Tag: Learn Korean

English, Korean

Lexis Korea | No School on 2016.08.15

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월요일 노스쿨

Next Monday, our Lexis Korea will be closed because of public holiday (National Liberation Day).  We notify and post this news on our blog to prevent  coming to school on Monday for our students and New Students !!

 

On the 15th Of August is really special public holiday in Korea and our histories.

We called this day as “National Liberation Day” to  honor our historical heroes’ ideals of saving our country. This holiday is really meaningful and unforgettable day for Korean.

By the way, Let’s have fun till next Monday and don’t forget your homework! 😛                And also, we look forward to meeting our new students next Tuesday at our Lexis Korea !!

 

 

English, Korean, Lexis Activity

Korean Slang: 땡땡이/농땡이

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땡땡이

땡땡이 as cute as it sounds as a slang expression, is a term used to refer to the action of skipping school or work to play and muck around instead. For example, Student A has a class to attend but he doesn’t feel like going. Instead Student A just wants to play truant and go to the PC 방 (internet cafe) to play with his friends. So he would say to Student B, “오늘 땡땡이 칠래?” which carries the meaning of “Shall we just skip school today and chill/hangout instead?”

땡땡이는 해야 하는 일을 하지 않고 게으름을 피우는 것이에요. 수업이 있는데 학교에 가고 싶지 않거나 회사 업무 시간에 밖에서 놀고 싶을 때 사용할 수 있어요. ‘땡땡이’는 ‘치다’ 동사와 만나서 ‘오늘 땡땡이 칠래?’, ‘땡땡이 치지 마세요!’라고 말할 수 있어요.

3- 농땡이

농땡이 on the other hand, is a term often used for those who are present at work or school, but aren’t focused on either their work or studies. The closest English terms to best explain this slang expression are ‘slack off’ and ‘laze around’.

In Korean we would say in casual speech, “농땡이 피우지 마!” which translates to “Don’t slack off!”. If you’re undertaking the Korean language program with us, please make sure that you don’t “농땡이” or muck around. Of course, we hope our students would play hard and enjoy their stay in Seoul, but also study just as hard. No pressure. 😉

‘농땡이’는 ‘땡땡이’와 의미가 비슷하지만 조금 달라요. 땡땡이는 학교나 회사에 아예 가지 않는 것이고 농땡이는 그 장소에 있지만 일을 제대로 하지 않는 것이에요. 둘 다 조금 귀여운 느낌을 슬랭이에요.

 

English, Korean

Korean Slang: 얼짱

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얼짱

If someday, someone uses the slang 얼짱 on you, be sure to give them a sweet smile and thank them, for this term is often used to describe a ‘beautiful face’ which applies to both men and women.

얼 is derived from the word 얼굴 which means face and 짱 is an exclamation that means “the best”. 얼짱 literally means you’ve got the best face. So, do take it as a huge compliment!

여러분 혹시 ‘얼짱’이라는 말을 들어본 적 있나요? 얼짱은 ‘얼’굴이 ‘짱’ 예쁘거나 잘생겼다는 의미예요. 남자나 여자 누구에게든 사용할 수 있고 보통 학교에서 얼굴이 제일 예쁘고 잘생긴 친구들에게 많이 사용해요. 기분 좋은 칭찬이니까 언제 어디서든 많이 사용해도 괜찮아요! 여러분 주변에 혹시 얼짱이 있나요?

English, Korean

Korean Slang: 백수,백조

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This week we’re sharing a slang expression. Just a heads up though, be sure to be careful with the use of these slang expressions with those around you as these expressions can sometimes be deemed as inappropriate as they are usually formed in what we call 반말 (ban-mal) or informal language that is used for casual speech only. 

Baeksu Baekjo

The slang 백수 refers to someone (of both genders) who is currently unemployed. The word 백수 is actually derived from 白手, a Chinese term which literally translates to “white hand” indicating that if you don’t do any work, your hands will be kept very clean, and thus white. There’s also the term 백조 which carries a similar meaning but applies specifically to females only. This is because 백조 means ‘swan’ and it goes to suggest that women are more graceful about her situation. Regardless of how graceful one can be about their unemployment, I am sure none of us want to be called a jobless bum. So, make sure you work hard so you don’t end up being labeled either a 백수 or a 백조. Fighting!

여러분은 ‘백수’라는 말을 알고 있나요? ‘백수’란, ‘아무 것도 하고 있지 않은 사람’, ‘직업이 없는 사람’이고 ‘백조’는 같은 뜻으로 여자를 칭하는 단어입니다. 내가 나를 소개할 때 ‘백수, 백조’라고 말하는 것은 상관 없지만 다른 사람에게 직접적으로 ‘백수, 백조’라는 말을 하는 것은 실례가 될 수 있으니 조심해야 합니다.