English-Korean loanwords
Korean has borrowed a number of words and word elements from English, sometimes giving them different meanings. This includes direct loanwords, and macaronic or hybrid English-Korean words. These words or word blends (portmanteaus) have entered Korean, often with different meanings than the original English. However, Koreans learners may often be unaware of the fact that the Konglish words have different meanings or usages than the original English words, or that the Konglish word is a purely Korean invention and does not exist in English. A famous example is the Korean word 화아팅 'hwaiting', from the English word fighting; in Korean, it is used as a cheer, like "go team" or "be strong" or "good luck" - which are rather different from the original English meaning. An example of a pure lexical invention is the Korean 스킨십 'skinship,' which does not exist in English; this is a word blend of English elements, and refers to affectionate touching (between friends or romantic partners) or what a few psychology and health researchers in the 1970s called "skin hunger" - the need or desire to receive or give friendly physical contact, such as between friends, as well as between romantic partners. However, there is no good, common English term that can serve as a good translation of 스킨십.
On the Internet, these are often referred to as Konglish words or vocabulary, which is not a very suitable term. The term Konglish is a pejorative term that refers to Korean-accented English or English marked by lexical, collocational, and grammatical L2 errors by Korean learners of English, which is not the focus of this article. Thus, the sometimes negative term Konglish for such Korean words is inappropriate; these borrowings show linguistic creativity and innovation, and follow similar patterns as in other languages, e.g., when English borrows words from other languages with altered meanings. For example, the German word Gesundheit for 'health' is used by English speakers, when we say "bless you" or "gesundheit" after someone sneezes.
However, if Koreans speaking English attempt to use these words with their Korean meanings, English speakers will have difficulty if they do not know Korean, leading to misunderstandings or failed communication. Thus, for Koreans learning English, knowing the differences between the original English and Korean meanings is necessary. Below is a list of the more common examples that could be problematic for learners.
Contents
1 English words with altered meanings
| Korean term | Original English word | Original English meaning | Korean meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 글래머 | glamour | an exciting, romanticized, or idealistic attractiveness (e.g., in entertainment) | an attractive, full-figured woman; a voluptuous woman |
| 다이어트 | diet | (1) eating habits, (2) weight loss program | go on a diet, to diet |
| 대시 | dash | asking someone out, approaching, taking the initiative (in dating) | |
| 리포트 | report | term paper | |
| 린스 | rinse | air conditioner | |
| 매니큐어 | manicure | nail care | nail polish |
| 미팅 | meeting | group assembled for some purpose | group blind date, blind / group dating |
| 본드 | bond | glue, adhesive bond | |
| 바바리 (코트) | Burberry coat | trench coat | |
| 비닐 | vinyl | a particular type of plastic (chemical name) | plastic wrap / wrapping |
| 사이다 | cider | lemon-lime or clear soda | hot, spiced apple drink |
| 사인 | sign | (1) to sign or put one's signature on a document, (2) a written notice | a signature, to sign |
| 샤프 | sharp | a company name (Sharp, maker of pencils and other products) | mechanical pencil |
| 서클 | circle | student club (e.g., university club) | |
| 센스 | sense | tact, wit, common sense, practical sense | |
| 탠드 | stand | desk lamp | |
| 캐리 | carry | to single-handedly carry a project (e.g., a failing project) to success | |
| 캐리어 | carrier | suitcase | |
| 커닝 | cunning | sly, sneaky; clever, but in an evil way (e.g., a cunning fox) | cheating |
| 코팅 | coating | covering (in general) | lamination |
| 타임 | time | time | wait a moment/second, wait, stop, hold on (colloquial) |
| 토스트 | toast | toasted bread | a toasted or grilled breakfast sandwich |
| 패딩 | padding | padded down jacket or coat | |
| 팬시 | fancy | nice-looking, elaborate | stationery, esp. nicer or fancy-looking stationery |
| 팬티 | pantie | women's underwear | underwear (men's or women's), cf. boxers, briefs |
| 핫도그 | hot dog | hot dog wiener (sausage) on white bread bun with mustard & ketchup | corndog |
| 핸들 | handle | graspable part, e.g., door handle, bag handle | steering wheel |
| 헌팅 | hunting | hunting animals (with a weapon) | trying to pick up guys / women (e.g., at a bar / club) |
| 호치키스 | Hotchkiss | a company (now defunct) that made staplers in the early 20th century* | stapler |
| 화이트 | white | correction fluid, correction tape | |
| 화이팅 | fighting | a physical or verbal conflict | Go, team! (sports games); Cheer up! Be strong! Good luck! (personal encouragement) |
*The term 'Hotchkiss' for 'stapler' originated in Japan and then came into Korean.
2 Korean words shorted from English words
| Korean term | English word or base | English equivalent of Konglish term |
|---|---|---|
| 니트 | knit | nitted sweater |
| 모닝콜 | morning + call | wake-up call |
| 미싱 | machine | sewing machine |
| 밴드 | band | bandage, band-aid |
| 볼펜 | ball pen | ball-point pen |
| 리모컨 | remote control | remote, remote control |
| 셀프 | self | self-service (e.g., at restaurants) |
| 슈퍼 | super | general store, small traditional (mom & pop) store |
| 아파트 | apartment | apartment complex, apartment block, high-rise apartment |
| 에로 | erotic | lewd or erotic materials |
| 어그로 | aggravation | trolling, provoking attack, large-scale trolling |
| 에어컨 | air conditioner | AC, air conditioning / conditioner |
| 콘센트 | concentric (circles sharing the same center) | electrical plug / plug-in, outlet, wall socket |
| 헬스, 헬스 클럽, 헬스 클럽 장 | healtch (club, etc.) | gym, fitness center |
| FM | “[army] field manual” | Ø (FM refers to FM radio in English); In Korean: Following official protocol; in Korean, this refers to doing things by following strict rules (e.g., at a company), maybe "strictly by the book"* |
| MT | membership training | Ø (no exact equivalent; maybe company/class retreat or outing) |
| AS, 에프터 서비스 | after service | Ø (closest term is customer service, which works differently than AS) |
* In some Korean colleges and companies (maybe more so in Seoul), FM has another meaning. At an MT or company meal, people around the table take turns to introduce themselves and to give loud, enthusiastic cheer for the company or school. No equivalent cultural practice or word exists in English for Korean “FM” introductions
3 Korean word blends from English elements
| Korean term | Original English elements | English equivalent of Konglish term |
|---|---|---|
| 개그맨 | gag + man | comedian |
| 개그우먼 | gag + woman | comedienne |
| 뉴트로 | new + retro | new reinterpretation of retro trends |
| 더치 페이 | Dutch pay | go Dutch, split the bill |
| 디카 | digital + camera | digital camera |
| 매스컴 | mass + communication | mass media, mass communication (especially as an area of study) |
| 멀티탭 | multi + tab | power strip |
| 백미러 | back + mirror | (car) rearview mirror |
| 비닐하우스 | vinyl + house | vinyl greenhouse (greenhouse made of thick vinyl for agriculture) |
| 러닝머신 | running + machine | treadmill |
| 레포츠 | leisure + sports | leisure sports |
| 사인펜 | sign + pen | marker, felt marker |
| 셀카 | self + camera | selfie |
| 소울 푸드 | soul + food | comfort food |
| 선팅 | sun + tint (?) | car window tint or tinting, tinted windows |
| 스킨스쿠버 | skin + scuba | skin diving and scuba diving |
| 스킨십 | skin + ship | Ø (No English equivalent exists in everyday English; maybe affection touch / touching, physical intimacy, friendly touching, or more technically, haptic communication.) |
| 리조텔 | resort + hotel | resort & hotel facility |
| 아이쇼핑 | eye + shopping | window shopping |
| 애드벌룬 | ad + balloon | aerial advertising balloon |
| 오므라이스 | omelet + rice | Ø (no equivalent, since this is a purely Korean food item) |
| 오버 | over + do | overdo, exaggerate, be overdramatic |
| 오바이트 | over + bite | overeat, vomit due to overeating, barf |
| 오토바이 | auto + bike | motorcycle |
| 오픈카 | open + car | convertible car |
| 오피스텔 | office + hotel | officetel, a very small (one-person) apartment, in an office building (or a very small apartment that can also double as a personal office) |
| 와이셔츠 | Y-shirt | dress shirt, collared / button-up shirt |
| 웹툰 | web + cartoon | webtoon, Internet cartoon |
| 원피스 | one-piece | dress (In English, ‘one-piece’ can be any kind of garment, e.g., a swimsuit, or a type of baby clothing) |
| 원룸 | one room | efficiency apartment (for an older, smaller, or cheaper apartment), studio apartment (for a nicer, larger, or more expensive apartment) |
| 원샷 | one shot | Bottoms up! |
| 원 플러스 원 (1+1) | one plus one | buy one, get one free (similarly, 2+1, 3+1) |
| 카라티 | collar + t-shirt | polo shirt |
| 커리어 우먼 | career + woman | working woman |
| 크레파스 | crayon + pastel (oil)? | crayon* |
| 키 홀더 | key + holder | keychain |
| 킥보드 | kick + board | scooter |
| 테이프 클리너 | tape + cleaner | lint remover (usually on a roller, made of sticky tape) |
| 투피스 | two + piece | skirt or pants and a top |
| 트럼프 카드 | trump + card | playing cards |
| 팬티 스타킹 | panty stalking | pantyhose |
| 포켓볼 | pocket + ball | pool, pocket billiards |
| 포클레인 | forklift + crane | digger, excavator, backhoe, hydraulic shovel |
| 하이틴 | high + teen | late teens |
| 핸드 폰 | hand + phone | cell phone (US), mobile phone (UK); smart phone (universal) |
| 휘퍼 | whip + -er | whisk |
| 하우스코어, 카포어 | house poor, car poor | Being "poor" after spending too much money on a nice house or car |
* The term 크레파스 was coined in Japanese and then introduced to Korea.
4 Blends of Korean and English elements
| Korean term | Origin | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 몰카 | 몰래 'hidden' + 카 'camera' | hidden camera |
| 커터칼 | 'cutter' + 칼 'knife' | box cutter |
5 Korean words from non-English sources
These are not from English, but might be mistaken for English-derived words.
| Korean term | Origin | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 아르바이트, 알바 | German Arbeit, arbeiten | part-time work, temporary work |
| 호프 | German Hof | pub, bar (an older or more formal word; less common now) |
Note: The Korean term 아르바이트 'arubait' is from the German Arbeit (a noun meaning 'work') or arbeiten (a verb meaning 'to work'), not from English. This is the normal German word for work (as in full-time or permanent work), but in Korean it refers to temporary or part-time work. In modern colloquial German, part-time or temporary work is called ein Job (noun) or jobben (verb) -- an example of where German has borrowed English words with altered meanings.
