Episode transcript
Welcome to Korean Slang School: Starter Pack!
This is a podcast for Korean learners, especially beginners who have just finished learning Hangul. We learn useful everyday expressions and explore the Korean culture behind them.
If you’d like to hear content entirely in Korean, check out the original Korean Slang School podcast for intermediate and advanced learners. You’ll find the link in the episode description.
Today, we’re going to look at two ways to say one very simple word.
Listen carefully.
주스.
과일단물.
Both words can mean “juice.” But most people in South Korea say 주스, while people in North Korea may say 과일단물.
Why are the words so different?
To answer that question, we need to talk about the Korean language on both sides of the Korean Peninsula.
The official name of South Korea is 대한민국. You’ll often hear the shorter name 한국, too.
The official name of North Korea is 조선민주주의인민공화국.
In everyday conversation, South Korea is 남한 and North Korea is 북한.
남 means “south,” and 북 means “north.” 한 refers to Korea here.
남한. South Korea.
북한. North Korea.
Korea was divided into north and south after 1945. Different governments were formed, and then the Korean War began in 1950. The fighting stopped in 1953, but the division remained.
People in the two places have now lived apart for many years.
So, do they still speak the same language?
Basically, yes.
In South Korea, the language is usually called 한국어 or 한국말. In North Korea, it is called 조선말.
The basic grammar is similar, and many words are the same. A person from South Korea and a person from North Korea can have a conversation.
But they may notice differences in pronunciation, intonation, and vocabulary.
For example, in South Korea, “woman” is 여자.
In North Korea, you may hear 녀자.
Listen again.
여자.
녀자.
In South Korea, “elderly person” is 노인.
In North Korea, you may hear 로인.
노인.
로인.
The meanings are the same, but the first sound is different.
Here’s another example. Imagine that someone asks:
제가 도와드릴까요?
Would you like me to help you?
In South Korea, you could answer:
괜찮습니다.
I’m okay. No, thank you.
In North Korea, you might hear:
일없습니다.
If you learned Korean in South Korea, this answer might confuse you.
일 means “work” or “something to do,” and 없습니다 means “there isn’t” or “I don’t have.” So 일없습니다 may sound like “There is no work.”
But in this situation, it can mean “I’m okay” or “You don’t need to help me.”
The words are familiar, but the expression is used differently.
Today, I want to focus on one especially interesting difference: 외래어.
외래어 means “loanword,” a word that comes from another language and becomes part of Korean.
Korean as spoken in South Korea uses many loanwords.
Listen to this sentence:
저는 오늘 카페에 가서 노트북으로 일했어요. 그리고 도넛도 먹었어요.
Today, I went to a café, worked on my laptop, and ate a doughnut.
Did you hear the loanwords?
카페. 노트북. 도넛.
카페 means “café.”
노트북 means “laptop.”
And 도넛 means “doughnut.”
In South Korea, these words sound completely normal.
But they don’t all work exactly like the original words.
For example, the English word “notebook” usually means a paper book that you write in. In Korean, 노트북 usually means a portable computer: a laptop.
And not every loanword comes from English. 카페 originally comes from French.
So what about North Korea?
North Korea has often replaced foreign words with Korean words that explain the meaning.
This became especially active in the 1960s. The government promoted words that people could understand without knowing a foreign language. The new words were taught in schools and used in newspapers and broadcasts.
That is how 주스 can become 과일단물.
Let’s break that word down.
과일 means “fruit.”
단 comes from 달다, “to be sweet.”
And 물 means “water.”
과일. 단. 물.
Fruit. Sweet. Water.
과일단물.
Even if you have never heard the word before, you may be able to guess what kind of drink it is.
In South Korea, English loanwords became common for a different reason.
South Korea had a close relationship with the United States. During and after the Korean War, people encountered more American products and culture. Later, foreign movies, music, computers, and the internet brought even more English words into everyday life.
When people discover a new object, they often learn its name at the same time.
That is why words such as 컴퓨터, 인터넷, and 마우스 feel completely natural in South Korea today.
컴퓨터. Computer.
인터넷. Internet.
마우스. Mouse.
South Korea has also tried to replace some loanwords with Korean words, and North Korea has not removed every loanword. The difference is not absolute.
But the two places had close relationships with different countries, and their governments promoted different vocabulary. Over time, some everyday words grew apart.
So...
Now we can play a guessing game. I’ll give you a North Korean word. Listen to the word and try to guess the South Korean word.
Number one:
가락지빵.
가락지 means “ring,” the kind you wear on your finger.
빵 means “bread.”
So 가락지빵 is round like a ring. It has a hole in the middle. What is it?
That’s right. A doughnut!
In South Korea, it is 도넛.
In North Korea, it can be 가락지빵.
도넛. 가락지빵.
I like 가락지빵 because the shape is right there in the name: ring bread.
Number two:
과일단물.
You already know this one.
과일 is fruit. 단 means sweet. 물 is water.
What is it?
Juice!
In South Korea, 주스.
In North Korea, 과일단물.
주스. 과일단물.
Now imagine ordering at a café.
In South Korea, you might say:
주스 주세요.
Please give me juice.
In North Korea, you might say:
과일단물 주세요.
Please give me juice.
주세요 means “Please give me.” It is one of the most useful expressions for beginners.
You can put a noun before 주세요 when you order something.
커피 주세요.
Coffee, please.
물 주세요.
Water, please.
주스 주세요.
Juice, please.
Now for number three:
손기척.
Here’s your hint.
You are standing outside a door.
똑똑똑.
손 means “hand.”
기척 is a sound or movement that lets you know someone is there.
You use your hand to make a sound and say, “I’m here.”
What is it?
A knock!
In South Korea, people usually use the loanword 노크.
In North Korea, you may hear 손기척.
노크. 손기척.
Let’s review all three pairs.
도넛. 가락지빵.
Doughnut.
주스. 과일단물.
Juice.
노크. 손기척.
Knock.
Now, I have a question. Does that mean North Korea has no loanwords at all?
No. North Korea also uses loanwords.
Some sound a little different from the South Korean versions.
In South Korea, “bus” is 버스.
In North Korea, it is 뻐스.
버스. 뻐스.
In South Korea, “apartment” is 아파트.
In North Korea, it is 아빠트.
아파트. 아빠트.
In South Korea, “television” is 텔레비전.
In North Korea, it is 텔레비죤.
텔레비전. 텔레비죤.
The words are still borrowed from other languages. They are simply written and pronounced differently.
Korean as spoken in North Korea also has some loanwords that came through Russian.
North Korea once had a close relationship with the Soviet Union, which included present-day Russia. As the countries exchanged goods and technology, some Russian words entered North Korean vocabulary.
Think about the large machine used on a farm.
In South Korea, it is 트랙터, based on the English pronunciation of “tractor.”
In North Korea, it is 뜨락또르, which came through Russian.
트랙터. 뜨락또르.
Same machine. Different route into Korean.
Here are two more examples.
In South Korea, 마이너스. In North Korea, 미누스.
In South Korea, 캠페인. In North Korea, 깜빠니야.
깜빠니야 means an organized activity in which people work toward the same goal. It is similar to “campaign.”
But be careful: a different pronunciation does not always mean that a word came from Russian. Sometimes, as with 버스 and 뻐스, the two places simply use different rules for adapting a foreign word.
These vocabulary differences are interesting, but they can also create real difficulties.
People who leave North Korea and settle in South Korea are called 북한이탈주민 or 탈북민.
북한이탈주민 is an official term. It literally refers to residents who left North Korea.
탈북민 is a shorter word. 탈북 means “leaving North Korea,” and 민 means “people.”
Even though newcomers and South Koreans share a language, unfamiliar loanwords can make daily life difficult.
In 2014, a survey asked 322 North Korean settlers about difficulties they experienced in South Korea. Among the people who answered the relevant question, 41.4 percent said that loanwords made conversation difficult. That is about four out of ten people.
The survey is old, so we should not assume the number is exactly the same today. But it shows how much unfamiliar vocabulary can affect everyday life.
Imagine that you know 과일단물, but you have never heard the word 주스.
You walk into a café in South Korea and say:
과일단물 하나 주세요.
One juice, please.
The employee may not understand. They might ask:
네? 어떤 거요?
Sorry? Which one do you mean?
Then they ask:
사이즈는요?
What size?
테이크아웃하세요?
Is it to go?
사이즈 and 테이크아웃 are also loanwords. If you do not know them, ordering one drink can suddenly become stressful.
The same language can carry the history of two very different environments.
I think that is a little sad, but it also gives us a reason to learn about each other’s words.
Today, we learned that South and North Korea share the same basic language, but pronunciation, expressions, and vocabulary can be different.
We also learned three memorable pairs.
도넛 and 가락지빵.
주스 and 과일단물.
노크 and 손기척.
My favorite is 가락지빵. It makes me imagine wearing a doughnut like a ring.
What is your favorite word? Leave your favorite North Korean word in the comments.
Now we’ve got one more Korean expression packed and ready to use. Keep learning, keep speaking, and I’ll see you next time. 다음에 만나요!