Today I Learned... | 오늘 ㅇㅇ 알아냈다 🧐

Inspired by @bungakushoujo‘s study log, I thought it would be fun to share tidbits we’ve learned about the Korean language or culture. :smiley:


TIL that the word for ‘ladybird’/’ladybug’ in Korean is ‘무당벌레’.

무당 = (female) shaman, exorcist (a male shaman is called a 박수)
벌레 = bug, insect

Presumably this is because they resemble the red clothes traditionally worn by 무당:

2 Likes

I love this! Thanks for starting this thread! I may need to move my tidbits over here :thinking:

A shaman bug, huh… :lady_beetle: I like it! :laughing:
Side note but it seems like every language has their own creative way of calling ladybugs :thinking:

2 Likes

Came across a sweet little 속담 today:

콩 한 쪽도 나눠 먹는다

Easy to understand from the context:

콩 한 쪽도 나눠 먹을 정도로 할아버지와 할머니는 사이가 좋았습니다.

ezgif-4-41f3f8e442

(Anyone remember Mickey and the Beanstalk? :rofl:)

3 Likes

:telephone_receiver:Some phone related words I came across today:

우물 정자 (키) → the # button on a phone
우물 means well and this expression comes from the 한자 for well 井, that looks like #
Alternatively there is also “샵 버튼“ from English.

별표 → the star key or asterisk *
For any Japanese friends lurking, the Japanese translation is 米印 ※ because it looks like 米!

3 Likes

TIL 세종대왕 (Sejong the Great) was a 책벌레 (bookworm, lit. “book bug”)! :open_book: :bug:

세종 was known by his 군호 (君號, military title) of 충녕대군 when he was young:

충령(忠靈): 나라에 대한 충성과 절의를 위하여 목숨을 바친 넋.

절의 = integrity, honour

대군(大君)은 고려 시대 및 조선 시대에 왕자들에게 내려진 작호의 일종이다.

작호 = official title

ETA: Just realised I used 충령 instead of 충녕 (although they are homonyms, and it fits 세종 so well! :laughing:)

충녕(忠寧)
忠 = 충성 충
寧 = 편안 녕

충성 is what you often hear Korean soldiers shout as they salute.
And the hanja for 녕 is the same one that’s found in 안녕 (安寧).

2 Likes

Today I learned that April Fools Day is called 만우절 (萬愚節)! The 한자 are “ten thousand, many” “foolishness” and “occasion”, so it’s the occasion of many foolishnesses!

萬 happens to be a 한자 that many learners may already be familiar with without knowing it, as it the number ten thousand, as in 삼만원.

Anyone else ever fall down random namu wiki rabbit holes about 한자? Just me…? Ok…
(But omg, 萬 is an alternate/old fashioned version of 万 in Japanese! So cool to learn a new 漢字 while also learning Korean!! :nerd_face:)

3 Likes

Some things I learned from reading the prologue of 책벌레의 하극상 제1부 - 병사의 딸 1 | L30

  • ~더미 - can be attached to (some?) nouns make ‘pile of’. Like 책더미 (book pile). I think it can just be used on it’s own too… in the reading, they also said “산더미처럼 쌓아” (piled like a mountain pile).

  • 서고 - ‘library’. I’m not entirely clear yet how it differs from 도서권, but my impression is that 도서권 refers to the building… like a public library… whereas ‘서고’ is the literal room which houses bookshelves. So, you can have a 서고 in your house? At least, that was my impression.

4 Likes