Korean is the native language of almost all of Korea’s inhabitants. However, each region has its own 사투리 (satoori), or set of words, phrases and pronunciations that make the dialect spoken there unique. In fact, in some places, the 사투리 (satoori) is so strong that native Korean speakers from other areas can’t understand it! Can you think of anything similar to a 사투리 (satoori) in English?
The Korean won (K.R.W. or ₩) is the currency of South Korea. Unlike in the United States, where bills range from $1 to $100, in South Korea, the smallest bill is ₩1,000, and the largest bill is ₩50,000. Additionally, although the smallest coin is ₩1, most people only have ₩100 and ₩500 coins. While this might sound like a lot of money, ₩1,000 is only worth 69 cents!
A bottle of water costs between ₩1,100 and ₩1,500, or between 76 cents and $1.04.
This week, my host mom made my favorite meal of 떡국 (tteokguk), or rice cake soup. While most Koreans eat 떡국 (tteokguk) during 설날 (Seollal), or the Lunar New Year, we ate it to celebrate the first day of the Korean school year, which begins in March.
