Annyeonghaseyo, yeorobun! You guys might be familiar with Konglish. Or is it the first time you hear about this term? What is Konglish anyway? Well, we will learn Konglish words in this section. Konglish basically means the English version of Korean. It is an abbreviation for Korean English. Korean language has so many terms influenced by English. Of course those terms are pronounced in Korean. Konglish develops as the result of American influence in cultures, politics, economics, social, including language. In this modern era, language also develops following the dynamic culture, as the result of globalization.

1. Learn 2 Types of Konglish: Konglish Words and Loanwords

Probably you are already familiar with some Korean slang words, especially K-pop addict. Don’t you realize that when we learn about Korean slang, we can learn Konglish too? Exactly, Konglish words frequently appear in Korean drama, movies, music, or daily conversation. Let’s pick the most popular term for example: 화이팅 (hwaiting) or fighting. Konglish consists of two types: Konglish words and Loanwords. Wanna get to know more about them? Let’s learn Konglish words and the examples.

2. Loanwords Meaning

Loanwords is a term for any Korean words influenced or borrowed from foreign languages, such as English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, and so on. The meaning of Loanwords or its phrases is same with the meaning in its language origin. Surely, loanwords will be much convenient for the beginners or foreigners who are still learning Korean language. Loanwords will ease the foreigners to understand the meaning of those Korean words and phrases so they will easily recognize. In other words, we already know first the meaning without knowing its meaning in Korean.

3. Common Loanwords Examples and Meaning

콜라 (Kolla) = Cola
피자 (Pija) = Pizza
아이스크림 (Aiseukeurim) = Ice cream
컵 (Keop) = Cup
초콜릿 (Chokolit) = Chocolate
비타민 (Bitamin) = Vitamin
주스 (Juseu) = Juice
와인 (Wain) = Wine
바나나 (Banana) = Banana
커피숍 (Keopisyop) = Coffee shop
컴퓨터 (Keompyuteo) = Computer
택시 (Taeksi) = Taxi
코로나 바이러스 (Korona Baireoseu) = Corona Virus
치즈 (Chijeu) = Cheese

4. Learn Konglish Words Meaning

Slightly different from Loanwords, we will find some changes from English in Konglish words. In some cases, Konglish words are shortened and form the new meaning in Korean. Those are commonly found in Korean slang words. Sometimes, we add morphemes or combine several English words to form the new term and meaning in Korean language. It’s relatively more complicated for the beginners or foreigners to understand and learn Konglish words meaning since some vocabularies are only familiar among Korean people. Some vocabularies are not even found in English.

5. Learn Common Konglish Words Examples and Meaning

오토바이 (Otobai) = motorcycle
핸드폰 (Haendeupon) = mobile phone
에어컨 (Eeokeon) = air conditioner
텔레비 프로 (Tellebi peuro) = television program
백 뮤직 (Baek myujik) = background music
홈피 (Hompi) = homepage
셀카 (Selka) = selfie camera
아파트 (Apateu) = apartment
싸인 (Ssain) = signature
볼펜 (Bolpen) = pen
리모컨 (Rimokeon) = remote control
나이트 (Naiteu) = night club
헬스 (Helseu) = health club
밴드 (Baendeu) = band-aid

Note: Some foreign language alphabets are not found in Hangeul (Korean alphabet). So, it needs a transliteration process from foreign alphabet. Example: F (ㅍ), Q (큐), V (ㅂ), X (엑스), Z (ㅈ), and so on.