Hello! Welcome to my blog!
I was born to Korean parents, spent most of my childhood in Canada, and now live in the United States (and I've lived in various European countries...)
As a result, I am trilingual (in English, Korean, and French) and I became very passionate about different cultures and languages. As I spent time in various different cultures, it became clear to me that you are never truly fluent in a language until you learn the cultural subtext behind the different words, expressions, and so on.
While there are many resources on the net on the etymology or history behind various English and French expressions, there is hardly anything on the Korean language. But it is a truly beautiful language that you can't fully appreciate until you understand where the Koreans are coming from in terms of etymology or history.
This is why I started this blog. I hope to share with you some of my favourite etymology of the Korean words, with a heavy emphasis on the Korean slang, as they are the least available resources on the internet. They originate from all facets of the Korean lives. Some come from folklore, some come from the Korean history, and some are even named after living Korean people. Some words even serve as a social commentary!
I hope that you enjoy my blog! I compile all the words that I have covered into a dictionary, so that you can readily look things up.
I also have a (slightly morbid?) interest on Korean shamanism, and I write a post once a week about the stories that the Koreans once believed (and for some, they still believe). It is still in its starting stages, but do check back in a while, when things start to connect!
For those who would like to hear the Korean language more, I also provide transcripts to various YouTube clips once a week, so that you can get your ears used to the sounds of the Korean language.
I love to hear from you, be it through comments, or through my email. Seriously, hearing from the readers is what keeps me blogging. If you have any questions about the Korean language, the Korean culture, or why the Koreans behave a certain way, or if you have feedback, please contact me at longformkorea@gmail.com.
Congratulations about the blog!, I found it through reddit and I have to tell you, I am shocked because I have been always curious about the etymology of the words in Korean and the stories behind them, also I love folk tales and I asked some friends about these with small success. So, I am really thankful to know more and to have come across your site, also love your writing style! Keep up the good work :D
ReplyDeleteI am also obsessed with folk tales and etymology! I'm glad you enjoyed my blog, and if you have any questions, please contact me! I'd love to get new ideas for interesting posts :)
DeleteI can't believe I haven't come across your blog till now. I must have been living under a rock all this while. I just came across your blog 10 minutes ago and have already read like 3 articles. Loved each one and I can tell that I will enjoy the rest too. Looking forward to your future posts. Your posts are so informative and funny! Keep up the good work. You've got a new regular reader!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, thank you for such a nice comment! Comments like yours keep me writing, thank you so much! :)
DeleteSame. I found it last night while looking for an explanation of Mamamoo's 아재개그, and I'm fascinated. And frustrated, because I have to actually do other things today besides sit and read this!
DeleteDo you know the entymology of the Korean word 돌맨기 (not sure I spelled it right) / syn. 고인돌? Wikipedia entry for dolmen says "The word dolmen has an unclear history." - but it seems to me that since Korea has over 40% of the world's dolmen, and Korean uses 돌 for stone in other uses, that origin might be from Korean. Also, the Korean word for gate, 문 , is similar to the Chinese word for gate, 门, which is pronounced "men". And they often looking like gates. Since the dolmen structures date from 7000-3000 BC, the word could be very old, so who knows?
ReplyDeleteI stumbled on your blog while cross-referencing terms for a client's translation project. Somehow, my wild goose chase (or should I say phoenix chase?) on the origins of 주작 led me to your post on related slang phrases...and then I spent a solid hour reading your articles instead of doing work. No regrets. And I'm back again today to read more. As someone who loves learning about more obscure (to non-Koreans, at least) linguistic, cultural, and historical aspects of Korea, ESPECIALLY anything related to shamanism, it's a nonstop frolic in a candy store of knowledge. Seriously. I love your site so much that I'm trying to ration out the remaining posts I haven't read. 진심으로 감사드립니다.
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog through Reddit and it's awesome! A great mine of information on Korea, I'm so excited to browse it all and you've made me want to start documenting my own Korean learning process :)
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