Learn Korean words about Christmas
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| Hi everyone! Welcome back to Weekly Words Holidays edition, and in this video we’ll be talking about the special holiday, which is 성탄절 (seongtanjeol) or 크리스마스 (keuriseumaseu), which is Christmas in Korea. Luckily christmas is a national holiday in Korea, so there are a lot of things going on in South Korea. So let's begin and see what Korean people do on this special holiday! |
| 1. 크리스마스 (keuriseumaseu) “Christmas Day” |
| So besides 크리스마스 (keuriseumaseu), we also have a name for the Christmas, which is 성탄절 (seongtanjeol) in Korean. 성(seong) means “saint” ; 탄(tan) means “birth“; 절(jeol) is “holiday”. So this literally means “the birthday of a saint”. |
| 크리스마스에 뭐 할 거예요? |
| (Keuriseumaseue mwo hal geoyeyo?) |
| What are you going to do on Christmas Day? |
| 2. 산타 할아버지 (santa harabeoji) “Santa Claus” |
| 할아버지 (harabeoji) here means “grandfather”. I like the way how Korean people call it, because it feels a little more closer, so we have some phrases like 좋은 일을 많이 하면 산타 할아버지가 선물을 줄 거야. |
| (Joeun ireul mani hamyeon santa harabeojiga seonmureul jul geoya.) |
| If you do a lot of good things, Santa Claus will give you presents. |
| so these days we also have a special Santa Claus, which is 산타 할머니 (santa halmeoni) Grandmother Santa. Unlike Mrs. Claus who is the wife of Santa Claus, 산타 할머니 (santa halmeoni), Grandmother Santa, is just the same as 산타 할아버지 (santa harabeoji), Grandfather Santa. So she gives presents to children, she also travels a lot alone, so don't be surprised if you see 산타 할머니 (santa halmeoni) on the street of Christmas Day in Korea. |
| 3. 캐롤 (kaerol) “carol” |
| So we use the word 캐롤 (kaerol) to mean carol, Christmas Carol. There is, I don't think there is another way to say it in Korean, so you can just say 캐롤 (kaerol) to means “songs about Christmas”. In the past like around 20 or 10 years ago, some popular Korean TV stars actually introduced the word carol songs, especially the top comedians. In a sentence, you can say 성탄절 날에 개그맨들은 크리스마스 캐롤을 발표합니다. |
| (Seongtanjeol nare gaegeumaendeureun keuriseumaseu kaeroreul balpyohamnida.) |
| which means that “On Christmas Day, comedians introduce carols.” |
| 흰 눈 사이로 썰매를 타고 달리는 기분 (huin nun sairo sseolmaereul tago dallineun gibun) |
| 4. 구세군 냄비 (gusegun naembi) “Salvation Army charity pot” |
| So the Salvation Army is very popular in Korea especially on Christmas Day. So from the beginning of December until the Christmas Day we can see them almost every downtown and every crowded area in Seoul. And actually Korean people donate a lot to the 구세군 (gusegun), the Salvation Army, around the Christmas season. So in a sentence, you can say 명동에 가면 구세군 냄비를 볼 수 있습니다. |
| (Myeongdonge gamyeon gusegun naembireul bol su itsseumnida.) |
| If you go to Myeongdong, you can find Salvation Army charity pots. |
| 5. 데이트하다 (deiteuhada) “to go on a date” |
| Christmas is considered as the days for couple in Korea, not like days for family actually, unless you're married. So if you aren’t single, your boyfriend or girlfriend would ask you to have a date on this date, not spending a minute with your family. you know, that's very common to see a lot of restaurants booked on this day, so if you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, and if you're in Korea, make sure you make a reservation in advance for Christmas day. But if you are brave enough to spend the Christmas day with your family, not your partner, boyfriend, or girlfriend, you can say 크리스마스 날에 데이트하지 않고 가족과 시간을 보내기로 결정했습니다. |
| (Keuriseumaseu nare deiteuhaji anko gajokgwa siganeul bonaegiro gyeoljeonghaetsseumnida.) |
| I decided to spend time with my family instead of going on a date on Christmas Day. |
| Okay, that’s all the words about Christmas Day. What is the plan for this coming Christmas? Leave us a comment in Korean. Make sure to visit our website, and we'll see you next time. 다음 시간에 뵙겠습니다. (Daeum sigane boepgetsseumnida.) 안녕히 계세요. (Annyeonghi gyeseyo.) |
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