Konglish
From Korean Wiki Project
Konglish is a combination of English and Korean that may or may not be anything like what it sounds like. Although most are what they sound like, you might want to check below before you make an mistake.
Direct English Loan Words
| Korean term | Literal words | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 게이 | Gay | Gay |
| 디저트 | Dessert | Dessert |
| 리본 | Ribbon | Bow |
| 메뉴 | Menu | Menu |
| 보이 | Boy | Boy |
| 버스 | Bus | Bus |
| 본드 | Bond | Super glue |
| 섹시 | Sexy | Sexy |
| 요구르트 | Yogurt | Liquid Yogurt |
| 엔지니어 | Engineer | Technician |
| 아이디 | ID | Username, ID |
| 젤리 | Jelly | Gelatinous candy |
| 콜롱(?) | Cologne | After-bath cologne |
| 캔 | Can | Can |
| 퀴즈 | Quiz | Verbal Puzzles |
| 콘텐츠 | Contents | Contents |
| 클리닉 | Clinic | Clinic |
| 컨설팅 | Consulting | Consulting |
| 팀 | Team | Team |
| 택시 | Taxi | Taxi |
| 팝송 | Pop song | English Song |
| 포켓 볼 | Pocket ball | American pool |
| 퓨전 | Fusion | Intercultural |
| 헤어 핀 | Hair clip | Hair clip |
| 치킨 | Chicken | Fried or a similar type of chicken |
Words Derived from English
| Konglish | Literal words | English | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 리모컨 | Remocon (remote + control) | Remote Control | |
| 맨션 | Mansion | Luxury(?) apartment building | |
| 멜로 | Melo | Romantic drama | |
| 서비스 | Service | Free of charge, on the house | |
| 셔터맨 | Shutter man | A derogatory term for a man who is financially dependent on his wife(?) | |
| 스탠드 | Stand | Lamp | |
| 아파트 | Apart | Apartment | |
| 에어컨 | AirCon (Air + Conditioner) | Air Conditioner | |
| 오피스텔 | OfficeTel (office + hotel) | Usually a small, modern room that has basic facilities including a kitchenette and a bathroom with a shower | |
| 원룸 | One room | A bachelor-style studio apartment. | |
| 원샷 | One Shot | A form of toast, roughly equivalent to "bottom's up". It challenges the drinker to finish his drink in one gulp | |
| 파마 | Perm | Perm, a hairstyle | |
| 팬시 | Fancy | Fancy Stationary |
Wrong Konglish
Words that are derived from English but not standard English or has a different meaning
| Konglish | Literal Translation | Proper English | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 글래머 | Glamor | Voluptuous | Glamor in Korean is used to describe women with big breasts |
| 다이어리 | Diary | Daily planner | Diary is 일기 |
| 다이어트 | Diet | Losing weight | 다이어트 in Korean strictly means losing weight, without taking into account the way one eats or the food a person consumes |
| 매니큐어 | Manicure | Nail polish | |
| 미팅 | Meeting | Blind Date | |
| 비닐 | Vinyl | Plastic | |
| 사이다 | Cider | Soda like 7-Up or Sprite | Cider is beverage made from apple juice |
| 사인 | Sign | Autograph (for famous people only), signature | Sign is not used as noun in English, it is used a verb in this case. |
| 샤프 | Sharp | A mechanical pencil, lead pencil | |
| 스킨십 | Skinship | Skinship includes things like holding hands, hugging and any other kind of intimate touching | |
| 액세사리 | Accessory | Jewelry | |
| 오토바이 | Autobi (Auto + Bike) | Motorcycle | |
| 오픈 카 | Open car | Convertible | No such term as open car |
| 와이셔츠 | Y Shirt | Dress shirt, button up shirt | |
| 이벤트 | Event | Promotional event, special (i.e. pizza specials) | |
| 커닝 | Cunning | Cheating | Cunning can be a good meaning in English. 커닝 is also used as a noun or verb sometimes when it is originally an adjective |
| 컨디션 | Condition | Koreans use condition to describe their current state of their body or mood, for example "컨디션 안 좋다" (my condition is not good). In English condition isn't unless in this sense unless used to describe a patient or medical condition. | |
| 컴퓨터 게임 | Computer Game | Video Game | |
| 콘도 | Condo | Time-share resort | |
| 콘센트 | Consent | Electrical outlet | |
| 탤런트 | Talent | Actor/actress | |
| 토스트 | Toast | Grilled omelet sandwich | Toast is just hardened bread |
| 팬티 | Panty | Underwear | 팬티 can be used for both men and women to mean underwear, where in English panties are for women only. |
| 헐리우드 액션 | Hollywood action | Simulated foul | |
| 핫도그 | Hot dog | Corn dog | Hot dog is the sausage, but Koreans call a corn dog sausage |
| 핸들 | Handle | Steering wheel | Handle isn't used for a steering wheel |
| 핸드폰 | Hand phone | Cell phone | Hand phone isn't standard English |
| 헌팅 | Hunting | Pick up (women) | Hunting isn't used to describe picking up women |
| 히프 | Hip | Buttocks, butt, ass | Hip is supposed to be mean 골반, but for some strange reason it got translated into meaning buttocks. |
