All you need to know about Korean loan words

Do you know what a loan word is? A loan word is a word that is borrowed from another language and incorporated into the borrowing language. Loan words can be found in all languages, and Korean is no exception! In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common Korean loan words and their meanings. Keep reading to learn more!

How common are loan words in the Korean language?

Loan words are actually quite common in Korean! In fact, according to one estimate, around 20-30% of all Korean words are loan words from Enlish or Chinese. That means that for every ten words you encounter while reading or speaking Korean, two or three of them will likely be loan words!

So where do these Korean loan words come from?

The vast majority of Korean loan words come from English. This is not surprising, considering the influence that English has had on the Korean language in recent years. However, there are also many Korean loan words that come from Chinese. These loan words usually enter the language through popular culture, such as TV shows and movies.

The origins of Korean loan words

Loan words can tell us a lot about the history and culture of a language. For example, many Korean loan words from English are related to technology or modern life. This is likely due to the fact that English is the language of science and technology. On the other hand, Korean loan words from Chinese often have to do with food or traditional medicine. This reflects the historical and cultural ties between Korea and China.

What are some common Korean loan words?

Now that we know a little bit about loan words in the Korean language, let’s take a look at some of the most common examples. Here are just a few of the many Korean loan words that you might come across:

-웹사이트 (websaiteu): website

-컴퓨터 (keomputeo): computer

-폰 (pon): phone

-앱 (ap): app

As you can see, loan words in Korean can come from both English and Chinese. However, they all have one thing in common: they are all written in Hangul, the Korean alphabet. This is because all loan words must be adapted to fit the phonetic rules of Hangul in order to be properly incorporated into the language.

What are some more unusual examples of Korean loan words?

In addition to the more common loan words, there are also some less common examples. These are usually either technical terms or words that come from a specific field or subject. For example, the word “컨테이너 (konteineo)” is a loan word from English that is used to refer to a container used for shipping goods. Similarly, the word “프린터 (peurinteo)” is a loan word that refers to a printer.

Here are ten more uncommon Korean loan words that you might not be familiar with:

-사용하다 (sayonghada): to use

-받다 (badta): to receive

-검색하다 (geomsaeghada): to search

-메일하다 (meilhada): to email

-파일하다 (paeilhada): to file

-열다 (yeolda): to open

-닫다 (dadta): to close

– 저장하다 (jeosanghada): to save

– 인쇄하다 (inssighada): to print