Learning Korean :)

The thing with writing is that I have the time to think and can change wording and stuff before sending it in the world. When speaking that’s not possible. I’ve had some conversations in a foreign language and I noticed that I can understand quite well, but I’m not very good at speaking ‘on the spot’. Practising with someone from Viki could be nice, however once I have enough courage talking with a stranger isn’t too bad either :slight_smile:

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@choitrio

Is it true that ‘‘menu’’ in Korean is referred as to a ‘‘dish?’’ I think this is so wrong, and for all the right reasons. If they’re using a word that is called ‘‘loanword’’ or ''Konglish? (which it seems not to apply here since there is no change in the written word) Why not familiarize themselves with its true meaning in English, and apply it accordingly? Menu is not one dish or several dishes. Menu is
Excerpt: wikipedia
In a restaurant, the menu is a list of food and beverages offered to customers and the prices. A menu presents a list of options/dishes/beverages/drinks; from which customers can choose to consume/eat.

A Menu is not a dish, but the description of the different dishes/drinks offered at the Restaurant. In some cases it even includes the price next to them.

oriya
Because there was a show in which someone was offered the chance to make a new menu and he ended up making a new dish.

I saw that word used in several other Asian dramas where cooking/Chef was the theme of the story, and they used the word menu, but never using it correctly, but describing the new ‘‘dish’’ they made. Do you know if there is a word in Korean for the word Menu? If they don’t have one, are they really using the word menu incorrectly?

Thanks in advance.

The short answer to your question is Koreans sometimes use the word “menu” interchangeably for “dish”. I think even in English, “menu” can refer to the meal itself. Take a look at the second definition here.

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When other cultures start using a language, it is inevitable. Each country customizes it according to their own backgrounds and other factors. Even my country has different meanings for English words that other nationalities wouldn’t understand.

Take the word “drama” itself… according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition:
movie or television production with characteristics (such as conflict) of a serious play; broadly a play, movie, or television production with a serious tone or subject

It’s supposed to be a genre. But Korea uses it as a blanket term for TV shows or series. Because we follow along with their culture, we adopt the modified meanings.

I don’t think it’s wrong. It’s just one country accepting and integrating another language into its culture.

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I honestly dislike merriam-webster.com bc there are so many things I disagree with, so I don’t even bother getting any information from them. I feel that is a bad source to use when one is not too proficient in the English language because it can be confusing, and in some cases very misleading in quality content.

One of the main annoying things and I dislike from them [MW] that they actually make people think that ANYWAYS is a word, and not a slang like it should be described in their information. They are purposely regressing instead of allowing the people to progress in learning words correctly when they are not too proficient in the English language. I wasn’t asking if menu in English was known as a dish since I have no doubt what is the purpose of a menu.

I was asking in the Korean language do they have a word for *dishes of food?‘’ I know for a fact the Asian restaurants here in N.Y. have no menus since it’s always a buffet, and one price fits all.

As you can see in the screenshot not once this word was described as a slang, and a word that should not be used in formal writings/inclusive as a subtitle/in a sentence. They only say is informal but they even offer (like there’s no issue with this word)

  1. Synonym
  2. Learn more about the word ANYWAYS
  3. Example sentence! OMG! They even give you example in a sentence with the word ANYWAYS instead of discouraging its use.

image|690 x387

Isn’t Merriam-Webster the standard, most trusted American English dictionary? I never use it because my country uses British English - The Oxford dictionary is what the majority uses here. But since the Viki standard is MW, I’ve been referring to it for Viki-related english problems.

Funny thing I found: MW actually has an entire article dedicated to the word “anyways,” because many people have questioned it.

The whole article is here:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/lets-talk-about-anyways

In a gist:
“If a word has been in constant use for over 800 years, with tens of thousands of examples in writing across many linguistic registers, and is commonly and consistently used with specific meanings, it then becomes very difficult for us to understand how you could describe it as not ‘real,’ or not a ‘word.’ Unless, of course, you are using a sense of real or word that we are unfamiliar with.”

I guess it’s a real word in American English. According to the Oxford Dictionary(British English), “anyways” is North American English:
Screenshot_20220416-094050_Chrome

The other British English dictionary, Cambridge, also says it’s US English
Screenshot_20220416-094343_Chrome

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Very confusing hahhaha… You can just laugh at this video.

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Hilarity, :joy: I think there’s a few other languages where there’s such hilarity when speaking Korean.

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There are many, though. Understand Korean, Korean Conversation, English-Korean Dictionary, Write Korean, Learning Korean, Learn Korean, Catch it Korean.

But first you must learn how to read with Learn to read Korean in 90 minutes which is a free pdf you can find online.

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From Reddit (r/Korean), I learned about mirinae.io which analyzes Korean sentences. It might help those of you interested in the Korean sentence structure.

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In a series I came across the term 재를 뿌리다. I found out it means To rain on someone’s parade, but what do the words seperately mean?

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재 seems to mean “ash”, and 를is the accusative suffix.
Then the verb 뿌리다 means to sprinkle, to spray, to scatter. It may be used for seeds too.
So the whole thing seems to be “sprinkle/scatter ashes” or something.
But more knowledgeable people may give you a more accurate explanation.

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That seems to make sense. ‘Sprinkling ashes’ is clearly something negative.

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It’s a bit similar on “throwing a wet blanket” on one’s enthusiasm for something. Throwing ashes on the fire extinguishes it, right?

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The complete idiom is 다 된밥에 재 뿌리다. Sprinkling ashes on the ready rice.
다 된밥 = rice that’s fully cooked (or almost done) and is about ready to be served.

So this term is used when you worked hard to get something ready and just when you are about to enjoy the fruit of your labor, it gets ruined.

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Thanks for telling me the complete idiom. Now it makes totally sense.

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