KoniKorean

노래방 - Korean Norebang (Karaoke) (and their complicated remote)

Korean karaoke, or 노래방, is really popular among Koreans of all ages. Friends, family, or colleagues use karaoke as a sort of social gathering, usually drinking beer at the same time.

Some of the etiquette rules governing 노래방:

Do not queue several songs at once, but let other people queue their own songs.
Avoid looking at your phone frequently, as it is considered rude.
If you see that you do not know a song as much as you thought, skip it (press 취소 followed by 시작 on the remote)

One of the barriers of entry to 노래방 for foreigners is probably the seemingly overly complicated remote. Learn the various features of the remote prior to going to 노래방 so that you can make the most of your time there! Check the picture (divided by zone) and the corresponding vocabulary below. You can also download this information and print it to take it with you to your next 노래방 session! If you live too far from a karaoke place, you can also buy a Korean karaoke machine for home use.

Washer & Dryer

Doing the laundry in Korea can be a daunting task, especially if not too familiar with its related words (drying, pre-wash, etc.) Similar to the 노래방 remote post, here is a breakdown of the common words written on washers and dryers (usually the same unit in Korea), and a photo example of how it looks like on a commercial machine.

South Korean LGBT Films: A Comprehensive List

Korean cinema has seen a rapid rise in LGBT-centered movies and short films in the last decade, but information in English about them is scant as best. The lists below attempt to fill this gap by classifying LGBT Korean movies produced over the year. These lists exclude dramas and movies that do not have main LGBT protagonists.

If a movie is missing from the list, please leave a comment here or on Facebook so that KoniKorean can add it to the list.

Coronavirus Korean Vocabulary and Resources

As the Coronavirus progresses in South Korea, this article lists vocabulary and resources in English and Korean to stay on top of the infection if you are currently in South Korea. This page will get updated as more information is available.

What to do. According to the CDC of Korea, for the general population (translated by KoniKorean):

Wash your hands meticulously with soap under running water.
When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with your sleeve.
Do not touch your eyes, mouth, and nose with unwashed hands.
Wear a mask when visiting a medical institution
Refrain from visiting places with many people

Most Popular Korean Movies in 2019

Wondering what the most popular Korean movies were in 2019? This article lists the most popular Korean movies in 2019 with links to popular streaming platforms. Leave a comment if you like any of the listed movies or disagree with the box office!

1. 극한직업 – Extreme Job

Genre: Comedy
Director: 이병헌 (Lee Byeong-heon)
Total Korean audience: 16.27M

Narcotics detectives go undercover and start a chicken restaurant to take down a gang. To the surprise of the detectives, the restaurant becomes widely popular, complicating their mission.

Korea-inspired Christmas Gift Ideas (2019)

Want to gift your friends or close ones some Korean-inspired gifts this Christmas? KoniKorean has compiled a list of South Korea-inspired gift ideas for Christmas 2019 based on current trends in Korea and popular Korean items overseas.

Popular Red Velvet Songs for 노래방

Sing Red Velvet (레드벨벳)’s most popular songs next time you go to 노래방 (norebang, or Korean karaoke)! Red Velvet (레드벨벳) songs in the table below are ordered from most to least recent. Recent songs may be unavailable at your local 노래방 if the machines have not been updated. To determine the column to use for your karaoke session, look at the manufacturer of the karaoke machine either on the machine itself, on the remote, or on the interface. You should see two letters, either TJ or KY; use the corresponding column in the table below to add the song to the queue and start singing! See more detailed instructions on Korean norebang machines.

List of Korean Movies in the Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) is one of the most prominent film festivals in the world, with its top award (Palme d'Or) being considered as many as the holy grail of cinema. South Korean cinema has increasingly produced many cinematographic gems that have been competing for the Palme d'Or over the last two decades, with 기생충 (Parasite) by 봉준호 (Bong Joon-ho) ultimately being the first Korean movie winning the Palme d'Or of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Despite the growing popularity of South Korean movies, it is still challenging to find comprehensive lists about recent Korean movies that have been entered in prestigious film festivals.

Cover of Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar (Routledge Comprehensive Grammars)

In Korean, the pronunciation of ㄹ and consonants preceding or following it, such as ㄱ (기억, giyeok), ㅂ (비읍, bieup) or ㅁ, differs from the 한글 reading. Because of rules of assimilation of ㄹ to ㄴ after nasal consonants, the pronunciation of ㄱ, ㄹ, and ㅂ needs to be accounted for these changes. This post lists some of these uncommon pronunciation transformations; comprehensive pronunciation rules can be found in Korean: A Comprehensive Grammar by Jaehoon Yeon and Lucien Brown (Routledge Edition).

Pattern V/Adj-은/는 척하다: To Pretend To V/A

Verb/Adjective (V/A)-은/는 척하다 is commonly used in spoken and written Korean to express "to pretend to (V/Adj)." It can also be translated at "to make it look like (V/Adj)" in more complex sentences (see examples below).

The pattern is written differently depending on whether the word in front of the pattern is a verb or an adjective:

For verbs, present tense: V-는 척하다 regardless of the 받침 of the verb, using common conjugation rules. E.g., 모르다 → 모르는 척하다, 놀다 → 노는 척하다, 읽다 → 읽는 척하다, 넣다→ 넣는 척하다.
For verbs, past tense: V-ㄴ/은 척하다. E.g., 모르다 → 모른 척하다, 놀다 → 논 척하다, 읽다 → 읽은 척하다, 넣다 → 넣은 척하다. See Note 3 for a usage note.
For adjectives: A-ㄴ/은 척하다. E.g., 똑똑하다 → 똑똑한 척하다, 이쁘다 → 이쁜 척하다.

Examples

Verbs

(모르다) 저는 전 여자친구를 모르는 척했어요. I pretended I didn't know my ex-girlfriend.

(놀다) 저는 친구들에게 어젯밤 노는 척(을) 했지만 시험 공부를 열심히 했어요. I pretended to my friends I was having fun last night but I was studying hard for my exam.

(읽다) 그는 핸드폰을 쓰고 있었지만 책을 읽는 척했어요. He was using his phone but made it look like (=pretended) he was reading a book.Contrast with 그는 핸드폰을 썼지만 책을 읽은 척했어요. He used his phone but pretended he read a book.

(넣다) 엄마가 볶음밥에 야채를 안 넣는 척했지만 양파를 많이 넣었어요. The mom pretended she did not put any vegetables in the fried rice but she put a lot of onions. Contrast with 엄마가 볶음밥에 야채를 안 넣는 것처럼 했지만 양파를 많이 넣었어요. The mom made it look like she did not put any vegetables in the fried rice but she put a lot of onions. The first sentence has a more negative connotation than the second one.

Adjectives

(똑똑하다) 나는 시험을 보기 전에 똑똑한 척했는데 시험이 완전 망했어 (반말). I pretended I was smart before taking the exam but I completely failed it.

(이쁘다) 그녀는 매일 가면을 써서 이쁜 척해요. That girl wears a mask every day but pretends she is pretty.

Example Dialogue

빅터: 준형아, 잘 생긴 척하지마! 너 정말 못생겼어!