Tuesday, August 6, 2013

About Korean Language : Speech Level and Honorifics, Annyeonghaseyo or Annyeong ?

The most important things in Korean language is about speech level and honorofics. Please be careful about this things especially for the beginners.

Based on speech level, Generally Korean language is devided into two kind of level. Actually there are six level of the honorofics in Korean language. But I just want to discuss of two common level in Korean languages.

The first is 존댓말  jondaenmal a formal (polite) form.
Usually using with younger people to elder, junior to senior, or stranger people.
For beginners, this form is highly recommended for using.

The second is 반말 banmal an informal form.
Usually using with people who has higher status or older than a speaker. Such as parents to children, senior to junior, boss to the employees.

The word example of 존댓말 and 반말

 
English : "Hello"
존댓말 formal form : 안녕하세요 romanization : annyeonghaseyo.
반말 informal form  : 안녕 romanization : annyeong.

English : "Thank you"
존댓말 formal form : 감사합니다 romanization : kamsahamnida.
반말 informal form  :고마워 romanization : gomawo.

English : "Sorry"
존댓말 formal form : 미안합니다 romanization : mianhamnida.
반말 informal form  : 미안 romanization : mian.

Although you are speaking with the same level of ages or status, please using the formal form.
Informal form is usually use for very very closed friends and is not recommended for foreigners or beginners.

(to be continued)






Korean Traditional Wedding Costume

It's my long dream to write about Korean traditional wedding dress, due to my limited sources. Altough this article is still far from perfect I would like to describe some important points of Korean traditional wedding costume below :



Korean traditional wedding costume for a bride :

Photo Credit : www.sonjjang-hanbok.com

족두리 Jokduri : is a ornamental crown for Korean traditional wedding costume, and a bride is wearing this on her head on her wedding day. It is made from black colored silk with various ornamental accessories such as pearls, corals or embroidery. The shape is hexagonal on the top
and round at the bottom.

비녀 Binyeo : Binyeo is an ornamental hairpin for women. It is used in neatly tied-up hair to keep it steady. The material of a binyo depended on social position. In the higher classes, gold, silver, pearl, jade and coral were used. Wood, bone and brass were used for common people. The decoration also varied by social class. Dragon or phoenix ornament usually used on the queen's binyeo. The decorations and designs were made to convey best wishes for descendents, their prosperity and long lives. Binyeos are divided into two kinds, a jam 잠 a binyo which have a long body and a che 채which have a ∩ shape and now usually use when a woman is wearing a hanbok and as part of
wedding hanbok accessories.

활옷 Hwarot :
Hwarot is a traditional wedding costume with red and blue colors dominant. These colors are represents of the duality of man and woman, yin and yang. The embroidered ornaments decorated on hwarot such as peonies, lotus, mandarin ducks, phoenix, buterflies are represents of love wishes, long life and health.

드림댕기 Daenggi :
is a piece of cloth used to decorate the hair. It is tied at the end of plaited hair and left hanging down.
Daenggi also as part of wedding costume accessories.

저고리 Jeogori :
is the upper jacketlike part of hanbok.

치마 Chima :
is a wrap around skirt worn for hanbok.

꽃신 Kkotsin :
is a embroidered shoes usually has more than one color.

Korean traditional wedding costume for a groom :


Photo Credit : www.sonjjang-hanbok.com


A jacket (jeogori, 저고리) and trousers and an overcoat are worn. The jacket has loose sleeves, the trousers are roomy and tied with straps at the ankles. A vest may be worn over the shirt. A black hat could be worn.

단령 Dalryung is a type of traditional Korean clothing worn during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty(조선) by royal men for official in courts or by commoners for weddings.

용포 Ryoungpo is a type of traditional Korean clothing worn during the Joseon Dynasty(조선) by king in courts.



















Monday, August 5, 2013

Korean Tea Ceremony

Drinking tea in Korea gives us a lot of benefit. Besides it's a healthy drink, we can relieve our stress by meditating through Korean tea ceremony.




I had this experience while I travelling in Jeonju hanok village. I went to the Korean tea house and was teached how to make a Korean tea through Korean tea ceremony. It was not easy as I tought because there are some steps we should follow.



Steps of Korean tea ceremony : Steps is doing by the host.

Starting the official ceremony, first steps is heating the pot, cups and decanting bowl by pouring hot water on them. After this is complete, pour the tea leaves using a scoop into the pot.
Then pour hot water onto the leaves and will then pour out the water very quickly, thereby rinsing the leaves of any dust and opening them up slightly.
Then, pour the hot water into the decanting bowl and allow it to cool to the correct temperature for the tea. After that pour the tea into the decanting bowl, which serves to get the water off the leaves in the pot and also to give the tea an even mixture. Then it is poured into the cups.




The guests will wait until the host or master picks up their cup first, then will pick up theirs.
This is repeated until they are finished, which sometimes can be several hours later.

Sources : Random online sources.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Food Experience : 탕수육 Tangsuyuk

My first experience, trying some Korean - Chinese dishes such as jjajangmyeon and tangsuyuk.
Never realized before that they are categorized as a Chinese dishes modify by Korean ingredients in Korea.
Some of Korean - Chinese dishes are jjajangmyeon, tangsuyuk, jjamppong, jajangbap, junghwa naengmyeon, kkanpunggi. Four of the rest of them, I have not tried, maybe I will try someday ^^
Jjajangmyeon is quitely popular for people and often showed up in Korean drama. So what about tangsuyuk ? When I tried 탕수육 tangsuyuk, it taste was great, mixed with sweet, sour combined with crispy chicken. It can be as an appetizer or as a main dish. If you want to explore another type of Korean food, you may try tangsuyuk ^^







Great Presents from KTO

Exciting feeling today! The gifts from Korea Tourism Organization has been arrived, as one of the winners of  KTO's event held on last June - July 2013. I got a travel pillow, a Korean fan and travelling kit. It is very useful for me and I will use them to my next trip to Korea! Thank you so much KTO for the presents ^^

Photo Credit : My Seoul with Love


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Monkey 5, a New Way to Enjoy The Music

The first song I've heard from Monkey 5 is from Bach composition, Air on G String. My first impression, sounds funny and cute. Then, I listened some compositions from this group which are different than the previous one. Those are more cheerful. I think Monkey 5 is a great project, as illustrated as the spring water came from the mountain, they give different taste and so refreshing. Modern and classy and the most important is I can feel Korean style on their music which will be indicated about their origin is from Korea.

But ... couriously... who is Monkey 5 ?



Monkey 5 is a group managed by SOREA Group with five misterious member, they are Whikey, Goldee, Liva, Bello and Touyo. They sing in uniquely way, by whistling. I thought this is very creative new way to enjoy the music.

Let's find their songs on this Youtube link :

This is my most fave song ^^


There are another interesting songs to enjoy :

Healing Whistle "Monkey 5" - Salut d'Amour

Healing Whistle "Monkey 5" - Air On The G string



Shall We Whistle ?~^^

Video Credit : Sorea TV on Youtube.


Friday, May 24, 2013

순두부찌개 Sundubu jjigae

This is my first experience of tryring sundubu jjigae. Also my first time to try a jjigae. Jjigae is one kind Korean soup with less water, various ingredients can be put in it.

Photo Credit : My Seoul With Love

Such as my sundubu jjigae, I had tofu, seafood such as oysters, mussels, clams, shrimp, also vegetables
such as mushrooms, onions, scallions. They put together with gochujang and raw egg. Sundubu jjigae is made in a hotpot. It is propose to keep the ingredients hot while eating that's why it is more suitable to eat in a winter or a cold weather.
I ate my sundubu jjigae together with rice, it tasted very good and a little bit spicy.


Photo Credit : My Seoul With Love






Friday, May 17, 2013

About Korean Language (Dialects)


Northwestern dialects :

There are three dialects which have been used in part of northwestern of Korean peninsula. They are :

1. Pyongan dialect 평안방언 is the northwestern dialects. This dialects is using in North Korea.
2. Hwanghae dialect. It is spoken in Hwanghae region, North Korea.
3. Yukchin dialect. This dialect is spoken in Yukchin area in North Hamgyeong province.





Central dialects :
1. Seoul dialects 서울말 also called Gyeonggi. It is spoken in Gyeonggi do, Incheon, Seoul and Kaeseong (part of North Korea).
2. Yeongseo dialects 영서 방언 is spoken in Yeongseo region of Gangwon do, South Korea.
3. Chungcheong dialect 충청도 방언. It is spoken in Chungcheong region, South Korea. Chungcheong 충청도 is located in the southwest of Korean peninsula. This dialect is devided into two. They are the northern Chungcheong dialect and southern dialect which is closer to Jeolla dialect.

Yeongdong dialects 영동 방언 :
It is spoken in Yeongdong region in Gangwon do, South Korea, the eastern part of Mount Taebek.

Gyeongsang dialects 경상 방언 or Southeartern dialects :
This dialect is spoken in Gyeongsang region in South Korea.

Jeolla dialects 전라 방언 :
Is spoken in the Southwestern part in Korean peninsula.

Jeju dialects 제주 방언 :
It is spoken in Jeju Island.

Hangul Korean Alphabet (Introduction)

한글 Hangul is a Korean alphabet founded by King Sejong the Great in year 1443 that he was proposed to make his people especially those who was uneducated people from a lower class at that time, could read and write easily.
As we know at that time, only some people who were in the middle up status only had a change to study for writing and reading Hanja (the augmented of Chinese characters) and it was too difficult for lower class to learn. That's why King Sejong had an initiated to created some new alphabets for his people.

Now there are Hangul that we can check on this chart below :



Hangul is the most systematic alphabet in the world. To learn Hangul, we must know first and remember of each alphabet below :




Then to create a word or sentences, we must put the consonants and vowels. Here is the chart below :

Credit : josefwigren.com 

In my opinion, to learn Hangul, formaly  한국어 Hanguk geo is similar when I'm learning math. We should practise a lot especially in grammar, there are a lot of particles that we must put on the senteces.

(To be Continued) ...















Sunday, May 12, 2013

Pyebaek, The Korean Wedding



폐백 Pyebaek is a part of Korean traditional wedding ceremony. Only family members attend this ceremony. The bride present's jujubes, chestnuts as a symbol of fertility or children to parents and elder family from the groom.

My point of view here is not about the ceremony itself but I'm interesting of the wedding food for pyebaek.

Wedding food is intented in order to invite praise and admiration. Chastity was regarded as the most worthwhile virtue for wedded couples. Fertility, longevity were also considered to be great blessings.
Some points above are represented in Korean wedding food. Various colors such as blue, red, yellow, white, and black are represents of the five moral virtues. They are benevolence, propriety, faith, wisdom and also righteousness. The jujube and chestnut symbolize the endless generation of posterity and longevity. Jujube means a son that forms the line of family pedigree. Dried persimons which are sliced resemble of flowers, represents penance and is valued because the process of making it requires time and a lot of care.

Pyebaek table setting :
Stacked jujubes (served for the bride's father in law, chicken (served for the bride's mother in law), gujeolpan (nine-sectioned plate), wine.


Photo Credit : Han-style.com


This article has been listed as The Weekly Best by IBuzzKorea




Friday, May 10, 2013

Royal Court Cuisine

Gujeolpan, nine-sectioned plate, is a special dish that features nine different food items, it is one of Korean royal cuisine. The name of gujeolpan is composed of three hanja words: gu (구, "nine" ), jeol (절, "section"), and pan (판, "plate"). The dishes are served in a wodden plate which has nine devided sections. Meat and vegetables are arrayed around the outside of the dish, and a round dish in the center holds small wheat crepes. It creates various kinds of color represents of the zenith of Korean cuisine.
This is how to eat : You can put meat and vegetables on the wheat crepes and eat them together.
This dishes usually served with alcohol accompanied by various kinds of nuts and jujubes also tea which is accompanied with Korean traditional cakes.

www.koreataste.org




Two Years Ago in Korea

This is my first article for this blog. I don't know what to write because there are a lot of ideas that still around in my head. Well to start on my blog, let me share my travel experience two years ago in Korea.
Exactly on this date, I was in Korea for solo travelling two years ago. I went around Seoul by my self.
Well it was very convenient because I used subways. My Korean language was not very good at that time, so that I was affraid to use buses eventhough I wanted to try, as I know there was no English for bus direction so I affraid to get lost.
I went to many places in Seoul and had a special festival which is always held every May. Lotus Lantern Festival. The one of Korean festival I had ever seen by me. I had a great time by watching a parade in Insadong.
That 's very memorable for me.