| 한글 | Real
English Word
진실의 영문 | Verbicide
Korean Definition
한국 정의 | Real
English Definition
옳은 영어 정의 |
| 액세소리 | accessory | Koreans generally use that word to mean: jewelry | extra parts, for anything, including jewelry, but not commonly used to mean jewelry |
| 앵글 | angle | angle bar
or
bracket | the space between any two lines that intersect or come together end-to-end, relative to the 360° (degrees) of a circle. I.e., an angle can be between 0 and 360 (exclusively). |
| 본드 | bond | super glue | any binding substance |
| 부킹 | booking | introduction request at a night club | making a reservation |
| 버버리 | Burberry | overcoat or trench coat | Trademark of light, long, waterproof coat |
| 캔맥주 | can maekju | canned beer
(or can of beer) | can (n.) = metallic cylinder (not adjective) |
| 사이더 | cider | sweetened soda water
(like the brand: 7up) | [in the USA.]
cider = apple juice, usually homemade, sometimes carbonated
[in the UK]
cider=alcoholic apple juice
[in Canada]
hard cider = alcoholic apple juice
soft cider = non-alcoholic apple juice |
| 클락션 | Claxon | horn | French name brand of horns So, it's not Konglish, but rather Korench |
| 클로버 | clover | clubs
(on playing cards) | a plant that has leaves with three petal-like appendages |
| 콜롱 | cologne | after-bath splash
or
after-shower body perfume | men's perfume |
| 콤비 | combi (~nation) | sports coat (and trousers) | any mixture |
| 컴퓨터
게임 | computer game | video game | PC game |
| 콘도 | condo | time-share resort | owned apartment |
| 콘센트 | consent | electrical outlet | permission |
| 커닝 | cunning | cheating | deception |
| 데서트 | dessert | after-meal tea | after-meal treat |
| 다이어리 | diary | day planner | personal journal |
| 엔진이어 | engineer | technician | technical person
(w/4yr.degree+license) |
| 이벤트 | event | promotional event (Note: Koreans only use the word to describe some kind of promotional deal, and is extremely commonly seen on Korean websites. | any activity, or happening planned or unplanned, usually involving more than one person. If you count participants and viewers, almost always involving more than one person |
| 팬시 | fancy | fancy stationery | extravagant (a.) |
| 페미니즘 | feminism | women's liberation
or
"women's lib" | Women-No-Different-From-Men
Movement, and.. Sometimes: Women-Better-Than-Men Movement |
| 프리
사이즈 etc. | 1. free-size
2. free ticket
3. free voltage | 1) one size fits all
2a) all-rides ticket
2b) day pass
3a) one adapter - all voltage
3b) multi-volt ~ | Free1 = without restriction
Free2 = free of charge NOTE: technically, "free-ticket" & "free-voltage" aren't wrong, but the meaning is ambiguous in modern English |
| 퓨션
휴션 | fusion | intercultural | making two atoms
become one atom |
| 가글 | gargle | mouth wash (n.) | to wash one's mouth and throat (v.) |
| 게이 | gay | male homosexual | orig.=> slang: male or female homosexual
sometimes=> male homosexual |
| 글래머 | glamour | buxom woman | fame and beauty |
| 골던~ | golden pants | corduroy | gold-colored (pants) |
| 가운 | gown | robe [US]
dressing gown [UK] | gown = woman's dress [US]
(There are two kinds: a hospital gown, or an evening gown, which is a very formal dress) |
| 깁스 | "gyps" (gypsum) | cast
(for broken bones) | white powder for making cast (CaSO42H2O) |
| 헤어 핀 | hair pin | hair clip | a pin for one's hair |
| 해머 | hammer | sledge hammer | small tool for pounding
(much smaller than a sledge hammer) |
| 핸들 | handle | steering wheel | part of bag or door for grabbing |
| 하이킹 | hiking | bicycling | walking in the mountains |
| 힢 / 힙 | hip | buttocks or "butt" | sides of one's pelvis |
| 힛 | hit | a popular product | a popular song |
| 호치키스 | Hotchkiss | stapler | trademark of staplers |
| 핫도그 | hot dog | corn-dog-style hot dog
(looks like a corn dog, but the batter has no corn in it) | a "frank" or "weiner" (sausage)
on a bun (bread) |
| 헌팅 | "hunting" | searching for a mate | searching for animal to kill
(note: we in the U.S. sometimes use this metaphor, but I do not believe that is a conventional metaphor) |
| 아이디 | I.D. | Username | IDentification card |
| 젤리 | jelly | gelatinous candy
"gummy" | sweet food, made from fruit juice, sugar, and gelatin
(differs from jam in that Jam has small pieces of fruit in it.) |
| 클락션 | Klaxon
(Claxon) | horn | "make", i.e., name brand of horns (French) |
| 라인 | line | managerial staff | |
| 매니큐어 | manicure | nail polish | the service of having one's nails polished |
| 맨션 | mansion | luxury apartment building | luxury house |
| 미팅 | meeting | blind date | business gathering |
| 멜로~ | melodrama | romantic drama | This genre (MELODRAMA) not only includes romantic dramas, but also all dramas that do not fit into other standard categories. That standard categories are:
ACTION
ADULT
ANIMATION
COMEDY
DRAMA
FANTASY
HORROR
SCI.FI. DRAMAS (OR MELODRAMAS) contain stories about everyday life, AND include: biographies, historical fiction, historical non-fiction, etc. |
| 오늘 메뉴 | eoneul menu | today's special | menu = list of choices |
| 미시 | missy | miss-like Mrs. | a woman's name (short for Melissa) |
| 오바잇 | overeat | throw up; vomit | eat too much |
| 펜션 | PENSION | motel | This word actually comes from French, meaning: boarding house So, it doesn't really belong here, but it is noteworthy because in English the word has a different meaning. In English, "pension" means, payment to retired persons. |
| 피에로 | Pierrot | Clown | This is NOT Konglish, it is KORENCH, I felt it worthwhile mentioning it here, because many Koreans think it is English.
In France, Pierrot was the NAME a kind of pantomime clown, and comic character. |
| 포클레인 | Poklain | (in North Amer.) Backhoe,
(in the UK) Excavator | "make", i.e.,
(company name) |
| 팝송 | pop song | English song | popular song
(any language) |
| 전자 레인즈 | jeon-ja range | microwave oven | a "range" is a stove for cooking
(there are two kinds of ranges: a gas range or an electric range) |
| 리셉션 | reception | backstage party | a party for receiving a VIP
or
a party for receiving gifts |
| 리본 | ribbon | bow | material to make bows |
| 퀴즈 | quiz | any of various verbal puzzles | a short test |
| 색 | sack | back pack | kind of bag
(usually with open-top and usually without handles) |
| 서비스 | service | free of charge
and/or
"on the house" | 1. help (n.), OR...
2. repair work |
| 섹시 | sexy | slutty, loose
(note: nowadays, some Koreans don't think this way) | attractive; having sex appeal |
| 샤프 | sharp | mechanical pencil | not dull (a.) |
| 스탠드 | stand | lamp | leg-less table/counter |
| 탤런트 | talent | TV star | the person who is in front of the video camera;
or [commonly] a skill(재능). |
| 팀 | team | group in a company (firm) that has a common goal | ONLY sports group |
| 타이핀 | tie pin | tie clip, tie pin | ONLY PIN for tie |
| 토스트 | toast | grilled omelet sandwich | roasted bread |
| 트레이닝 | training | sweat suit | coaching |
| 트럼프 | trump | playing cards
or
poker cards | highest suit of playing cards
(for the game called, "Bridge.") |
| 언더그라운드 | underground | under-appreciated music | any illegal activity or place |
| 빌라 | villa | small-sized condominium
(usually from 3-5 floors,
two units per floor) | huge estate
(literally means: "a mini "village,
owned by one person) |
| 비닐 | vinyl | plastic | kind of plastic
(usually for imitation leather) |
| 요그릇 | yogurt | liquid yogurt | (solid) yogurt |
| 요플레이 | Yoplait | solid yogurt | name brand of yogurt |
| 와커 | walker | military boots | a device to aid in walking |
12 Responses to “The Ultimate Konglish List”
Love the list!
Here are 2 more you can add to the list (which my adult students find hilarious):
1. 오바하다 / to overdo or overreact
2. Mind Control / Self-Improvement (as in type of books. Koreans don't realize "mind control" to us means brainwashing and manipulation.)
I loved this list. I'm not sure I agree with the header's distinction of correct vs incorrect though. Just because it is different from US/UK English doesn't make it wrong. After all, US and UK English are different from each other and neither of them is considered wrong.
Fusion in US/UK usage isn't restricted to chemistry, it can also mean combination of two or more things into one, i.e. fusion jazz.
We talk about underground music in US/UK too.
And in US/UK, trans is also a common abbreviation for transgender people, often used by transgender people themselves.
Diet in Korea can also mean to exercise. I only use it to refer to what you eat but I have heard Koreans use diet to mean lose weight by being more active.
I don't think "air con" belongs on the list of "Fabricated Abbreviations." As an American, I originally assumed the word was not a real English word. I later learned that it's a common word in the UK and South Africa. It's even included in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/air+conditioning).
Great lists! I have a few comments, too.
I agree with Patrick's comments.
'Diary' is commonly used in British English to mean the type where you keep your schedule.
Team is used in the office in the UK.
Gips is not Konglish. It's from German.
Pocket Ball is a form of pool/billards/snooker where the point is to pot as many coloured balls in as few shots as possible.
I used air con long before I learnt Korean...
Surname is the common way of saying last name in the UK.
Walker should be 워커, not 와커 (whacker)
Timing should be 타이밍... usually homepage is 홈페이지
Great list.
In the UK we use scarf, rather than muffler, and O.H.P. is also used.
Y shirt I think is meant to 'mean' white shirt.
The Koreans are always creating new konglish words as well.
Korean Konglish: The Definitive Guide
Just wanted to let you know that I posted a link to your page on my blog. I didn't think until afterward to ask your permission to do so. If you want to check it out, it's called "Dodging Kimg Jong Il and Other Misadventures in South Korea" and the address is importedbaby.blogspot.com
This list was just a great illustration of what I talked about. If you would like me to take the link off for any reason, feel free to let me know! No hard feelings, no questions asked!
(lizaling614@gmail.com)
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