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Happy December! December is a big time for holidays and celebrations worldwide and Korea joins in- though the celebration in Korea is a bit different. South Korea also celebrates Christmas but instead of the traditional focus on family, the focus is more on romance similar to Valentines!

Korea already had big family celebrations like Chuseok and the Lunar New Year when Christmas was introduced by the west so it didn’t take off as a family event. While Christmas has a big focus on family, and especially making it magical for children, Koreans made it into a romantic celebration instead. Interestingly though, it is a national holiday; so unlike other couple-focused days, everyone gets the day off from work and school!

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If you’ve been learning about terms for outer space in Korean you might have noticed 성 pop up multiple times, 성 has Sino-Korean origins and uses the hanja 星 which means a star or planet. You’ll especially see it for planets in our solar system which all, excluding earth, end with 성 and have their own meaning for their names!

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Time for some quick grammar! The Korean present participle ‘~질’ can be attached at the end of a word and attaches the meaning of ‘act of using/doing’.

What is a Korean Present Participle?

A present particle is basically a suffix that turns a word into a current action, much like the English suffix ‘~ing’! The specifics in the linguistics can go pretty in-depth and might be a bit confusing but depending on the word and the context it’s in adding ‘~ing’ can change a verb to act like a noun, or adjective, or change the verb tense.

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Knowing some common or interesting Korean idioms is a fun way to take your Korean to the next level! Idioms or 관용구 are phrases that people use to express something more than their literal meaning. You’ll hear and see them everywhere; from TV and movies, music, books, and daily conversation. Some common English ones can be “once in a blue moon (very infrequently)”, “break a leg (good luck)”, and more.

Idioms come from anything; old folklore, traditions, culture, etc. So while being a creative or fun way to express something they can also give you some insight into Korea itself! For example, a lot of idioms have to do with rice because of how important it is to Korea and its history. To see more expressions check out my post about metaphors as well. So let’s get into some common Korean idioms and expressions to use!

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You probably already know the 4 seasons but seasons in Korean can go more in-depth than that! Following the Chinese lunar calendar Korea’s traditional calendar has a solar system for seasons too, spaced approx. 15 days apart these dates mark specific points in the seasons.

Since it follows the Chinese calendar it the begins in February instead of January. The names are the original ones pulled from Chinese with matching hanja. The Korean calendar was used until the western Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1896.

Of course, please don’t take this as a clear-cut guide to weather in Korea, it can be close but think of it similar to our calendars which mark the seasons like “Start of Spring” but as you know can feel wildly off haha.

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Halloween is coming up fast do you have your costume yet? In the West and many English countries Halloween is a fun holiday (though not usually recognized with time off from school or work) for kids and adults to eat candy, dress up, watch scary or Halloween-themed movies, and more.

So in the spirit of Halloween this post is dedicated to Halloween in Korea, Korea’s own spooks, and some vocab to go along with the season!

Is Halloween Celebrated in Korea?

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