Today (i.e., 9 October 2015) is Hangeul Day (한글날) in South Korea. This day celebrates the promulgation of Hangeul (한글), the Korean alphabet, invented by King Sejong the Great (새종대왕) in 1446, and is a national holiday in South Korea. In my blog post dated 21 May 2015, I have talked about the background, principles and features of Hangeul, and introduced some tourist spots relating to Hangeul. On this Hangeul Day, let’s talk about some more interesting facts and features of the Korean language. Continue reading
Language
Hangeul – A look at the Korean alphabet
The writing systems of nearly all languages over the world have evolved gradually from long long time ago so it is impossible to trace who their inventors were. Hangeul (한글), the Korean alphabet system, is perhaps the only one still in use today that you can trace its inventor. It was invented by King Sejong the Great (새종대왕) with the help of his scholars and was promulgated in 1446. In my blog post dated 16 January 2015, I mentioned that King Sejong the Great (the 4th king of the Joseon Dynasty) had many significant achievements during his reign, one of which was the invention of hangeul. In this blog post, let’s talk about some interesting information about hangeul. Continue reading
Hansik (Korean Food) Series -Korean Table Manners
Every culture has its own rules relating to table manners and the Korean culture is no exception. In order not to upset the Koreans who dine with you, you should familiarize yourself with the Korean table manners. In this blog post, I will talk about some interesting Korean table manners which may be quite different from the other cultures to help you avoid culture shock when dining with your Korean friends. Continue reading
How do the Koreans celebrate Jeongwol Daeboreum (Great Full Moon Festival)?
**Updated on 11 February 2022**
I have received requests for writing more on Lunar New Year-related rituals and events. As 15 February 2022 is the day of Jeongwol Daeboreum (정월 대보름) (Great Full Moon Festival), in this blog post I will talk about some interesting rituals relating to Jeongwol Daeboreum and celebration events in which both Koreans and foreigners can participate in South Korea.
Do you know you can sell your heat to the others on Jeongwol Daeboreum in South Korea? “Jeongwol” (정월) literally means “first lunar month” and “Daeboreum” (대보름) literally means “great full moon”. Continue reading
How do the Koreans celebrate Seollal (Lunar New Year’s Day)?
**Last updated on: 21 January 2023**
22 January 2023 is Seollal (설날 – the Lunar New Year’s Day), which is one of the important festivals in South Korea. Seollal falls on the 1st day of the 1st month of the lunar calendar and family members and relatives get together to celebrate. So, how do the Koreans celebrate Seollal? There are many interesting rituals and I will talk about some of them and the reasons behind in this blog post. Continue reading
Happy New Year! – How do the Koreans welcome the New Year?
In English, we say, “Happy New Year!” In Korean, we say, “새해 복 많이 받으세요.” – literally, it means, “Please receive a lot of luck or blessings in the New Year”. If you wish to know how to pronounce it, please click the link to the Youtube video below: Continue reading
Texting with Koreans? Try these emoticons and short forms… ^o^
Koreans (especially those young ones) like to communicate with each other through texting using their mobile phones. While I was studying Korean in Seoul, written communications with friends, teachers and classmates were mainly through texting using KakaoTalk. In South Korea, other messaging applications like What’sApp and Line are not as popular as KakaoTalk.
Korean style emoticons and short forms of phrases are made up of symbols and Korean alphabets. Below are those commonly found in Korean texting: Continue reading
Korean Culture Blog 