga-gyuhk
) is the Korean word for price, so if you want to, you can also ask, “
igeo gagyeogi
eolmaeyo?
” (
ee-guh ga-gyuh-gee ul-ma-ae-yo?
), which is translated, “What is the price of this item?”

Electronics

A good place to find state of the art electronic equipment is the COEX mall, or the Techno Mart. COEX mall is a huge underground labyrinth of shops, with all different kinds of amenities and facilities. COEX mall also houses a Cineplex, and the COEX Aquarium, which displays more than 40’000 fish of over 600 species and dozens of large sharks. Techno Mart is housed in a high rise building with an 11-screen multiplex theater, game rooms, restaurants and more. Techno Mart has hundreds of stores specializing in electronic and computer-related goods.

Antiques and souvenirs

There are many things Korea is known for when it comes to items of this nature. Dolls in splendid traditional costumes, fans, wooden masks, delicate and colorful embroidery, painted wedding ducks, kites, intricate mother-of pearl lacquerware, ceramic pieces like white porcelain, and blue-jade celadon are readily available in many gift shops and duty-free shops. If you’re searching for something a little more authentic, you should look into the
jangan-pyeong
(
jang-an-pyoung
) Antique Market, Cultural Property Artisan’s Hall, or the Korea House Handicraft Shop. Many of these stores carry items that cannot be found anywhere else.

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All About Buying: Pricing, Bargaining,

Purchasing, Refunding

Once you find the item that you’re looking for, and once you find out how much the item costs, you can start haggling over the price. Like I mentioned earlier, you’ll probably have better luck at haggling over the price of an item at one of those open air markets as opposed to a large department stores, as the prices tend to be more fixed at these locations. It makes sense, however, when you think of it this way. The stalls in the open air markets are owned by individuals, and when you haggle over the price of an item at those shops, chances are, you are talking to the owner of the shop. In large department stores, you’re probably talking to one of many employees, who have very little control in setting the price of the items. If and when you find yourself in one of these open air markets, you can begin by telling the shop owner, “
neomu bissayo
” (
nuh-moo bee-ssa-yo;
It’s too expensive.) You can also say,

“
jom kkakkajuseyo
(
jom kka-kka-joo-sae-yo;
Lower the price a little bit.) Literally translated, it means, “shave off a little bit (on the price).”

If and when you and the shop owner have agreed on a price, you can go

ahead and pay for your purchase. “
eolmaeyo?
(
ul-ma-ae-yo?;
How much is it?) or “
eolmajyo?
” (
ul-ma-jyo?;
How much is it?). If you decide that you don’t want the item after you’ve purchased it, bring it back to the store and say, “
banhwan haejuseyo
” (
banhwan hae-joo-sae-yo;
please give me a refund).

You can also say, “
igeo jega eoje satgeodeunyo, yeongsujeung yeogi isseoyo
(
ee-guh jae-ga uh-jae sa-guh-deun-yo, young-soo-jeung yuh-gi ee-ssuh-yo;
I bought this item yesterday, here is the receipt)
. banhwan haejuseyo
(
banhwan hae-joo-sae-yo;
Please give me a refund.) At large department stores, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a refund, but in one of those open air markets, you’d be hard pressed to find someone that will give you a refund. Such is the risk you run for searching out a bargain. While you may find items at a lower cost at these markets, getting your money back may be harder than it is if you were to purchase the item at a large, reputable department store.

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Fun & Games

Please match the type of store with the items you would find in these stores shown in the illustration below.

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

A. kkotgagye

________

B. munbanggu

________

C. supeomaket

________

D. boseoksang

________

E. yakguk

________

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In This Chapter

Knowing the time and day

Exploring museums and galleries

Taking in a movie

Dealing with invitations

Instead of being stuck in your hotel on a beautiful day, wouldn’t you much rather hit the town? Wouldn’t you rather visit a
bakmulgwan
(
bak-mool-gwan;
museum) and learn about Korean history and culture, or go see a
yeonghwa
(
young-hwa;
movie)? Perhaps you’d like to see a performance of
gugak
(
goo-gak;
traditional Korean music),
jung-ak
(
joong-ak;
music of the upper classes/court music),
nong-ak
(
nong-ak;
farmer’s music/folk music), or
pansori
(
pan–so-ree;
epic solo song). If you want to catch any of these shows, you have to know when and where the shows are happening, of course.

You have to know how to read a
jido
(
jee-do;
map), hail a
taeksi
(
taek-shi;
taxi), or take a
beoseu
(
buh-sseu;
bus) a
gicha
(
gee-cha;
train), or
jihacheol
(
jee-ha-chul;
subway). You also need to know the
naljja
(
nal-jja;
date) and
sigan
(
shi-gan;
time) to be there on time. If you check out the sections in this chapter, you can find out exactly what you need to make a date and keep it!