So 이번 생은 처음이라 / Because This Is My First Life wraps up this week. This interview came out in October, right before the show started airing so it’s kinda old news at this point, but I needed something to occupy me between episodes and it’s been ages since I’ve translated celebrity news anyway, so hereContinue reading “Interview with Lee Min-ki and Jung So-min (Marie Claire 2017)”
Twenty-eight
It’s been a few years now since I stopped being excited about my birthday. Every year, the weight of my disappointment in myself grows heavier; all of my numerous, unrealized goals come rushing painfully back at me. Responsibilities grow, conflicts become more convoluted, and meanwhile it gets harder and harder to stay true to myContinue reading “Twenty-eight”
육예 – The Six Arts
I’ve learned a lot about Korean Confucianism reading <성균관 유생들의 나날>. The main point being, everything academic—including the meritocratic Joseon government—was rooted in the teachings of Confucius (공자). Even “extracurriculars,” like archery had deep philosophical meaning. 대사례 [大射禮], for example, was a ceremonial archery demonstration that scholars partcipated in alongside the King. The act of doing archery alongsideContinue reading “육예 – The Six Arts”
Striving for excellence in language learning
This post was going to be about how I’m preparing for the 55th TOPIK but it turned out being more about my insecurities instead. I’d normally scrap it but it’s been preying on my mind for a while now and I wonder if any of my fellow language learners have felt the same way. It’sContinue reading “Striving for excellence in language learning”
Q&A: The way I spell my name in Korean
HeJin asked: Just out of curiosity, why didn’t you transliterate your name as 아르차나? I actually answered this question way back in 2014 when HeJin first asked it on my About page. Since then, a lot more people have been curious about how I transliterate my name in Korean, so I figured I’d write a postContinue reading “Q&A: The way I spell my name in Korean”
먹칠하다
It’s so strange to realize that 성균관 유생들의 나날 was one of the first Korean novels I ever bought, at a time when it was still wayyyy too difficult for me to comprehend. Six years later (!!), I can finally read entire chapters without having to look up words and still understand what’s going on. Plus, I knowContinue reading “먹칠하다”
懐かしい
I love the word 懐かしい (natsukashii). It’s one of those words that most people learn through anime, that’s usually translated as “how nostalgic” or “I miss when I used to experience such-and-such.” I don’t think I really got the essence of the word until I started going to Japanese conversation club, back when I was taking Japanese in college.Continue reading “懐かしい”
Translating Korean relative clauses
Ahhh, Korean prose. It’s so amazingly different from its English counterpart.
First ever Korean class
So after many months of not really studying Korean (despite what it looks like on my blog, I rarely pick up a textbook and study. Almost everything I write about comes from random one-off things I read in Korean.) I decided what I really needed was external motivation to take my skill to the next level. SO! IContinue reading “First ever Korean class”
Goodbye 2016, hello 2017
I love this: View this post on Instagram A post shared by 김수현 (217design) (@liveinlove217) I always get melancholic at the end of the year, wishing I had accomplished more, grown more as a person. 2016 was a hard, harsh year for the world in general. Sometimes the greatest accomplishment is simply surviving one moreContinue reading “Goodbye 2016, hello 2017”
반짝반짝 한국어 