Authors: Simon Winchester
-do:
Province.
-dong:
Suburb.
-gun:
County.
-jip:
Literally, house, used as ‘restaurant’.
-mun:
Gateway, as in
Namdae-mun
, the great south gate in Seoul.
-myun:
Borough.
-pan:
Parish.
-ri:
Village.
-saram:
Person, e.g.
Meeguk saram
, American.
-shi:
City-region.
-up:
District.
A-joshe!:
Hey, you! (said to a man).
Angibu:
The Korean secret police.
Anio:
No.
Anju:
Snacks and salty appetizers served with beer.
Annyong-haseyo:
Literally, Are you in peace? Used as ‘Hello’.
Annyong-hee kaesayeo:
Goodbye (said by the one who is leaving to the one who isn’t).
Annyong-hee kashipshiyo:
Goodbye (said by the one who isn’t leaving to the one who is).
Arirang:
A Korean mountain, and the title of a famous song.
Buk:
North.
Bulgoki:
Marinated and barbecued meat.
Cha-da:
Sleep.
Chaebol:
The major Korean industrial corporations, e.g. Hyundai, Samsung.
Cheju-do:
Literally, the land over there.
Chige:
Wooden A-frame-shaped carrier used by porters or
chige
men.
Chima:
Long, floor-length skirt, traditional dress for women.
Chindo-kae:
A tough little dog found on Chindo Island in southwest Korea.
Chogori:
Jacket or blouse, traditional Korean dress.
Chokbo:
Family-tree book kept by almost all Korean families.
Chonbok chuk:
Rice and abalone gruel, popular in the south.
Chong mal?:
Really?
Choson:
Literally, Land of Morning Calm; old name for Korea.
Choson Minchu-chui Inmin Konghwa-guk:
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).
Cho-un:
Good.
Chung wa dae:
The Blue House—the Korean presidential palace.
Daegook:
Literally, big country; also used to refer to China.
Daehan Minguk:
Republic of Korea (South Korea).
Dong:
East.
Gang:
River.
Gwen chan sumnida:
No thank you.
Haenyo:
Diving women of Cheju Island, gatherers of abalone and sea cucumbers.
Hae-sam:
Sea cucumber, a much-favoured seafood.
Haetae:
Guardian beasts of a town, mythological mixtures of lion and dog.
Hanafuda:
Japanese word for the Korean game
hwatu
Hangbok:
Korean national dress.
Hangul:
Korea’s unique phonetic alphabet, designed by King Sejong.
Hanyak:
Korean folk medicine.
Harubang:
Standing ‘grandfather’ stones, often found on Cheju-do.
Hodori:
Baby tiger, symbol of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Hong cha:
Red tea.
Hongsam:
Red (steamed) ginseng root.
Hopak-dan chu:
Ornamental amber buttons, used for fastening Korean clothing.
Hun min chong um:
Early designation of hangul script.
Hwadu:
Profound question set as a basis for Korean Buddhist meditation.
Hwan-gap:
Sixty-first birthday celebrations.
Hwatu:
A traditional Korean picture card game, played like gin.
Hyodo kwan guang:
Literally, parental respect tour—holidays for the elderly paid for by their children.
Ibalso:
Korean barbershop.
Ibul:
Coverlet placed over
yo
.
Insam:
Ginseng.
Ip chang:
Face, as in the Oriental concept of pride and self-esteem.
I shipaloma:
Grave insult; literally, a whore.
Jip-sin:
Traditional Korean straw slippers.
Kalbi:
Barbecued spare ribs.
Kimchi:
Peppered, garlicked and brine-pickled vegetables—a national staple.
Kinyombi:
Monument.
Kkot saem chu wi:
Literally, flower-jealousy weather—a snap of cold in early spring.
Koan:
Riddle posed for Japanese Buddhist meditation.
Kobuk-son:
The armoured ‘turtle ships’ of Admiral Yi Sun-shin.
Koguryo:
Ancient northern Korean kingdom.
Kokoro:
Japanese word for ‘heart’.
Komusin:
Korean slippers.
Koran-cho:
Medicinal herb.
Koryo:
Post-Shilla kingdom from which Korea took her name.
Kukbo:
The National Treasures, the most valuable classification.
Kut:
Shamanist devil-driving ceremony.
Mabu:
A horseman.
Maekju:
Beer.
Makkoli:
Milky rice wine, the working man’s principal drink.
Makkoli-jip:
Working-class bar where
makkoli
is the favoured, though not the only, drink.
Man:
Ten thousand, as in
man won
, ten thousand
won
.
Man won gyon:
Telescope.
Maum sang hada:
Anguish over the loss of face (see
Ip chang
).
Meeguk:
America.
Mian hamnida!:
I am sorry!
Mogyok:
Bath.
Mogyoktang:
Public bath.
Moktak:
Wooden clapper used in Buddhist ritual.
Mudang:
Shamanist sorceress.
Mukkop-ta:
Heavy.
Nakhwa-am:
Rock of Falling Flowers in Puyo.
Naksonjae:
Mansion of Joy and Goodness at Changdok Palace, Seoul.
Nam:
South.
Nay:
Yes.
Nunchi:
An extraordinary Korean ability to discern someone’s mood.
Odi isumnikka?:
Where is?
Ojingoa:
Dried squid, a favourite snack.
Oksusucha:
Toasted-corn tea.
Ondol:
Lacquered-paper floor, heated from beneath, common in Korean houses.
Onnyi:
Literally, older sister; used by women, e.g., to summon bar hostess.
Paduk:
Korean version of the Japanese board game
go
.
Paekche:
Ancient southern Korean kingdom.
Paekhwa jom:
Department stores.
Paeksam:
White ginseng root.
Paem sul:
Snake wine.
Paem tang:
Snake soup.
Paji:
Trousers for men, traditionally worn baggy, ankle-length.
Pegae:
Small pillow, filled with corn husks.
Pindae-ttuk:
Bean-flour pancake; Korean pizza.
Pi pim pap:
Rice and vegetables, staple food.
Pomul:
Literally, treasured things—a secondary classification (see
Kukbo
).
Pori-cha:
Toasted-barley tea.
Poshin-tang:
Dog-meat soup; literally, soup for strength.
Putokkhamnida:
Please.
Pyong:
Unit of area measurement.
Sa:
Temple.
Saemaul Undong:
New Community Movement, a rural organization created by President Park.
Sajok:
National Historic Sites.
San:
Mountain.
Sangnom:
‘Unperson’, outcast, untouchable.
Saunatang:
Public bath with sauna and other luxuries.
Seoul:
The word means ‘capital’ it cannot be written in Chinese.
Shilla:
Ancient eastern Korean kingdom; later, the term represented the unified whole country.
Sijo:
Form of Korean poetry.
Soh:
West.
Soju:
A strong sweet potato liquor, the Korean approximation of sake.
Sunim:
Buddhist monk.
Sushi:
Japanese-style raw fish and rice.
Taeguk: Yin
and
yang
emblem used in the Korean flag.
Taeguk-ki:
The Korean national flag, with
taeguk
and four trigrams.
Taehakkyo:
University.
Taejungtang:
No-frills public bath for the poorer people.
Taekwon-do:
Korean martial art.
Tae-namu:
The bamboo.
Tangun:
The mythological founder of Korea.
Tojang:
Name seal, equivalent to Chinese
chop
.
Ttok:
Rice cakes.
Won:
The unit of Korean currency.
Yangban:
The Korean aristocracy, now officially defunct.
Yangnom:
A Westerner—a term of mild abuse, similar to the Cantonese
gweilo
.
Yo:
Thin mattress, placed on
ondol
floor at night.
Yogwan:
An inexpensive roadside inn.
Yoinsuk:
A very cheap Korean hotel for working men.
Yongduam:
The Dragon Head Rock of Cheju-do.
Yong guk:
England.
Yontan:
Drum-shaped powdered-coal briquettes used for heating and cooking.
Yukgap:
The five twelve-year cycles of life—the sixtieth year.
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