wintersky...i just want to thank you for all the vocabulary. it really has helped me a lot in understanding the dialogues...i just finished watching hello god and my girl and i find myself getting familiar with their language...you really are a big help!
Respect must be shown to elders. Younger people do not address older people by their given names. For example, a girl addresses her older brother as "oppa" and older sister as "onni," but may address her younger brother or sister by their given names. A boy addresses his older brother as "hyong" and his older sister as "nuna." In an episode of "Mothers and Sisters," Kyong-bin (the #4 child in the family) was scolded by his mother for calling his older sister (the #3 child) by her given name.
The next time you watch a subtitled drama, listen for when a younger sibling calls an older sibling. The subtitles will show the given name of the older sibling but you will hear oppa, onni, hyong or nuna being said instead.
Girls sometimes call their boyfriends "oppa."
When identifying a person's position in the family, a woman is identified according to her relationship to the dominant male in the family. For example, in "Mothers and Sisters," the women are introduced to others according to their relationship to Kyong-bin. For example, Yeo-kyong is Kyong-bin's sister, the sister-in-law of Kyong-bin's mother was introduced as Kyong-bin's aunt, and Seung-lee was referred to as Kyong-bin's twin.
Showing disrespect for elders on TV is considered very bad for Korean society. In August 2005, KBS was punished by the Korean Broadcasting Commission for airing a scene in a drama in which a daughter-in-law slapped her mother-in-law in the face.
Direct eye-to-eye contact when talking is considered rude and impolite. Notice that when Joon-hwi talked with his father in episode #2 of "Pretty Lady," he avoided looking his father in the eye even though he disagreed with what his father was saying.
Since age is important in determining hierarchy, it is not uncommon to ask someone their age when they are about the same age as you.
Kissing in public is not as common in Korea as it is in the U.S. In many of the older dramas, when a couple kisses, it usually means the relationship is very serious and will likely lead to marriage.
When receiving or passing something to another person, good manners dictate using two hands instead of just one hand. For example, when tea or soju is poured, the person who does the pouring uses two hands and likewise, the person holding the cup holds the cup with two hands. Also, when a younger person drinks with an older person, it is good manners for the younger person to turn to the side so as not to face the older person while drinking. You may also notice that if the younger person is drinking with his right hand, he will place his left hand on the right side of his body under his right arm. I've been told that this custom originated in the olden days when Korean clothing had very wide long sleeves that draped down when the arms were raised. To avoid having the sleeve get in the way while drinking, the left arm would swing to the right to hold the right sleeve in place while the right arm is used to drink.
wintersky, i think this latest post is very important for those who are into korea's culture. its very useful mainly because we might do things that are offensive to them without us knowing it, this article helps us understand the koreans more, if we are to keep on watching their series it will help us understand why they do this and dont. very enlightening indeed!!!
Hi Lualm, yep I have posted the article for us to better understand their culture and tradition. I will try posting more info on this, for us to learn Korean language and culture better.
The language is quite confusing but it'll be easier to learn once we understand their culture.
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