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Coronavirus Korean Vocabulary and Resources

As the Coronavirus progresses in South Korea, this article lists vocabulary and resources in English and Korean to stay on top of the infection if you are currently in South Korea. This page will get updated as more information is available.

What To Do

According to the CDC of Korea, for the general population (translated by KoniKorean):

  1. Wash your hands meticulously with soap under running water.
  2. When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with your sleeve.
  3. Do not touch your eyes, mouth, and nose with unwashed hands.
  4. Wear a mask when visiting a medical institution
  5. Refrain from visiting places with many people

More instructions forthcoming.

Korea-inspired Christmas Gift Ideas (2019)

Want to gift your friends or close ones some Korean-inspired gifts this Christmas? KoniKorean has compiled a list of South Korea-inspired gift ideas for Christmas 2019 based on current trends in Korea and popular Korean items overseas.

For Technology Enthusiasts: Image and Sound

With many domestic technology brands like Samsung and LG, South Korea is home to many innovative products. The items below have been especially popular in the country over the past year.

Popular Red Velvet Songs for 노래방

Sing Red Velvet (레드벨벳)'s most popular songs next time you go to 노래방 (norebang, or Korean karaoke)! Red Velvet (레드벨벳) songs in the table below are ordered from most to least recent. Recent songs may be unavailable at your local 노래방 if the machines have not been updated. To determine the column to use for your karaoke session, look at the manufacturer of the karaoke machine either on the machine itself, on the remote, or on the interface. You should see two letters, either TJ or KY; use the corresponding column in the table below to add the song to the queue and start singing! See more detailed instructions on Korean norebang machines.

List of Korean Movies in the Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) is one of the most prominent film festivals in the world, with its top award (Palme d'Or) being considered as many as the holy grail of cinema. South Korean cinema has increasingly produced many cinematographic gems that have been competing for the Palme d'Or over the last two decades, with 기생충 (Parasite)  by 봉준호 (Bong Joon-ho) ultimately being the first Korean movie winning the Palme d'Or of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Despite the growing popularity of South Korean movies, it is still challenging to find comprehensive lists about recent Korean movies that have been entered in prestigious film festivals.

Popular South Korean Drinking Games

One aspect of South Korean culture becomes very apparent after a few days in the country: the drinking culture is pretty developed. Alcohol made in South Korea is cheaply available in most convenient stores, and drinking establishments are open late at night/until early morning. South Koreans use alcohol to socialize and have developed many drinking games to do so. These games are especially popular among college students and in the army.

Tricky Pronunciations of the Consonant ㄹ (Rieul)

In Korean, the pronunciation of ㄹ and consonants preceding or following it, such as ㄱ (기억, giyeok), ㅂ (비읍, bieup) or ㅁ, differs from the 한글 reading. Because of rules of assimilation of ㄹ to ㄴ after nasal consonants, the pronunciation of ㄱ, ㄹ, and ㅂ needs to be accounted for these changes. This post lists some of these uncommon pronunciation transformations; comprehensive pronunciation rules can be found in Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar by Jaehoon Yeon and Lucien Brown (Routledge Edition)

Pattern V/Adj-은/는 척하다: To Pretend To V/A

Verb/Adjective (V/A)-은/는 척하다 is commonly used in spoken and written Korean to express "to pretend to (V/Adj)." It can also be translated at "to make it look like (V/Adj)" in more complex sentences (see examples below). 

The pattern is written differently depending on whether the word in front of the pattern is a verb or an adjective:

  • For verbs, present tense: V-는 척하다 regardless of the 받침 of the verb, using common conjugation rules. E.g., 모르다 → 모르는 척하다, 놀다 → 노는 척하다, 읽다 → 읽는 척하다, 넣다→ 넣는 척하다. 
  • For verbs, past tense: V-ㄴ/은 척하다. E.g., 모르다 →  모른 척하다, 놀다 →  논 척하다, 읽다 → 읽은 척하다, 넣다 →  넣은 척하다. See Note 3 for a usage note.
  • For adjectives: A-ㄴ/은 척하다. E.g., 똑똑하다 → 똑똑한 척하다, 이쁘다 → 이쁜 척하다.

Examples

Verbs

(모르다) 저는 전 여자친구를 모르는 척했어요. I pretended I didn't know my ex-girlfriend.
(놀다) 저는 친구들에게 어젯밤 노는 척(을) 했지만 시험 공부를 열심히 했어요. I pretended to my friends I was having fun last night but I was studying hard for my exam. 
(읽다) 그는 핸드폰을 쓰고 있었지만 책을 읽는 척했어요. He was using his phone but made it look like (=pretended) he was reading a book.Contrast with 그는 핸드폰을 썼지만 책을 읽은 척했어요. He used his phone but pretended he read a book. 
(넣다)  엄마가 볶음밥에 야채를 안 넣는 척했지만 양파를 많이 넣었어요. The mom pretended she did not put any vegetables in the fried rice but she put a lot of onions. Contrast with 엄마가 볶음밥에 야채를 안 넣는 것처럼 했지만 양파를 많이 넣었어요. The mom made it look like she did not put any vegetables in the fried rice but she put a lot of onions. The first sentence has a more negative connotation than the second one.

Adjectives

(똑똑하다) 나는 시험을 보기 전에 똑똑한 척했는데 시험이 완전 망했어 (반말). I pretended I was smart before taking the exam but I completely failed it.
(이쁘다) 그녀는 매일 가면을 써서 이쁜 척해요. That girl wears a mask every day but pretends she is pretty. 

Example Dialogue

빅터: 준형아, 잘 생긴 척하지마! 너 정말 못생겼어!

Pattern V/Adj-은/는 척하다: To Pretend To V/A

Verb/Adjective (V/A)-은/는 척하다 is commonly used in spoken and written Korean to express "to pretend to (V/Adj)." It can also be translated at "to make it look like (V/Adj)" in more complex sentences (see examples below). 

The pattern is written differently depending on whether the word in front of the pattern is a verb or an adjective:

  • For verbs, present tense: V-는 척하다 regardless of the 받침 of the verb, using common conjugation rules. E.g., 모르다 → 모르는 척하다, 놀다 → 노는 척하다, 읽다 → 읽는 척하다, 넣다→ 넣는 척하다. 
  • For verbs, past tense: V-ㄴ/은 척하다. E.g., 모르다 →  모른 척하다, 놀다 →  논 척하다, 읽다 → 읽은 척하다, 넣다 →  넣은 척하다. See Note 3 for a usage note.
  • For adjectives: A-ㄴ/은 척하다. E.g., 똑똑하다 → 똑똑한 척하다, 이쁘다 → 이쁜 척하다.

Examples

Verbs

(모르다) 저는 전 여자친구를 모르는 척했어요. I pretended I didn't know my ex-girlfriend.
(놀다) 저는 친구들에게 어젯밤 노는 척(을) 했지만 시험 공부를 열심히 했어요. I pretended to my friends I was having fun last night but I was studying hard for my exam. 
(읽다) 그는 핸드폰을 쓰고 있었지만 책을 읽는 척했어요. He was using his phone but made it look like (=pretended) he was reading a book.Contrast with 그는 핸드폰을 썼지만 책을 읽은 척했어요. He used his phone but pretended he read a book. 
(넣다)  엄마가 볶음밥에 야채를 안 넣는 척했지만 양파를 많이 넣었어요. The mom pretended she did not put any vegetables in the fried rice but she put a lot of onions. Contrast with 엄마가 볶음밥에 야채를 안 넣는 것처럼 했지만 양파를 많이 넣었어요. The mom made it look like she did not put any vegetables in the fried rice but she put a lot of onions. The first sentence has a more negative connotation than the second one.

Adjectives

(똑똑하다) 나는 시험을 보기 전에 똑똑한 척했는데 시험이 완전 망했어 (반말). I pretended I was smart before taking the exam but I completely failed it.
(이쁘다) 그녀는 매일 가면을 써서 이쁜 척해요. That girl wears a mask every day but pretends she is pretty. 

Example Dialogue

빅터: 준형아, 잘 생긴 척하지마! 너 정말 못생겼어!

Book Review - Your First Hanja Guide

Cover of the book Your First Hanja Guide

Your First Hanja Guide is a 한자 (hanjja, or Chinese characters used in the Korean language) reference book co-written by the staff at Talk to Me in Korean (TTMIK). This book is one of their few books aimed both at their intermediate and advanced learners of Korean and is meant to be an introduction to common Korean words of Chinese origin used in everyday language.

Popular BLACKPINK Songs for Norebang

BLACKPINK (블랙핑크) songs in the table below are ordered from most to least recent. Recent songs may be unavailable at your local 노래방 if the machines have not been updated. To determine the column to use for your karaoke session, look at the manufacturer of the karaoke machine either on the machine itself, on the remote, or on the interface. You should see two letters, either TJ or KY; use the corresponding column in the table below to add the song to the queue and start singing! See more detailed instructions on Korean norebang machines.