Korean for Dummies (25 page)

doenjangjjigye

dwen-jang-jji-gae

Soy bean paste soup with

vegetables/seafood

bibimbap

bee-bim-bap

Rice mixed with various

vegitables

tteokbokgi

ttuhk-bok-ki

Rice cake in chili paste

oseyo

o-sae-yo

Please come

jjeume

jjeum-ae

About

masitge

ma-shi-gae

Delicious, yummy

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Fun & Games

Draw a line to match the English words to their Korean equivalents.

Next week

ojeon yeolsiban

10:30 am

jumal

Afternoon

ohu

Last month

jinandal

Monday

ohu ahopsi

Weekend

woryoil

9:00 pm

daeumju

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Recreation and Sports

In This Chapter

Talking about your hobbies

Exploring nature

Talking about the arts

Playing sports and games

Korean people are generally known for their industrious and hard-working nature. That in itself is hardly surprising, considering the country has made quite a turn around from a war-torn nation to an economic powerhouse in less than 50 years. Koreans work hard, but they play hard, too. And the Korean people choose to relax and have fun in several different ways. Koreans have many different
chwimi
(
chwee-mee;
hobbies), ranging from
eumak
(
eum-ak;
music) and
misul
(
mee-
sool; art), to
chukgu
(
chook-goo;
soccer) and
sanchaek
(
sanchaek;
a stroll). You may also find the younger people at nightclubs and
PC bang
(
PC
bang; PC room, cyber café), many of which are open all night.

To make the most of your time in Korea, try not just sharing your hobbies and favorite pastime with other Koreans, but also be sure to take part in some of their favorites as well. This chapter provides you with the info you need to not only discuss your interests, but to also engage in other activities that Koreans enjoy, which you may not be familiar with.

Naming Your Hobbies

Are you the kind of person that enjoys watching
deulsae
(
deulsae;
wild birds)? Do you collect
inhyeong
(
een-hyung;
dolls)? Perhaps you like more physical activities, like
yagu
(
yah-goo;
baseball) or
nonggu
(
nong-goo;
basketball). Perhaps you like to sit and read a great
chaek
(
chaeg;
book). Whatever 13_037188-ch08.qxp 6/24/08 11:09 PM Page 140

your hobby may be, the most important aspect is that you have
jaemi
(
jae-mee;
fun) while you’re involved in your hobby. Otherwise, it’s not a hobby, right? Having a
chwimi
(
chwee-mee;
hobby) is important in a person’s well being, of course, and you’ll find that if you share a hobby with another person, it’s much easier to make a connection and speak with them.

Talkin’ the Talk

Carl and Amy discuss their hobbies.

Carl:

amyssi. gunggeumhange inneundeyo.

amy-sshi. goong-geum-han-gae in-neun-dae-yo.

Amy, I’m curious about something.

Amy:

ye. mureoboseyo.

ye. moo-ruh-bo-sae-yo.

Yes. Go ahead and ask.

Carl:

chwimiga mueojyo? simsimhalttae mwo haseyo?

chwee-mee-ga mwo-jyo? shim-shim-halttae mwo-ha-

sae-yo?

What are your hobbies? What do you do when you’re

bored?

Amy:

jeoyo? jeon eoryeoseulttae buteo upyoreul

moaseoyo. carlssineunyo?

juh-yo? juhn uh-ryuh-sseul-ttae-boo-tuh oo-pyo-reul

mo-a-ssuh-yo. carl-sshi-neun-yo?

Me? I’ve collected stamps ever since I was little. And

what about you, Carl?

Carl:

jeoneun eoryeoseulttae buteo undongeul joahae-

seoyo. yosaeneun nonggureul mani hajyo.

juh-neun uh-ryuh-sseul-ttae boo-tuh oon-dong-eul jo-

a-hae-ssuh-yo. yo-sae-neun nong-goo-reul ma-nee ha-

jyo.

I’ve liked physical exercise since little. Lately I’ve been

playing a lot of basketball.

Carl:

upyo moeuneungeo waeroneun tto mwo joahaseyo?

oo-pyo mo-eu-neun-guh wae-ro-neun tto mwuh jo-a-

ha-sae-yo?

What else do you like to do besides collecting

stamps?

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Amy:

gongwoneuro sanchaekhareo gakkeum nagayo.

gongwon-eu-ro san-chaeg-ha-ruh gakkeum-

na-ga-yo.

I go for a walk in the park sometimes.

Carl:

eonje jeorang gachi gallaeyo?

un-jae juh-rang ga-chi gal-lae-yo?

Would you like to go with me sometime?

Amy:

joayo. eonje gachi hanbeon gayo.

jo-a-yo. un-jae ga-chi han-bun ga-yo.

Great. Let’s go together sometime.

Words to Know

baegu

bae-goo

Volleyball

chaegikgi

chae-gil-kki

Reading books

chejo

chae-jo

Calisthenics

chukgu

chook-goo

Soccer

chwimi

chwee-mee

Hobbies

deungsan

deungsan

Mountain climbing

eoryeoseulttae

uh-ryo-sseul-ttae

Since little

eumakdeutgi

eum-ak-deut-kki

Listening to music

geurimgeurigi

geu-rim-geu-ree-gee

Drawing pictures

golpeu

gol-peu

Golf

gongwon

gongwon

Park

shaendeubol

haendeu-bol

Handball

misik chukgu

mee-sik chook-goo

American football

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mureoboseyo

moo-ruh-bo-sae-yo

Please ask me

nonggu

nong-goo

Basketball

peullut yeonju

peu-leut yuhn-joo

Playing flute

piano yeonju

pee-a-no yuhn-joo

Playing piano

sanchaek

sanchaek

Stroll

simsimhalttae

shim-shim-halttae

When bored

sipjasu

ship-ja-soo

Cross stitch

suyeong

soo-young

Swimming

taegwondo

taegwon-do

Taekwon-do

takgu

tak-goo

Table tennis

undong

oon-dong

Exercise

upyo

oo-pyo

Stamps

yagu

ya-goo

Baseball

yosaeneun

yo-sae-neun

Now days, lately

Exploring Nature

Korea is very well known for its natural beauty. The eastern half of the peninsula, with its mountain range, has undisturbed
pokpo
(
pok-po;
waterfalls), peaks of
san
(
sahn;
mountains), dense
sup
(
soop;
forests), rare exotic
sae
(
sae;
birds) and
yasaeng dongmul
(
ya–saeng dong-mool;
wildlife) not seen anywhere else in the world. The western part of the peninsula is well known for the beautiful
haebyeon
(
hae-byun;
beaches), great spots for
naksi
(
nak-shi;
fishing), and thousands of little
seom
(
suhm;
island) to enjoy
baenori
(
bae-no-ree;
boating). The DMZ (demilitarized zone) is said to have rare species of flora and fauna, and is even rumored to have a tiger or two! This section provides you with the info you need to wander the wonderful nature that Korea has in store for you.

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Talkin’ the Talk

Jason buys train tickets to see the country.

Jason:

annyeonghaseyo. busaneuro ganeun gichapyo han-

jang juseyo.

an-nyoung-ha-sae-yo. boo-san-eu-ro ga-neun gee-

cha-pyo hanjang joo-sae-yo.

Hello. Can I have one ticket to Busan please.

Attendant:

ye. myeotsie tteonaneun gichareul tasigetseumnika?

ye. myuh-shi-ae ttuh-na-neun gee-cha-reul ta-shi-gae-

ssum-ni-kka?

Yes. What time would you like the train you’re on to

depart at?

Jason:

sesibane tteonaneun gichapyo hanjang juseyo. gagi-

jeone siksahago gallaeyo. yeogi geuncheoe masit-

neun sikdang iseoyo?

sae-shi-ban-ae ttuh-na-neun gee-cha-pyo hanjang

joo-sae-yo. ga-gee-jun-ae shik-sa-ha-go gal-lae-yo.

yuh-gi geun-chuh-ae ma-shin-neun shik-dang ee-

ssuh-yo?

I would like the ticket for the train leaving at three

thirty. I’d like to eat before I leave. Is there a good

restaurant nearby?

Attendant:

ye. I gichayeok yeopeinneun junggukjibi yorireul jal-

handago deureotseumnida.

ye. ee gee-cha-yuk yuh-pae-in-neun joong-gook-jee-

bee yo-ree-reul jal-han-da-go deu-ruh-sseumni-da.

Yes, I heard that the Chinese restaurant next to the

train station has excellent food.

Jason:

gomawoyo. eolmaeyo?

go-ma-wo-yo. ul-ma-ae-yo?

Thank you. How much is it?

Attendant:

sammanwon imnida.

sam-man-won im-ni-da.

That will be 30000 won.

Jason:

yeogi iseoyo. gomawoyo.

yuh-gi ee-ssuh-yo. go-ma-wo-yo.

Here it is. Thank you.

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Words to Know

bada

bada

Sea

deulpan

deulpan

Fields

gang

gang

River

gichapyo

gee-cha-pyo

Train ticket

haebyeon

hae-byun

Beach

hosu

ho-soo

Lake

myeotsi

myeot-shi

What time

pokpo

pok-po

Waterfalls

san

sahn

Mountain

sup

soop

Forests

tteonaneun

ttuh-na-neun

Leaving

yeonmot

yuhnmot

Pond

Admiring and discovering the landscape

A great way of enjoying the landscape of Korea is to take a train ride around the peninsula. As a matter of fact, a train ride from Seoul to Busan will give you a pretty good view of the rest of the
nara
(
na-ra;
country) because you must travel from the north-western part of South Korea to the southeastern corner. As you travel, you slowly move away from the hyper-modern,
dosi
(
do-shi;
urban) cityscape to the countryside, with majestic
san
(
sahn;
mountains) and pristine
bada
(
ba-da;
beaches). Different parts of the country offer different scenery of course, some known for their
areumdaum
(
a-reum-da-oom;
beauty) during the summer, some during autumn, and so on.

Different areas of Korea are well known for different types of scenery. The Seoul metropolitan area is obviously well known for its amazing cityscape, but if you want to see the natural beauty of Korea, you’ll have to travel a bit outside of the city. The eastern side of the peninsula is well known for its beautiful mountains and
sup
(
soop;
forests), the western side of the peninsula is well known for its little islets and
seom
(
suhm;
islands). The south eastern 13_037188-ch08.qxp 6/24/08 11:09 PM Page 145

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part of the peninsula is known for its well preserved historical artifacts and monuments. Don’t be afraid to travel outside of the city. You will find the locals to be very warm, inviting, and very helpful.

Korean seasons

Korea lies in the temperate zone and has four clearly defined, distinct seasons. The monsoon season brings quite a bit of rainfall between late June and mid-July, and the
yeoreum
(
yuhreum;
summers) are quite hot and humid.