Yes- 네/에 "ne/ye"

No- 아니오 "anio" (ah-nee-oh)

Thank you- 감사합니다 "kam-sa-ham-ni-da" or 고맙습니다 "ko-map-seum-ni-da" or 고마워요 "ko-ma-wuh-yo" or 고마워 "ko-ma-wuh" or 고맙다 "ko-map-da" (the last four are all from the same verb, just different levels of formality/politeness)

That's all right, I'm all right , It's ok etc. 괜찮아요 "gwaen-chan-a-yo" or just "gwaen-chan-ah"

Really?- 정말 "chong-mal?" (If asked like a question, but also means "really" such as in "I really like you" etc)

Sorry- 미안해 "mi-an-hae" or more informal 미안하다 "mi-an-ha-da"

I love you- 사랑해 "sarang-hae" (Hence the title of the drama "Sorry, I love you" is "Mianhada, Saranghanda"

Sorry- (another more formal version) 죄송합니다 "choe-song-ham-ni-da" (choe sounds sort of like ch-way)

Don't worry about it- 걱정하지 마세요 "keok-jeong-ha-ji ma-se-yo" sometimes shortened to "keok-jeong-ha-ji ma" or even "keok-jong-ma" (it seems like they say this ALL the time, lol)

Wait a minute!- 잠깐만요 "Jam-kkan-man-yo"

Hello?(on the phone)- 여보세요 "Yeo-bo-se-yo" (also used to get someone's attention)

OK- 그래요 "keu-rae-yo"

I don't know!- 무라 "mu-la!" (I've heard PiH's Yoon-Jeong exclaim this more than once...)

I understand. "ah-ra-seo"

Hello (more formal greeting)- 안녕하새요 "an-nyeong-ha-se-yo"

Welcome- 어서 오세요 "eo-seo oh-se-yo" (Eomji says this when Punggu and Gramps come into the diner sometimes.)

Happy Birthday- 생일 축하합니다 "saeng-il chuk-ha-ham-ni-da" (the second word there is literally "congratulations")


Words we hear used to address people

I know a lot of you are familiar with many of the family words already!

Mother- 어머니 "eo-meo-ni" Mom- "eom-ma"

Father- 아버지 "ah-peo-ji" Dad- 아빠"ah-ppah"

Grandmother- 할머니 "hal-meo-ni"

Grandfather- 할아버지 "hal-ah-peo-ji"

Older brother(if you are a girl)- 오빠 oppa

Older brother(if you are a boy)- 형 hyeong

Older sister(girl's)- 언니 eon-ni (sounds like the english words "on" "knee" combined)

Older sister(boy's)- 누나 nu-na

There's tons of different words for aunts and uncles and also we have a thread on the "chon" kinship system... Suffice it to say that depending on where you are in relation to older or younger brothers/sisters you have different titles. But some examples we may have noticed:

Punngu is called "sam-chon" 삼촌 for uncle on PiH by Ugyeong and Usuk

Jae-ok (the youngest) was called "ko-mo" 고모 for aunt on TBB.

Sukhyun called his aunt, Minsook, literally his "big mother" "kun-eo-meo-ni" 큰어머니 since she was married to the oldest brother of the family.

Some others:

"seon-saeng-nim" 선생님 a formal/polite form of Sir or Mr. "sa-mo-nim" 사모님 for women. On PiH, Hyesuk/Eomji calls Grandpa "seon-saeng-nim"

"a-ga-sshi" 아가씨 literally is "unmarried girl". This is what they call The Brat(Suk-kyung) in Seoul 1945.

"a-ju-meo-ni" 아주머니 for women and "a-jeo-sshi" 아저씨 for men are appropriate terms for example when addressing shopkeepers or staff in public places. They can mean "aunt" and "uncle".

You can add "sshi" to the end of someones name to still be polite but less formal, Ugyeong calls Gukhwa "Gukhwa-sshi". You can also almost always add "nim" at the end of a title to be more formal, you may have noticed hearing this before!


(A few pronunciation tips: the vowel 'a' in my transliterations sounds like "ah", the vowel 'eo' sounds like "aw" or "uh")


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Please use this thread to post any other common words and phrases you hear and are curious about, or that you hear and would like to share what you have learned they mean!

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Goodbye- 안녕히가세요 "an-nyeong-hi-ka-se-yo". Go- 가세요 "ka-se-yo"

Wow someone has been busy! Karma to you Lucas!

감사합니다!!!

 

"Okay" - okay
"Good Morning" - good morning


Okay, more seriously (but not much):

가세요 - gahseyo - 'Let's go!' (as a man grabs an unwilling woman's arm and drags her off)


따세요 - tahseyo - 'Get in!' (as he shoves her into his car).


나가 - nahga - "Get out! (as her future EMIL shows her to the door)

Karma for this Lucas! I will definitely listen out for these words now.

Minus karma for you Jim!!!!

 

This is great! karma!

I recognize most of these phrases phoneticly, but did not know their meaning.

This helps those of us who are not studying formally, but would like to learn a bit more. I'll be posting questions, I'm sure.

My husband laughs at me, becuase I talk back to the tv, repeating phrases I hear folks on the dramas saying as I'm watching. (He laughs, as though I'm nuts, but he does it too - and he's not even watching )

Okay... I already have a questions.

Lucas, you wrote

Quote:

OK- 그래요 "keu-rae-yo"

.

I've heard people say "keu-rae"... without the "yo" on the end. Is this less formal, or are they just dropping part of the word, like we do in English with Okay when we say 'kay?

I've heard people say "omo" a lot. Does it mean "uh-ho", "Huh".. or something to that effect? Kind of something you utter when you're stunned?

Okay, this next one might be a question for Jason:

I just finished watching Sweet 19 (about a girl - just out of highschool - who marries a guy who's in his mid to late twenties). I was surprized that she kept calling him Ajushi, even after they were married?? In fact, I don't think she ever stopped. Is that normal... or was that just to play up the comedic element of the situation commedy? My guess is it was just for comedy...on the other hand, some Korean customs of formality are sooo different from ours here in the US.

""a-ju-meo-ni" 아주머니 for women and "a-jeo-sshi" 아저씨 for men are appropriate terms for example when addressing shopkeepers or staff in public places. They can mean "aunt" and "uncle". "

A slightly less formal version is 아주마 (ahjoomah). Note Farm Girl's dialect difference: she says 'ajoomai'. Also, she says, 여보쏘 'yeobosho' instead of 여보세요 "Yeo-bo-se-yo".

Jim wrote:

Quote:

'yeobosho' instead of 여보세요 "Yeo-bo-se-yo".

I noticed how farm girl says "yeobosho". I think her pronunciatoin sounds pretty... but I'm sure it's considered bumkinish in Korea.

hello there - I'm new here, a Filipina from California. I've been reading and enjoying your posts here.

Thank you Lucas - now I have more words/phrases added to my dictionary. Some friends laugh at me for getting addicted to k-dramas and even trying to learn the language. What can I say - I'm loving it!!

skimmer8 wrote:

Okay... I already have a questions. Lucas, you wrote Quote: OK- 그래요 "keu-rae-yo" . I've heard people say "keu-rae"... without the "yo" on the end. Is this less formal, or are they just dropping part of the word, like we do in English with Okay when we say 'kay? I've heard people say "omo" a lot. Does it mean "uh-ho", "Huh".. or something to that effect? Kind of something you utter when you're stunned? Okay, this next one might be a question for Jason: I just finished watching Sweet 19 (about a girl - just out of highschool - who marries a guy who's in his mid to late twenties). I was surprized that she kept calling him Ajushi, even after they were married?? In fact, I don't think she ever stopped. Is that normal... or was that just to play up the comedic element of the situation commedy? My guess is it was just for comedy...on the other hand, some Korean customs of formality are sooo different from ours here in the US.

Yes, "keu-rae", same thing, you got it.

I've only heard Mrs Park(PiH) say "omo". I am figuring the same thing as you!

I did not see Sweet 19 but if you recall in TBB, Haein always called Kiwoong "Seon-bae" which means Senior, since he was above her in High School. Even after they were married she kept calling him that. Sounds like the same situation. But, I don't think it's a formality thing in these TV cases.

If you guys saw DJG you may have noticed that when they'd say yeoboseyo, it sounded like "ee-bo-sho". Guess that's some old-timey Korean!

kdadik wrote:

hello there - I'm new here, a Filipina from California. I've been reading and enjoying your posts here. Thank you Lucas - now I have more words/phrases added to my dictionary. Some friends laugh at me for getting addicted to k-dramas and even trying to learn the language. What can I say - I'm loving it!!

Welcome, kdadik! Karma for your first post! You will find this is a great home for K-drama addicts, you will fit in just fine here!

Welcome kdadik! Karma for your first post!

 

The phrase "eat a lot" comes up many, many times.

How do you say that in Korean?

Just a reminder that some of the old topics in this thread have a lot of basics as far as vocab and grammar....

some good threads...

Korean Alphabet Hangul http://forum.koreandramas.net/topic_81.html

Korean Verb System http://forum.koreandramas.net/topic_408.html

Some Basic Korean Vocab http://forum.koreandramas.net/topic_81.html



and if you hunt even further you'll find a few good sites to study korean or programs that are inexpensive to download/buy.

Thank you, Lucas et al. I just came in from my second Korean language class and found this thread. It's like finding a tutor. Now if I can get my printer up and running...

Thanks again.

Wonderful information!

Question: If someone studies conversational English, I would consider conversational English fairly informal, polite. If someone were to study conversational Korean, is there such a thing since the formalities, age groupings, other rankings seem to determine what words you would use? We don't have that, really. (Growing up in Texas, I remember you could tell someone to kiss your ass and were considered polite as long as you added "M'am" or "Sir" to the sentence!!

This is fantastic, thank you all. I tried, about a year ago, to get translations from English to Korean on something like Babelfish, but all you get is the bloomin' ??????? I think English systems just go into apoplexy when Korean, Chinese or Japanese is involved!

when people study korean they typically learn either the informal polite endings (the ones that end in "yo") or the formal polite ones (ends in (m)-nida). my recommendation is learn the informal polite - for it tends to be easier and is perfectly acceptable for foreigners who speak korean over there. and really koreans are happy with any korean you speak (as long as you don't look korean and speak bad korean like me!)

I agree with Kelly.

This one easy to remember:

가 (gah): Go
You will hear people (usually women) say, Gah, gah, gah, gah, gah! It means go or go away.

Quote:

I just finished watching Sweet 19 (about a girl - just out of highschool - who marries a guy who's in his mid to late twenties). I was surprized that she kept calling him Ajushi, even after they were married?? In fact, I don't think she ever stopped. Is that normal... or was that just to play up the comedic element of the situation commedy? My guess is it was just for comedy...on the other hand, some Korean customs of formality are sooo different from ours here in the US.

It is rare. Young Korean women nowdays still call their hubby oppa after they get married. But rarely one calls her lover or husband ajushi. Big age difference is the reason; she felt he was too old for her to call oppa.

Omo (or Omona): That is what Korean women say when they are surprised / stunned. Men never ever say such words. Omo or omona is derived from Omoni (mother).

많이먹어(manhi meokeo) Eat a lot.

여사 (Yeosa); Madame, Mrs.

Eomji is calle Eomji Yeosa by granpa. He is the only one calling her Madame Eomji. Eomji means Thumb. So I would call Queen Theresa Yeosa, if I wish to be very formal.

Thought of another one you hear a lot:

Hurry up! 빨리, 빨리 "bah-li, bah-li!"

I can only say them so you guys will have to help me on this

Bur-ah-go?
I think it's "What"

Oh-to-kay?
Which I think means something like how or what too.

Ih-go!
which seems to be said by Korean Grandma's and means "oh brother", " oh god".

Sorry I can't be more helpful but thanks for the topic.

Very good, Minjoo! You got it pretty much! "Mwo-rah-go" it's an "m" but you got it, "eo-teo-kke" literally means "how", and they all say "aigoo"!

actually itw mwo-ha-go... has a w in there but everyone slurs so its not really heard much (cept maybe when a kid says it who still talks "properly" heh)

even simpler you'll just hear "mwo?!" which is the informal way of saying "what???"

That's what I said!

I thought you were going to bed!

i am!

Well then! BYE!

Way-oh - 'why'?

yah! - 'hey!'

But keep in mind, everyone, that translations aren't what the words mean. This is why literal translations often don't make a lot of sense. The literal Korean title of this site (한국 무 리) may not make sense in Korean, since it's not idiomatic Korean. This is why the description in http://forum.koreandramas.net/topic_2796.html sounds so odd: it's not in idiomatic English.