Important things they failed to teach you in Korean class

  • My teachers never told us chingu 친구 was only used for people born in the same calendar year as you, and people older or younger can't be called friends. I found this out from the internet. I think this is important to know when interacting with actual Korean people.

    protector of the gharqad tree

    tumblr_lkl136Bxsg1qbvbvxo1_500.gif

  • really? I was taught in my korean language books that it just meant friend (to anybody)...even on duolingo. :wow:

    nope

    Quote

    “Chingu” 친구 is a very complicated word because it has two different meanings depending on context. Most Asian languages are highly context sensitive, and “chingu” is a great example of this.

    The first meaning is simply “friend” and this meaning arises if you’re not actually talking about anyone in particular. For example if someone asks “How many chingus in Korea do you have?” You can count up all your friends.

    But if you’re actually talking about someone in particular, then a chingu is an acquaintance or friend or associate that is born in the same year as you (both 1984, both 1995 etc). If someone is older or younger than you, you cannot call them chingu. You have to use a different title.

    The reason this is so is because Asian, and especially Korean, social relations are completely different from the west, and Korean’s vocabulary respects this. The west is generally egalitarian, and Americans go to an even further extreme than other westerners because Americans love forming new ad-hoc friendships whenever they can get the chance. American obsession with collecting new friends is more extreme than an acne-infested teenager collecting Pokemon cards.

    Korea is basically the exact opposite. Korean society is overbearingly hierarchical. And Koreans, like most people outside North America, believe quality is more important than quantity with regard to friendship. So because of the social hierarchy, it’s important in Korea to refer to them by the title that highlights your and their place in the social hierarchy. The English word “friend” refers to friendship in the egalitarian understanding of friendship. The Korean word “chingu” in contrast refers to your relationship in the context of a hierarchical community.

    protector of the gharqad tree

    tumblr_lkl136Bxsg1qbvbvxo1_500.gif

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