Korean for Dummies (20 page)

As you leave the roadside shop, or any restaurant for that matter, you can say,
annyeonghi gyeseyo
(
an-young-hee gye-sae-yo;
be well here, stay in peace), or
sugo haseyo
(
soo-go ha-sae-yo;
work hard or keep up the good work). They’re both acceptable forms of greeting when you’re departing.

They’ll most likely say
annyeonghi gaseyo
(an-young-hee ga-sae-yo
;
be well 10_037188-ch05.qxp 6/24/08 11:08 PM Page 104

leaving or go in peace).
annyeonghi gyeseyo
is a greeting that can be used for everyone when you’re leaving, and
sugo haseyo
is usually said to people who are working, as in the waitstaff, the cook, the owner of the restaurant, and so forth. You can say
sugo haseyo
to anybody that works when you leave their place, be they a barber, a tailor, a lawyer, and so on.

Talkin’ the Talk

James and Peter meet at a street and decide to go out to eat.

James:

peter ssi! oraenmanieyo!

pete-sshi! o-raen-man-ee-ae-yo!

Peter! Long time no see!

Peter:

james ssi! jal iseoseoyo?

james-sshi! jal-ee-ssuh-ssuh-yo?

James! Have you been well?

James:

ne ne. siksa hasyeoseoyo?

ne ne. shik-sa ha-syuh-ssuh-yo?

Yes, yes. Have you eaten?

Peter:

aniyo. ajik an meogeoseoyo. gachi siksa halleyo?

a-ni-yo. a-jik an muh-guh-ssuh-yo. ga-chi shik-sa hal-

lae-yo?

No. I haven’t eaten yet. Shall we eat together?

James:

joayo. eodiro gasillaeyo? jungguk sikdang? miguk

eumsik?

jo-a-yo. uh-dee-ro ga-shil-lae-yo? joong-goog shik-

dang? mi-gook eum-shik?

Good. Where shall we go? Chinese restaurant?

American food?

Peter:

miguk sigdangeuro gayo. yeogi geuncheoe mannin-

neun daega iseoyo.

mi-goog shik-dang-eu-ro ga-yo. yuh-gi geun-chuh-ae

ma-shim-neundae-ga ee-ssuh-yo.

Let’s go to an American restaurant. There is a good

one right around here.

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James:

hanguk eumsigeun eottaeyo? yeogi geuncheoe

bulgogi jipi hana
inneundae. mannitge jalhaeyo.

han-goog eum-shik-eun uh-ttae-yo? yuh-gi geun-

chuh-ae bool-go-gi jeep-ee ha-na-in-neun-dae. ma-

shi-ge jal-hae-yo.

How about Korean food? There’s one boolgogi place

around here. They’re very good.

Peter:

joayo! gasijyo!

jo-a-yo! ga-shi-jyo!

Good! Let’s go!

Words to Know

siksa

shik-sa

Meal

sikdang

shik-dang

Restaurant

sutgarak, sutgal, soo-ga-rak, soot-gal, Spoon

sujeo

soo-juh

jeotgarak, jeotgal juh-ga-rak, jut-gal

Chopsticks

pokeu

po-keu

Fork

kal

kahl

Knife

ajik

a-jik

Not yet

gachi

ga-chi

together

miguk sikdang

mi-goog shik-dang

American restaurant

geuncheo

geun-chuh

Nearby

masitneun

ma-shin-neun

Delicious, tasty

maseomneun

ma-dum-neun

Not tasty

bulgogijip

bool-go-gi-jeep

Marinated beef house

oraenmanineyo

o-ran-man-ee-nae-yo

It’s been a long time

jal iseoseoyo

jal ee-ssuh-ssuh-yo

Have you been well?

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Chatting with the waitstaff

A good phrase to know in Korean when ordering at a restaurant would be,
ige
mwoeyo
(
ee-gae mwo-ae-yo
)? This phrase translates into, “What’s this?” Point at an item on the menu and ask this question, and most of the time, the waitstaff will explain to you the ingredients and preparations of the dish.
igeone-unyo
(
ee-guh-neun-yo
)? Means, “What about this one?” You can also ask,
yeogi mwoga masisseoyo
(
yuh-gi mwo-ga ma-shi-ssuh-yo
)?, which translates into, “What’s good here?” You can also ask,
yeogi jeonmuni mwoeyo
(
yuh-gi
juhn-moo-nee mwo-ae-yo
), which translates into, “What’s the specialty here?”

You may also hear the waiter or waitress say,
mwo deusillaeyo
(
mwo deu-shil-lae-yo
)?, which means, “What would you like to eat?” They may also ask you,
jumun hasillaeyo
(
joo-moon ha-shil-lae-yo
)?, which means, “Are you ready to order?”

Many Koreans are happy to suggest something for you, but be aware of what you’re about to eat, and you should always ask what’s in it before you venture into a wild, culinary experience. You could be leaving the restaurant with your mouth on fire because of the spices, or be staring at a plate of raw fish wondering where you went wrong.

Finding restrooms

hwajangsil
(
hwajang-shil
) is the Korean word for a bathroom/restroom.

eodieyo
(
uh-dee-ae-yo
)? and
eodi iseoyo
(
uh-dee ee-ssuh-yo
)? are two variations on the question, “Where is [some word]?” If you want to ask “Where is the bathroom?” use the phrase
hwajangsiri eodieyo
(
hwajang-shi-ree uh-dee-ae-yo
)? Of course, you should never walk up to a stranger and just blurt out, “Where’s the bathroom?” You should approach people with the phrase,

sillyehamnida
(
shil-lae-ham-ni-da
), which means, “excuse me.” So, you get someone’s attention by saying,
sillyehamnida, hwajangsiri eodi iseoyo
(
shil-lae-ham-ni-da. hwajang-shi-ree uh-di-ee-ssuh-yo
)? Which is translated, “Excuse me, but where is the bathroom?” This question can be asked in any public buildings where there are washrooms, not just in restaurants.

Remember to say,
gamsahamnida
(
gam-sa-ham-ni-da;
thank you) when they direct you to the washroom.

Paying for your meal

If you’re with company, you should always offer to pay, even though it will usually be met with fierce resistance. Paying for others not only shows your generosity, it will advance your acquaintanceship with a Korean person because the next time, they will surely pay. Paying for other’s meal will guarantee a continuation in friendship because the other person will feel indebted to your sense of generosity and will try to reciprocate.

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The phrase to say is,
yeogi gyesan haejuseyo
(
yuh-gi gae-san hae-joo-sae-yo
), which translates into, “I would like to pay now.” Another commonly used phrase is
yeogi eolmaeyo
(
yuh-gi ul-ma-ae-yo
)? Which means “How much is it here?” Korean use the word
yeogi
(
yuh-gi;
here) when they are referring to themselves very often.

Drinking, Korean style

When a friend asks you to go bar hopping, or clubbing, or when you’re entertaining a business partner, you’ll run into situations when alcoholic beverages are in the mix. Generally, Koreans raise their glass and say, “
geonbae
”

(
guhn-bae
) before drinking. It simply means, “cheers!” Remember these drinking etiquette tips:

It’s customary for the younger to pour the drink for the elder.

There is proper etiquette for pouring as well. If you are the younger, you should hold the bottle with your right hand, while supporting your right wrist with the left hand as you pour.

The younger should not drink until the elder takes the first sip, and the younger usually turns away from the elder to take a drink with both

hands.

Koreans will forgive lapses in etiquette amongst foreigners, as it is not expected of them. Between Koreans, however, these drinking rituals are usually kept. Keep up with these little rituals and you’ll impress the Koreans you drink with, which will go a long way in cementing your relationship with that person.

Table 5-4

Lists of Drinks

sul

sool

Alcoholic beverage

maekju

maek-joo

Beer

qain

wah-een

Wine

yangju

yang-joo

Foreign alcoholic beverages in general

(e.g., whisky, vodka, and so on)

wiseuki

wee-seu-kee

Whiskey

bodeuka

bo-deu-ka

Vodka

soju

so-joo

Distilled Korean rice wine

mul

mool

Water

(continued)

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Table 5-4 (continued)

keopi

kuh-pee

Coffee

uyu

oo-yoo

Milk

juseu

joo-sseu

Juices

sagwa juseu

sa-gwa joo-sseu

Apple juice

orenji juseu

o-ren-jee joo-sseu

Orange juice

cha

cha

Tea

nokcha

nok-cha

Green tea

insamcha

in-sam-cha

Ginseng tea

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Fun & Games

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

Identify these fruits and vegetables and write their Korean names below.

A. ___________________________

B. ___________________________

C. ___________________________

D. ___________________________

E. ___________________________

F.

___________________________

G. ___________________________

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In This Chapter

Going to stores

Comparing merchandise

Shopping for clothes and groceries

Identifying bargains and haggling

Touting the 12th largest economy in the world, and being about the size of Indiana, one can find just about anything they’re looking for in South Korea. Whether it’s imported goods, consumer electronics, local flavors or treasures, there is something for everyone in South Korea. This chapter will help you find those items that you seek, allow you to navigate from the smallest shops to the largest department stores, help you navigate through prices, colors, quantity, and merchandise. This guide will also help you get the better deal, should a situation arise.

You can find many designated shopping areas for tourists in many parts of South Korea with well-lit, huge department stores that feature not only authentic Korean goods and wares but also Western wares. You can best find Western wares at these large commercial areas. Whether you’re looking for souvenirs like a pair of
jangseung
(
jangseung;
wooden guardians, protectors of villages), or a fancy
yangbok
(
yang–bok;
Western-style suit, business suit), this chapter shows you how to pick out the right one as well as haggle over the price.

Navigating Stores

If you ever find yourself in Seoul, and feel the need to shop, you can find several places that you should definitely look into. Inside the four main gates vicinity, are
myeongdong
(
myoung-dong
; city of Myeongdong),
dongdaemun
sijang
(
dongdae-moon shi-jang
; East gate market), and
namdaemun sijang
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(
nam-dae-moon si-jang
; South gate market)
. itaewon
(
ee-tae-won
; city of Itaewon) is a shopping and dining district that is very popular with the foreigners, and you can find great bargains here as well. The following sections give you the ins and outs of what type of stores you can find as well as how to shop in them.

Visiting department stores, markets,

and small shops

You can always find a shopping district no matter what province you find yourself in Korea.
baekhwajeom
(
baekhwa-jum;
department store) are everywhere in major urban areas, displaying items from all over the world.

Especially near tourist attractions, you can always find a shopping complex nearby, usually within walking distance. Whether you’re looking for
hyangsu
(
hyang-soo;
perfume),
hwajangpum
(
hwajang-poom;
cosmetics),
ot
(
ot;
clothes), or
jangnangam
(
jangnan-gam;
toys), you can find them all in a
baekhwajeom.

Although these large department stores are usually the best places to get what you’re looking for, if you have the spirit of adventure in you and are dying to get some more local flavor, you can try going out into the city and walking into a small
gage
(
ga-gae;
store). You can find these little shops everywhere, with their windows displaying their merchandise facing the street. Although their selections are limited due to their size, you can find something authentic or genuinely Korean better in these stores rather than at big department stores.