Learning Korean with Social Media: Podcast with Linda and Hyojin.

Our previous blog post, “Learning Korean with Social Media”, listed useful Korean phrases and words alongside English translations. This follow-up post provides you with a 15-minute podcast, walking you through the various Korean pronunciations that we listed (see below). We’ll also chat about helpful background information on when these words or phrases are appropriate (e.g., honorific, informal, etc.).

Please listen to our Soundcloud podcast and follow along below! Any questions, please comment via our blog or send us a tweet!

• 장난꾸러기 = brat or rascal. You can call a naughty child a 장난꾸러기.

• 보고 싶어! = “I miss you!”

• 추석 잘 보내세요! = Have a good Chuseok/Thanksgiving!

• If someone asks you what you ate for lunch, you can say, “나는 [name of food] 를 먹었다”. It means, “I ate [name of food].”

• “뽀뽀해주세요” = “Kiss please”/”Kiss me”; a slang term between a bf/gf perhaps. Transliteration: “boe boe heh joo seh yo”.

• Phrase to say to someone taking an exam or running a race, etc.–> “행운을 빌어요, 아자아자!” = “Good luck, go go!”

• 불타는 금요일 means “burning Friday”. Koreans say this as, “an exciting Friday” or “a drinking/eating a lot Friday”. 불타는 금요일!

• I think of you often = 나는 자주 너를 생각해; I think of you all day = 나는 하루종일 너를 생각해; I think of you sometimes =나 는 가끔씩 너를 생각해.

• A compliment girls say to each other is “pretty sister” = “예쁜 언니” (to older sister) & “예쁜동생” (to younger sister).

• Korean quote of the day: “가장 중요한 것은 도전을 두려워하지 않는 것이다. 기억해라. 가장 큰 실패는 아무것도 시도하지 않는것이다.” (English quote from photo:  pic.twitter.com/z2EVEUJg.)

• How to laugh in Korean: 하하하 is masculine, 호호호 is feminine + 히히히 is neutral/cute. Literal meaning = ha ha ha, ho ho ho, he he he!

• “별 말씀을요.” = “Do not mention it.” Use this phrase as an alternate way of saying “You’re welcome.”

• Korean word/expression of the day: 와우! = Wow!

• “사랑해, 엄마.” = “I love you, mom.” w/ video of a cute boy saying “Omma, sahdang ee.” http://bit.ly/TxhXQy

• Korean phrase for the weekend: 주말 잘 보내세요! (Have a great weekend!) This is an honorific/polite version.

• Korean slang word of the day: 동안 (transliteration: “dong an”); “baby face”.

• Korean text messaging tips: ㅋㅋ is the equivalent of a “hehe” and ㅎㅎ is the equivalent to an “LOL” or “ROFL.” ㄴㄴ means no.

• Korean text messaging tip: ㅇㅇ means “yes” in text talk.

If you don’t have time to read our blog, please come visit us on Facebook and Twitter. We have a “Korean word of the day”, which is incorporated into a useful sentence. By building your vocabulary bank, you will start to create your own sentences—once you’ve mastered grammar rules, etc. Here is a good Korean grammar tip to start off with:

Remember, in Korean, the sentence structure is Subject + Object + Verb. In English, it’s Subject + Verb + Object.

To help you learn Korean through social media, I started a few Twitter conversations and hashtags: #Korean, #KoreanWordofTheDay, and #KoreanTipOfTheDay. But, for purposes of simplicity, I will use the hashtag, #KoreanLanguage going forward. You too can start your own Twitter hashtag to catalog your Korean vocabulary or conversations! If you need any help along the way, please send me a tweet! I would love to follow your language learning journey on Twitter.

Below are a summary of tweets for building your vocabulary.  They are easy to digest; useful Korean words and phrases that you won’t necessarily find using an online translator like Google Translate.

• 장난꾸러기 = brat or rascal. You can call a naughty child a 장난꾸러기.

• 보고 싶어! = “I miss you!”

• 추석 잘 보내세요! = Have a good Chuseok/Thanksgiving!

• If someone asks you what you ate for lunch, you can say, “나는 [name of food] 를 먹었다”. It means, “I ate [name of food].”

•  ”뽀뽀해주세요” = “Kiss please”/”Kiss me”; a slang term between a bf/gf perhaps. Transliteration: “boe boe heh joo seh yo”.

• Phrase to say to someone taking an exam or running a race, etc.–> “행운을 빌어요, 아자아자!” = “Good luck, go go!”

• 불타는 금요일 means “burning Friday”. Koreans say this as, “an exciting Friday” or “a drinking/eating a lot Friday”. 불타는 금요일!

•  I think of you often = 나는 자주 너를 생각해; I think of you all day = 나는 하루종일 너를 생각해; I think of you sometimes =나 는 가끔씩 너를 생각해.

• A compliment girls say to each other is “pretty sister” = “예쁜 언니” (to older sister) & “예쁜동생” (to younger sister).

• Korean quote of the day: “가장 중요한 것은 도전을 두려워하지 않는 것이다. 기억해라. 가장 큰 실패는 아무것도 시도하지 않는것이다.” (English quote from photo:  pic.twitter.com/z2EVEUJg.)

• How to laugh in Korean: 하하하 is masculine, 호호호 is feminine + 히히히 is neutral/cute. Literal meaning = ha ha ha, ho ho ho, he he he!

• “별 말씀을요.” = “Do not mention it.” Use this phrase as an alternate way of saying “You’re welcome.”

• Korean word/expression of the day: 와우! = Wow!

•  ”사랑해, 엄마.” = “I love you, mom.” w/ video of a cute boy saying “Omma, sahdang ee.” http://bit.ly/TxhXQy

• Korean phrase for the weekend: 주말 잘 보내세요! (Have a great weekend!) These are the honorific/polite versions.

• Korean slang word of the day: 동안 (transliteration: “dong an”); “baby face”.

• Korean text messaging tips: ㅋㅋ is the equivalent of a “hehe” and ㅎㅎ is the equivalent to an “LOL” or “ROFL.” ㄴㄴ means no.

• Korean text messaging tip: ㅇㅇ means “yes” in text talk. Have questions about Korean text abbreviations? Find me on KakaoTalk: lindasauce.

You are always welcome to send me a tweet or post on our Facebook account any questions you may have. I will try to answer all of your questions in a timely manner. If you would like to know the transliteration of any of these phrases, and hear how to pronounce each word and phrase, tune in next week! I’m creating a podcast for you!

When you’re ready to learn more Korean numbers, check out our Korean Numbers 1 – 100 post!

And as promised, here’s the video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Host a Korean Cooking Party/ Photo provided by: 류시형

Many of you are Korean language and culture enthusiasts, immersing yourself in all things Korean. I would love to hear about your adventures in learning.

One of my favorite aspects of learning a new language and culture is discovering its cuisine. Food brings people together; often a meal can bridge different cultures and inspire unlikely connections. For example, I introduced a Saudi Arabian friend to one of the most recognized Korean dishes, bulgogi. She now makes a halal version for her family.

Bulgogi/ Photo provided by: 류시형

My pure enthusiasm toward Korean food is perhaps the chief motivating factor behind my eagerness to share authentic recipes with you. In a previous article, I provided a recipe for japchae, a popular Korean noodle dish. But, one of the most recognized Korean dishes is bulgogi (불고기), which means “fire meat”. This is a simple dish to create; the recipe is below.

 불고기 RECIPE:

불고기  is a sweet and savory grilled beef dish. Below, is a recipe for up to 5 lbs. of 불고기.

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs. of bulgogi beef (ask the butcher for thinly sliced beef rib-eye)
• 1 bunch of green onions (2 inch slices cut at an angle)
• Toasted sesame seeds (white)
• Sesame seed oil (1 -2 tsp.)
• Honey
• Marinade:

• Soy sauce (1 cup)
• Dark brown sugar, packed (1 cup)
• Black pepper (1 TBS.)
• Minced ginger (1 TBS.)
• Minced garlic (1 tsp.)

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl mix in the marinade ingredients. Do NOT add the beef until after you mix the marinade ingredients. Pour 1 c. of soy sauce and stir in 1 c. of dark brown sugar. Note: always use the same ratio for soy sauce and sugar. Then, add 1 TBS. of black pepper, 1 TBS. of minced ginger, and 1 TBS. of minced garlic. Mix all of the ingredients until the sugar is blended.

Place the beef into a larger bowl. Pour the marinade over the beef and using your gloved hand, massage and mix the marinade and beef together. Once the beef is well-coated, add the sesame seed oil (gradually add 1-2 tsp. of oil). Note: it is important to add the sesame seed oil after the marinade because it blocks the marinade from fully flavoring the beef. After you mix in the sesame seed oil, cover and refrigerate the beef for at least 2 hours (ideally, you should let it marinate overnight).

Once you’re ready to cook the beef, take the beef out and drizzle a little honey on. Mix and massage the beef with your gloved hands. Then, heat up a dry pan/wok. Once the pan is hot, add the beef. Note: you will not need to add any more oil, because the meat is already coated in sesame seed oil. Cook the beef on medium heat. Add the green onion slices while cooking. Once the 불고기
is done, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top. Optional: add grilled onions.

ENJOY!

Japchae (잡채) (Photo: Marc Matsumoto, 2012)

My roommate asked me for a vegan gluten free Korean recipe. I said to her quite enthusiastically, “That’s easy! Traditional Korean food doesn’t  include dairy or gluten. You can easily avoid meat and eggs too.” She was excited!

. . .

And then we hosted a Korean cooking party with a medley of friends, in our small apartment. Note: my next article will be titled, “Korean Cooking Party”. I’ll walk you through everything you need for a successful Korean cooking party, and we’ll discuss some useful vocabulary too!

But for now, here is my mom’s recipe for japchae (잡채), which is one of the easiest Korean dishes to make. It is traditionally made with clear sweet potato noodles (gluten free), vegetables, and beef. The recipe below is the vegan version (sans beef), which is no less tasty. This recipe substitutes beef with pungent dried shitake mushrooms.

Many of you are familiar with this classic Korean dish; one of our readers mentioned that 잡채 was eaten in the K-Drama, Full House. Have you ever eaten 잡채? Have you ever made 잡채? I am very curious to hear about your country’s availability of Korean food. Does your country or town have a Korean market? If not, here is a list of online markets that sell Korean food products:

www.amazon.com (Worldwide)

www.asiakauf.com (Germany)

www.hmart.com (United States)

www.orientalmart.co.uk (United Kingdom)

If you can’t locate a particular Korean product, or if the above websites don’t ship to your country—comment on this blog or send me a message on Twitter (@koreanlanguage). I am happy to help you find any Korean product, and ship it to your respective country!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

잡채 RECIPE (Note: this recipe is for 8 large servings.)

Ingredients:

• 1 large bag of Korean vermicelli sweet potato noodles— 1 kg. (2.2 lbs.)
  

  When shopping, look for "Korean style sweet potato noodles".

• Vegetables:
  • 5 large carrots (or more according to your preference)
  • Green, red, and yellow peppers (1 of each)
  • 2 bags of pre-washed spinach (1 lb./16 oz.)
  • 1 pack of dried shitake mushrooms (1 oz.)
  • Button mushrooms (1 lb./16 oz.)
  • 1 large yellow or white onion
  • 1 bunch of green onions
• Spices:
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • White sugar
  • Soy sauce
  • Vegetable oil
  • Sesame seed oil
  • Toasted/Roasted sesame seeds (black or white)

Directions:

STEP 1           Prepare the dried mushrooms.

• An hour before you start cooking, prepare the dried mushrooms. You will need to soak them in lukewarm water for an hour.
• Set aside; they will be “ready” once they double in size.
• Once they double in size, squeeze all the water out of the mushrooms. (Using your hands and a paper towel, gently squeeze a few mushrooms at a time.)
• Then, set to dry on a paper towel. (Pat them with a paper towel too, to ensure they are not soggy.)

STEP 2           Cook the vermicelli noodles.

• In a large pot, bring water to a boil.
• Once the water is boiling, add the vermicelli noodles. Ensure that all the noodles are submerged in the water.
• Boil for 9 minutes. Then, pour the noodles into a large strainer over the sink.
• Run HOT water over the noodles (rinse only once). Shake the strainer, toss the noodles, and let the noodles sit and drain/dry.
• Note: leave the noodles in the strainer over a pot; set aside until STEP 6.

STEP 3           Prepare the spinach.

• When the noodles are done, use the same pot and bring more water to a boil—to blanch the spinach. You will cook the spinach for 1 minute in boiling water.
• Remove from heat immediately, and pour into a strainer over the sink.
• Let the spinach cool off.
• Using your hands, squeeze the water out of the spinach (do this is small bunches). Do this gently, and spread the spinach out on a paper towel (on a plate). Be gentle with the spinach, and let it air out.

STEP 4           Prepare/cut the other vegetables.

• Julienne all the vegetables except the green onions.
• You will chop the green onions into small 1 cm. slices.

STEP 5           Stir-fry the vegetables.
(Do not overcook the vegetables; they are supposed to be crunchy.)

• In a large pan or wok, add 1 TBS. of vegetable oil.
• Once the pan is hot, turn the heat down to medium heat.

• First, add/cook the carrots.
• Once the carrots are half-cooked (about 2-3 minutes), add the peppers. Stir occasionally for only 1 minute.
• Add the fresh and dried mushrooms; cook for another minute.
• Then, add the onions. Cook for another couple of minutes until the onions are cooked.
• Add the green onions.
• Then, sprinkle salt and pepper (to taste); mix well.
• Drain the liquid from the pan.

STEP 6           Mix the noodles and vegetables.

• Pour the noodles into a large serving bowl, and mix in 1 TBS. of sesame seed oil.
• With gloves, using your hands, mix the oil and noodles. This is easier with 2 people; one person “massaging” the noodles; one person pouring the oil (gradually).
• Then, add the soy sauce. Pour the soy sauce gradually, while still “massaging” the noodles with your gloved hands. (Note: the noodles may still be hot.) When the noodles turn a medium brown color, that is enough soy sauce.
• Add 1-2 tsp. of sugar; mix.
• Then, pour in the stir-fried vegetables.
• Mix gently with your hands.
• Then, add the spinach. You will see that the spinach naturally separates and blends in with the rest of the elements.
• Add more soy sauce, salt, and pepper (to suit your taste buds).
• The last step is sprinkling 1-2 TBS. of toasted/roasted sesame seeds on top!

ENJOY!

Most of the readers of our blog are actively trying to learn Korean at some level.  We’ve got many great free language resources to help you learn Korean, including our free vocabulary building software, Byki Express. Many other language learning programs start by teaching grammar, but research shows that’s not really the most efficient way for adults to learn a new language. Byki  leverages the fact that adults learn foreign languages best by collecting a pool of words and phrases to draw from. The bigger your pool, the better you can communicate in your foreign language.  It’s science.