UPDATED x2 21 Dec 2010 with another big one.

UPDATED 10 Dec 2010 - a hat tip to the commenters for remembering some I forgot!

So what if the Korean language is not your first language? You can still use it in a way that's probably not used by the locals. These are the examples I've heard - or used - of recent:

chunner: referring to a 1,000 (cheon) won bill.

Do you have a chunner?

Give me a chunner and I'll buy you a Coke.

manner: referring to a 10,000 (man) won bill. Pronounced 'mahn-ner'.

Give me a manner and we'll call it even.

waygook (v.): to have a large group of foreigners take over a restaurant, subway, bus, or some other specific place.

Let's waygook the subway!

I think it would be fun to see if we could waygook the restaurant.

bing-bong, or bing-bong button (n.): at many Korean restaurants and bars, a button installed on every table to call a waiter / waitress over. An example of onomatopoeia, as the sound is almost always a 'bing-bong'.

I need another beer. Hit the bing-bong.

You can keep calling 'yeo-gi-yo' but they're not hearing you - hit the bing-bong button.

ah-ssa! (아싸!): All right! Yes! Sweet! A stand-alone statement indicating joy. 'Olleh!' is popular amongst younger people, but 'ah-ssa' is more commonly heard from people old enough to drive or older.

A: Did you hear that we'll have a lot more holidays in 2011?

B: Ah-ssa!

What the kimchi?: A version of 'what the f***', said primarily when the situation is distinctly Korean.

My boss said I'd be fired if I didn't attend the after-dinner party. What the kimchi?

jinjja (진짜)? A Korean word meaning 'really?' or 'are you serious?' Sometimes used as 'I don't believe it' Although it's common amongst Koreans as well, it's inserted in conversation between English-speaking expats.

A: My friend just told me he saw Big Bang at E-mart.

B: Jinjja?

opsoyo (없어요): The Korean word meaning 'doesn't have' or 'doesn't exist'. It's sometimes used in English conversation, replacing 'out of something'.

That bartender just said they were all opsoyo of Guinness and it's only 9pm. What the kimchi?

ajumma (v.): to overly or aggressively push someone out of the way. Originally describing a married middle-age woman in Korean, 'ajumma' has become a verb named after the stereotypical shove these middle-aged women use to navigate a crowd.

(As said to a middle-aged woman) Don't try to ajumma me!

(As said to a friend) Don't go all ajumma on me! (Similar in meaning to that classic, 'Don't tase me bro!')

ajumma (adj.): to describe an article of clothing or item as something only a middle-aged woman would wear or use.

Man, gotta love those ajumma pants - plaid, stripes, and eighteen colors.

A: Hey, what do you think of this shirt?

B: It looks kind of ajumma to me.

out-ajumma (v.): to pre-emptively ajumma someone.

This woman with two big bags thought she could ajumma her way onto the subway, so I out-ajummaed her for that last subway seat.

Til the subways start: until the cows come home, or to stay out all night. Seoul's subway system shuts down around 12-12:30am and restarts the next morning at 5:30am.

A: Dude, how late are you partying tonight?

B: I'm out 'til the subways start, man!

Expats in Korea, there's a fair chance you've co-opted the local language for your own purposes. Share in the comments!

© Chris Backe - 2010

This post was originally published on my blog,Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.

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