Learn all about Korean family culture! Family is tied with hierarchy, but also rituals, major holidays, everyday terms, and more, so family is a deep part of Korean culture.
A while ago, I went through all the different types of 방 or rooms in Korean and mentioned wanting to go more in-depth on Korean bathhouses; well, today is the day! A lot of 찜질방 are 24/7, with floor heating, sleeping rooms, sauna areas, full body scrubs, and much more to help you fully relax.
In Korean, sometimes yes means no? Korea has a little quirk different from English when it comes to answering questions. The basics of it is that in Korean you answer the statement and not the intention- I’ll break it down now!
Whether you’re worried you will offend or want to impress people, learning Korean etiquette and the dos and don’ts is important! Because of Korea’s unique culture, they have its own etiquette rules and guidelines.
Tea is a classic drink with a long history, and Korea is no exception. Today I’ll dive a bit into the drink with vocab for the different kinds of tea in Korean, Korea’s culture and history with tea, some Sino-Korean, and more.
Jeju’s Haenyeo (해녀; lit. sea women (海女)) are specialized female divers who earn their livelihood by diving without breathing equipment for abalone, conch, oysters, sea urchins, and more. And have been mastering the practice for multiple generations!
Back in 2023, I did an overview of the Korean Lunar New Year, going through how it is celebrated, key New Year dishes, the difference between Chinese and Korean New Year, and more. Today I want to delve a bit deeper and get more into the customs and zodiacs, and certain things. Koreans still enjoy the January 1st New Year, but it’s more similar to the one over here, without any big family connection.
Today I want to get into Korean dialects! South Korea while being small in size, is quite big in population and history of culture to build their own dialectal variences. I’ll cover the major dialects, where they are from, any notes about them, the pronunciation differences, and then some interesting slang or expressions!
If you’ve been following recent Korean cultural trends you may have heard of Korean MBTI being adapted and gaining huge traction. While the trend of MBTI seems to have died down here, it is going strong in South Korea with many people making judgment calls on people based on their type.
I mentioned it in passing in my Summer vocab post but camping in Korea has really picked up in popularity recently. I thought it would be interesting to get into it since camping in Korea is a bit different than in Canada or the USA like I am used to.
Superstitions are a really unique part of a culture. They can be tied to history, folklore, mythology, or just wordplay! If you’re going to/living in Korea or just meeting Korean friends learning about Korean superstitions can help you avoid making awkward mistakes or offending people. Also, it helps you connect with people more and integrate yourself into the community. So here are some popular Korean superstitions from the lucky, unlucky and strange/funny!