Alright...from the Korean learners perspective. We didn't learn to speak casually until formal was already drilled into our brains. I took classes and we almost never spoke casually. It doesn't come naturally to foreigners if they never got to practice. So you have to understand it from our side as well.
Not only that, most foreigners want to be super polite. Like saying excuse me and not just slowly moving them out of your way. You don’t close someone else’s window on a bus. It’s more respectful in American culture, to be polite and conscious about respectfulness and boundaries. 😶
In the settings of a classroom it makes sense to speak formally just to demonstrate that you know how to use it in a professional setting. But if you're dedicated to the Korean language and have Korean friends you're going to be using banmal just as much, if not even more.
In America, it's polite to wait until everyone has their food before you start eating, but who eats first doesn't matter to much. Once everyone has their food, everyone kinda starts eating at the same time.
I’m American, but old. I was brought up that hosts wait for the host to start eating before starting themselves. Amongst guests, ladies before gentlemen.
If a group is eating out at a restaurant, then it is usual to wait for everyone to have their food served, and make a group decision to start eating, unless the meal is hosted by one person, then it is usual to wait for the host to indicate we should start...If eating at someone’s home, it is usual to serve guests first, and they should start first but it is ok if they wait for everyone to start together...If it is an informal meal at home with close friends or family as guests, then I would still make sure that they were served first, then we would all start together and no one would care too much - unless there was someone very elderly there (grandpa, grandma), then of course we would wait for them to start. I guess it’s universal manners - if I’m out at a cafe having brunch with a close friend, our food would normally be served together, we would finish our conversation and there would usually be a small conversation about beginning to eat...it’s just polite to turn your attention to the food together, then resume chatting as you eat I guess - I’m British, and I live in South Africa In some traditional African homes, it is common for men to eat first, and the most senior/most important man begins or is served first by the women. Age is also respected and the elders are also served before others.
as somebody who will be going to korea someday in the future, this video is very relevant to my interests! i will probably be the person speaking 존댓말 in situations where it is not necessary.
About the polite language, those who study Korean outside of Korea - the teachers often teach mostly the polite language so that we don't make the mistake of speaking banmal to elder people. Korean language teachers outside of Korea don't teach banmal or spoken language because there is often not enough time to cover that too.
I agree with you. I am an Australian surgeon visiting Korea to train in their Plastic surgery techniques. I have made the effort to learn some basic Korean so as to be able to communicate basic things. I only speak with Honorifics. I am not clever enough, nor do I have the time to learn both formal and informal vocabulary. My local Korean doctor colleagues all speak English anyway and appreciate the effort I have taken to learn Korean as a foreigner who did not grow up learning Korean (like they did in learning English). I visit my local Korean colleagues (who are my friends) homes all the time and address their children with formal speech. Never had any issues. Their children adore me and they know I am a foreigner. Their parents appreciate I am polite. I think she is nitpicking and clearly not exhibiting insight or perspective into the fact that unlike English, which has a few select words that are formal and the rest are neutral, you have to pretty much change the structure of almost ALL Korean words when switching from formal to informal speech. So if I have a limited time to learn Korean, I would prefer to make someone like her cringe because I am being over-formal, rather than risk offending people with my informal speech.
Yes, I agree! As someone studying Korean, my teacher doesn’t even touch on banmal and I really don’t have the time to learn it by myself, or know any Koreans who can teach me. I use my Korean to get by on taxis/stores but most of my friends speak English and I don’t communicate in Korean with them!
I'm sure all korean teachers teach the fact that you can speak informally to people who are close/same age/younger than you though. Even if they don't properly cover how to use it, it's supposed to be common knowledge. In any case, if you're trying to learn a language seriously and want to use it for real, it's VERY important to use it outside of class as well. Nothing will skyrocket your learning than with talking to native speakers. Before I started taking lessons I self studied and used Hellotalk for a little bit and that helped me a lot, and making close friends I was able to be comfortable with both informal and formal speech. You have to be comfortable with using both, there's no way around it.
I like this video because even if you never go to Korea, it's still fun to learn about different cultures around the world. But if you go there, you get a bit of experience.
i saw something like this happen on a late night show once with BTS. they were waiting for "the elder" to sit first, but late night hosts always have the guest sit first lolllllll
Embarassing foreigner moment I had - pressing what I thought was the normal pedestrian button for the traffic lights in a really busy street in Hongdae (we have them to press at every traffic light pedestrian crossing in the UK). Turned out it was a special button for blind people to help them cross the road and a really loud message came on over the loud speakers....EVERYONE turned to look at me and I died a little inside. You live and you learn I guess!
It's not 'indian' it's hindi.. lot of people think the language spoken in india would be indian, but one of the official language is 'hindi' and not 'indian' 😂💜
@@Riki_Rc India does not have 'National Language' , as it is a secular country! But instead, It has official Language as hindi n english I think u thought 'official' as 'national
Priyanka Vadile even I used to keep saying this to people who called it Indian and not hindi. But let's be honest ... there's hardly any reason for her to be so interested in our country to know about the name of the language. Like not everyone says Mandarin but most people say Chinese.
It's definitely a cultural difference. In America we don't care who eats first at the table. Normally we'll wait until everyone has the food and sits down before starting to eat. But age doesn't matter
I really liked hearing the perspective about sharing a meal with others and how the focus is really about having that experience with the people you're with vs just focusing on your food
The tip about not eating before the oldest person at the table I already kinda knew but now I'll never forget it after watching your video. All the other tips were super helpful! Thank you! Hoping that some day, the pandemic will be over and I can finally visit Korea!
I was always taught that you should feed the kids first. It’s not a strict rule, but I was raised to view not giving food to the kids first as a sign that you’re a bad caregiver.
As a foreigner surgeon training in Korea who has a limited Korean vocabulary, I resolved only to learn the HONORIFIC form of speaking; that I use to address my Professors and at surgical conferences. I'm not clever enough nor do I have the time to learn both formal and informal ways of speaking. So yes, I am guilty of addressing my friends and colleague's children in a formal manner. I have never had any complaints though; they all recognise the effort I have gone to try to grasp their language, compliment me for being polite and do not nitpick as you have done regarding dropping honorifics. My local Korean doctor colleagues appreciate the effort I have taken to learn Korean as a foreigner who did not grow up learning Korean (like they did in learning English). Their children adore me and cling to me until their parents have to peel them away every time I depart from visiting them in their homes. So if I have a limited time to learn Korean, I would prefer to make someone like Rachel cringe because I am being over-formal, rather than risk offending people with my informal speech.
Adults/people in a professional who are speaking to kids can get away with speaking formally to children. It's similar to how you might see a grandmother speaking to a child formally. It's cute. It's different when it's a 20-something just out suddenly speaking to a child stranger. If you change the tone to more of a "I'm speaking to a child" it's generally just a cute way to speak to children as if they are all grown up. But like the example she gave about asking if they've eaten, there are definitely different words that level up the formalities of speaking that you probably wouldn't use with a child even if speaking formally. It sounds like the friend chose all the formal versions of words this surpassing simply adding 요 to the end of sentences. But at the end of the day. If you look like a foreigner, any amount of Korean will be received with appreciation even if things are wrong. They might try to help you fix it though but it's because they can see you want to learn. Different for me as a born and raised overseas (교포) Korean. I'm expected to know Korean fluently (which I'm not) and my mistakes are taken a bit more as an offense.
@@terriuskim4313 I think there is also similar pressure for other Asian foreigners (especially if you are korean passing) to also know the formalities well and better than everyone else. I don't think the expectations are as high as overseas born Koreans, but I think some of it is there.
I think waiting patiently for elders is a great thing not an outdated idea. It's a great respect and courtesy, it shows value to our elders which is important.
I still don't get the "letting the oldest person eat first rule". Cause its honestly just a cultural difference. Why not start eat t-o-g-e-t-h-e-r if you want to " share the moment?" . Its weird to look at the person and wait until she eats. i feel like its reaaally uncomfortable. But well, just like i said. It is really is culture difference.
Totally agree!! If I'm hungry I start eating right away and people older than me.... TRUST ME THEY DONT CARE. Here in the states everything is more chill I guess
Actually it's Asian culture, even when I was a child I couldn't eat until my father ate first, but now that my family has left that culture, my father and mother now often say "if you're hungry, please eat first", or when we eat together we started together. The old culture that has to wait for the oldest to eat only applies when we visit our relatives' houses
After watching so many k dramas, I even do almost all these things here in Mexico lol my friends are starting to get worry but I find super nice to show that kind of respect to seniors like Korean culture
#1 is not embarrassing to foreigners. It's embarrassing for everyone else, but as a foreigner, we are not embarrassed by being polite. To me, when I hear 반말 used in even the correct setting, my ears hear it as sloppy speech and I find it disrespectful to my ears even if it's not directed at me. To me is sounds like "you are not even worth full language and verb endings," and it sounds extremely unrefined and super awkward to hear. Like when people say 거맙다 or anything without word endings, and it's directed at someone you're speaking to, to me it's super cringey to hear.
Being overly formal is cringy too. I wouldn't ask a close friend "Excuse me good sir, would you happen to know the whearabouts of the bathroom, kindly please and thank you" that's putting way too much distance between my friends and I. You're just not used to it. When I first used banmal I also found it weird and awkward because it was my first time and only spoke formally before but after awhile it became more comfortable. Whenever I hear banmal now I just think they are either close or same age. If you're dedicated to the Korean language then you have to be comfortable with using both, there's no way around it. That's just how the language works.
It's very valuable to understand the nuance of the situation. So I really do thank you for taking the time to explain it sincerely and in such detail. Specifically, the emphasis on the social situation of just spending time with another (older) person; enjoying their company and conversation. You're not just there to eat a meal. That sentiment is very genuine and wholesome, and it's something to bear in mind for one's everyday busy lifestyle. ~ Anyway, many other content creators speedrun these kinds of items, "Just do this, because you're supposed to", which isn't nearly as helpful.
I actually grew up doing the complete opposite when it comes to who eats their food first. As a person from southern America, typically family’s serve the children first. Because children need more nutrients and it’s more important for them to eat. So typically, people will serve their children first and then eat their own food. No one is focused on other adults unless it’s a formal gathering, and then we just wait for everyone to have their food before we start eating.
Like others have pointed out, as a Korean learner I've only worked with 존대말 so far. 😅 The teacher said that 반말 is less important for us right now since we're less likely to use it and in most situations it's better to be overly polite than too informal.
That teacher is right that its better to be overly polite than accidentally be rude, but if you make korean friends and become close you're going to be using banmal all the time as well.
You remind me so much of my friend I haven't seen in a couple of years, your positivity and your cheery tone and always present smile, it's very heartwarming
Thank you for trying to educate us but some parts sounded pretty condescending as for me. "Why would you even do that?" Can I enjoy and share the moment without waiting for someone to eat first and not being compared to an animal? Thought so, thanks. "I understand. Cultural difference.." I don't think you do. Your culture is not superior to mine, because it's sometimes stricter. And as a foreign languages teacher and translator... the 1st example could be really discouraging for learners. You didn't have to mock him like that. Half of my students would probably cry and shut down if they heard that from a native speaker. Some things that might seem natural to you are strange to others. Let them know that they're wrong but do it respectfully. Kinda upset right now. Couldn't make it thru the whole video.
Agreed, if someone is trying hard to speak a language that is not familiar to them, it should be praised and you should bring up mistakes politely to teach and educate, not to humiliate. If someone laughed at me or cringed while i'm trying to learn about and understand their culture it would really upset me and would probably hinder my learning process in fear of being laughed at again....
@@ambsxb6566 yes, that’s exactly what I was talking about! And this is a totally normal reaction. I can’t help but imagine myself in the guy’s shoes. How would I feel watching this video? Probably embarrassed af but would try and laugh it off if asked. And there’re people who a lot more sensitive than me.
I would never have thought about handing the scissor like that. I thought touching the blades with filthy hands would be much more seen as rude XD Shoutout to the horn-player lol
I'm sure this works out among Koreans, but as a foreigner, I've always wondered how you find out people's age in a polite way when you first meet them so you can address them correctly. I can't imagine it's as direct as "Good afternoon, I'm Jane Foreigner, pleased to meet you. I'm 57, how old are you?" (That is my actual age.) Some situations are obvious, when there's a child, like in your example, or when there's someone older than I, and trying to identify those folks could lead to tricky situations. BTW, the order in which people eat at table is also a thing in the US, at least in some subcultures. Thank you for your videos. :)
Love your video! btw what's going on with your witchcraft ahhaha as soon as you showed the loud cars outside people went crazy on the streets in my city too 😂😂
The first point you made comes down to the way the Korean language is taught to foreigners. 존댓말 is explained as polite and not as formal. In many Western countries you are expected to be polite to everyone, but only formal to the elderly and people in a higher position than you. For the second one, it is 100% a cultural difference. In America, you leave a tip because it makes up the rest of the server's paycheck. They get paid less than minimum wage because people are expected to give them tips. Number four is also a cultural difference.
Namaste in India is just like Annyeonghaseyo in korea. Nothing against you. We always pay our respect to our elders by saying them Namaste by joining our two hands. Please don't offend by this. J just clarify . I always respect other cultures & you too. 😊😊
She is saying that joining two hands is not ok in Korea because it's not a Korean culture. Obviously it's done by us here in India because it's an Indian thing
this information is very useful for me so thank you very much, i really enjoy your content. some of those things were very new to me since i've been growing up in the US all my life and things are very different here. i will try to be mindful of these things, i've wanted to go to Korea for a while now and i'm very interested in learning everything i can. that part you mentioned about your friend made a lot of sense and gave me more to think about since for me specifically i always try to be as polite as possible when speaking and i usually speak to both adults and children the same way.
Its so interesting how different cultures are around the world. When it comes to who eats first, normally its the host/ paying person, and grandparents. But a lot of times my family is like "O just eat np." These are good tips to keep in mind while traveling to Korea.
I really like the gesture of giving and receiving something with two hands, I just think its beautiful 😌 I do the same even here in my motherland after visiting Korea, it became one of my favourite habits 😍
I live in Korea, and I love it too! It feels like the giver has a more genuine care in the giving. My students hand me their workbooks like that, often with a little bow. :-))
You are literally one if my favorites in RUclips. Also i noticed you sort of said "position" as "포지션" 😆 ( i think I might've spelled it wrong but oh well)
It sound so stressful n difficult to mingle. Yeah we respect the old people, if u eat first doesn't mean u disrespectful them. Just be happy n casual about it.
Talking about eating. In the netherlands it is common for the guest to eat first.. So my dad was waiting for my wife to start eating and she was waiting for my dad because he is older hahaha :)
Wondering which country was most culture-shock for you Rachel, when you visited other countries? Or found yourself unsure of what was the way something should be done?
I think it would be much better to explain "letting the oldest person eat first rule" in this way. I am born and raised in Korea. So, I am Korean. When I have food with older people, I should wait til the oldest person start to have a meal. But, usually, the oldest one say "Let's eat". When they say that, it does not matter who is the first to have the meal on the table!!!
7:15 In my culture it is actually common for everyone to be allowed to serve themselves and eat whenever when they are already seated(i.e. there isn't this "wait for the senior person to eat first"), but parents will(usually) serve their kids first to make sure they have their food and that they are eating well.
First of all: really good vidéo Rachel, it will be really useful, thanks💙👌 Second: I don't agree with you on the 2nd mistake. I think taking the first bite have nothing to do with paying attention to the person you're with. You can let the dishes arrive, finish your conversation, say "Let's start eating ", and have a bite first. I think we can still listen and react to what the people in front of us is saying. Maybe the person who have the first bite was more/really hungry , but why does that mean that she or he was there just for the food. At the end of the day, you're the one paying your own meal, so if you really just cared about the food , you would just have comed by yourself. If you proposed to a relative to eat with you, it's for a reason, first or second bite have really nothing to do with it☺😌🤷♀️
There's two mistakes that I did among the one you described. The first one is the tipping one. That was the first time I went to Korea and I wanted to tip a merchant which politely refused (I still did it with my two hands, which kinda saved the situation from being super akward...It still was though, the merchant had no idea why I was giving her more than I was supposed to and it suddently occured to me that maybe that's not a thing in Korea). The second is to use honorific to a kid, however, it's not at all in the kind of situation you described. My best Korean friend used to work in a kindergarden in 대전 which was pretty friendly and open so, they let me in and follow my friend as she was working (that was planned in advance with the rest of the staff, obviously and was one of my best moment spent in Korea, ever. That was super cute). The thing however is that spending a day in a kindergarden, is super cute but it's also super exausting because, obviously, kids being kids, they do a lot of noise and I was helping my friend during her job because I simply couldn't watch her doing everything as I was watching like a scrub...So, at one point, I started to get pretty tired, I have to admit (in fact, I admire my friend and her collegues for going through that all day, everyday. This job is no joke, let me tell you that). That's where I made that mistake, which, btw, made my friend laugh out loud (and rightfully so lol). I was speaking with my friend and another teacher at the same time...And a child just shown up and asked me something, which caused me to reply to him in honorific form because my brain was kinda overwhelemed and forgot to make the transition in language lol I wanted to point out though, bowing with hands joined have a tendency to really trigger me when I see other foreigners doing it (and you're absolutely right, some do, I saw many). I mean, nobody has to learn all the intricacy of a foreign culture when they travel abroad but how to bow when to go to Korea is kinda the 101. Someone who didn't even bother about how to greet peoples and deliver the very cliche bowing with their hands joined kinda shows that they did litteraly zero effort to understand the country and probably don't even care. It's the equivalent of not knowing how to say "hello" in English when you travel to an English speaking country. There's a minimum of effort to produce knowing that you're going in a different country imo. It doesn't have to be a lot but there's a difference between making mistakes because you don't know and making mistakes because you don't want to know. The first is understandable and forgivable, the latest is just a lack of respect.
What I find amusing is why would someone think of joining hands when they bow? Why? Hahaha! Are they so immersed in yoga they forget it’s not universal? Koreans and Japanese bow all the time so one should pick up the visual cues very easily.
@@EVL-xj5vc Good question, maybe it's similar to prononciation: When people don't know how to do it, they try to find an equivalent in their own culture and since bowing while joining your hands is a very common thing to be done in a lot of religions, it might just be that. Btw, you pointed out something very true which illustrate what I said perfectly: Even if you have no idea how to greet peoples all you have to do in order to bow properly is to look around and see how Koreans do it...I mean, you can even pick it up on the fly when someone greet you for the first time, it's not like it's some super complicate gesture that needs years of practice to perform.
American living in Korea. Today I accidentally left my debit card in the ATM and had to have an engineer come to my bank (after hours) and get it out for me. I was so relieved that I had was able to get my card back that I said "감사합니다" three times and when I looked down I realized my hands were almost pressed together in the way you described. I think subconsciously I was remembering my time living in Thailand. I've never done that before in Korea, and as soon as I realized what I'd done I remembered this video. 😅
In india we use "aap" for elders for ti anyone whom we should be respectful But we also use "aap" to a stranger kid jst to be polite Ohhh weow totally different from korea
For me when it comes to formal/informal speech, I wouldn't speak formally on an infant or children, but teenagers I'd use it if I have to speak to them. In other situations with fellow adults... I always feel like I need to have someone's verbal confirmation to drop the formalities before actually doing it, even if they're younger than me. Doing it right off the bat even if they are younger still feels weird because we just met and still don't really know each other too well. In any case I find it depends on the person. Some people want you to drop the formalities right away. Some people would rather you get to know them more before actually doing it. Some others would rather you speak formally no matter how close you get. In any situation I try to make sure I ask before I do it, but I'm still unsure if it's necessary or not.
in brazilian culture we don't wait for the oldest person to eat first. depending on the situation, guests eat first, mothers & their children eat first or the entire group waits for everyone to have their meal in front of them so we can eat at the same time. across the board though, men are expected to serve themselves last (bc they eat the most) so there's enough food for everyone
in India, there are people who speak to kids in polite speech...though it sounds unusual..there is a whole group who speaks like that even if they are the parents of the child. Its not formal though..just polite. The rest of the languages mostly speak like that with elders..there are even languages in India where they speak casually even with elders. Eating etiquette is different too..some cultures in India have the kids eat first and then the seniors in the house the then the adults. In our family though we all always start eating together. Its not necessary for anyone to go first. Tipping in India is not common but people do it if they want and it is accepted , not expected though. For handing things ...it depends on what the 'thing' is...its not a age thing..its a 'object' thing. Obviously...coming from India i think if Koreans would like their culture to be accepted..they should be open to accepting other cultures as well.. So the greeting you showed is very polite from my POV. As long is its not rude..it shouldn't be a problem on how people greet. Just reciprocate the same way.
I'm Italian and i think I would start using formal language to people older than 30. I'm in my 20s and it happened to me some kids or adults used formal language and called me "signora" (ma'am) and I almost got offended 😂 it's as if a kid or somebody called you 아줌마 in your 20s 😂 You have to be very careful not to use polite titles or formal language to young people cause if you do some people can think you're making fun of them telling them they're old. Talking about when to start eating here I think if you're eating with your family you can eat as soon as you have your meal in front of you but if you're with friends/people you don't know it's polite waiting everyone has their meal in front of them then start eating. Age doesn't matter. Most of the times the people who don't have the meal in front of them yet tell you to start eating even without them but the act of waiting for them gives a good impression.
The first point confused me🤔 does your friend speak honorific to the 5 year old? Like how? Here in my country we wait for others before eating it's not about superiority. These are all culture differences. Your country is more on traditional way. Don't be mad at us, we are all learning.
Using 존댓말 with everyone is also something that a lot of Korean-Americans tend to do. This is mainly because we grew up speaking Korean almost exclusively with older people like our parents’ friends, friends’ parents, and our uncles and aunts. It’s only more recently as I’m getting older that I’ve been using more and more 반말. But it still feels a little bit disrespectful when I use it, even when it’s with people much younger than me. Even though I know it’s not.
Hey! Rachel i am so sorry I am not trying to be rude or something but indian is actually not a language its the nationality and " namaste " is a Sanskrit word which means I bow to you.not in a bad way but like a really polite and respectful way of saying hello I'm sorry if I sound rude ☺
I've lived in Korea for over 2 years now and it really bugs me when people find it amusing that I hand things over with two hands. This often happens in stores when I'm paying. They find it cute I guess. That's really annoying.
Thanks soo much for doing this video, i didn't know many of these but about the "namaste" and bowing at the same time, its the natural way of greeting according to Indian tradition, like how you bow down n respect the person or greet them. So I hope people don't feel awkward when indians do dat to them but yea.. traditions..... cultural differences, can't help but just making sure koreans know it n der is no need to feel awkward
Where I come from we feed the elders first then visitors then men then woman then children. But in the home the children eat first and adults get what's left. But if there is an elder in the home they come first IN EVERYTHING
Here in Brazil, people don't usually wait for the eldest to start eating, but I was raised by my grandpa, so I do that and most brazilians in my age don't get that. It's like it was kind of subjective, so isn't easy to explain in a way others can understand.
I find this very interesting and a much needed education for many. Thank you for sharing this type of information and I hope to see more on this topic. In my family we have always waited for the elders to eat first at a meal but it isn’t something that is done in every family here in the USA. Do S. Korean restaurants focus on elders when bringing the individual orders to the table? I have often wondered about that.
But when you are travelling to different countries, do you follow their culture and do you start eating together with everyone? Just asking don’t kill me.
Having Korean Pen Pals the first thing I ask them is to let me know if they find anything wrong in something I say as I know there is cultural differences. Currently trading recipes with one as I have been cooking Korean food a lot the last 1 1/2 and she is learning how to cook Western food. I love learning about the different culture differences. If we were all the same life would be boring!!
Actually, most of what she said is how we do things in America with the exception of tipping, and using both hands. When you go to give someone scissors, knife, etc.., you always hold the blade part so you don't stab the other person, and it's also to protect yourself. When she was describing eating before your elders, reminds me of something we would see in a comedy movie. I also laughed when she was saying that when you bow, some people put their hands together like they are praying. This was also funny. You can just picture the white handkerchief on someone's head doing this. I always enjoy Rachel Kim's videos. Gamsahamnida, gomawoyo, gomawo,... it's so confusing... jinja gamsahmnida.
In India we speak in honorific with strangers, sometimes even if the other person is a kid. It's very polite to do n no one seems to find it weird.. at times in some families, honorific is used within the family members on regular basis..
In my culture, literally not one person will care who eats first, but everyone will wait until all people have their food to start eating at the same time. It can actually be considered rude if you start eating first before everyone has the food in front of them.
I do appreciate vids like this one. For me, they help me bring some etiquette into my TaeKwonDo studio. It advises me some best practices Such as handing swords or targets over with two hands...
I also find it awkward when I don't use two hands while handing over things to others especially elders. It is something I have been taught by my parents since I was a kid.
In many ways we have to thank the world wide web. It has opened up areas of cultural differences that most people would never know about without people like you actually teaching us in your own subtle ways. The more I watch the videos, the more I want to come to Korea.
Using one person as sample size is not convincing. It's very uncommon for people speaking to kids like they are professors. Also, do foreigners include those from Korea's neighboring countries because the Chinese and Japanese would never accuse Koreans of being uptight.
About waiting to eat. What if the oldest person’s food takes much longer to prepare? Is it right to expect other people to eat their food when it’s cold just to wait for the oldest person to get their food?
Or is it even more polite for the oldest person eating to tell everyone to go ahead and eat their food while it’s warm and not wait for the oldest person to get their food?
I’ve learned a lot about respect and manners from these videos and reading the book Nunchi. Even when I receive a name card from an Australian I would take it with both hands, and I found it a little rude when the Australian took mine with one hand casually. I also learned to stand up to shake someone’s hand if I am sitting down.
Thank you for explaining these mistakes 😁 I would deffo have made the mistake to eat first 🤣 I think I have a better chance of behaving correctly now 😇
I have watched so many k drama to notice several cultural habits of korean. Correct me if I'm wrong.. 1. Korean takes their working life seriously. Every k drama mention different types of job in korean. 2. There is sort of hierarchy in korean. People in korea must respect and obey their senior or bosses especially in work place. To the point of sucking up their bosses is a must? 3. Notice heavy drinking culture of korean especially soju. Every night? People in korea must attend drinking occassion organize by their company. 4. This one I found weird and not sure if it is true. Is it true that korean doesn't take bath or clean themselves in the morning? Or not taking bath in the morning is normal thing in majority part of the world too?
In my country the eating rule is not about age but if the host announces everyone can star eating or when all plates finally arrive at the table so no one is left out
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Alright...from the Korean learners perspective. We didn't learn to speak casually until formal was already drilled into our brains. I took classes and we almost never spoke casually. It doesn't come naturally to foreigners if they never got to practice. So you have to understand it from our side as well.
Exactly. And it's better to make the "mistake" that way than to talk casually to an superior/elder...
Not only that, most foreigners want to be super polite. Like saying excuse me and not just slowly moving them out of your way. You don’t close someone else’s window on a bus. It’s more respectful in American culture, to be polite and conscious about respectfulness and boundaries. 😶
In the settings of a classroom it makes sense to speak formally just to demonstrate that you know how to use it in a professional setting. But if you're dedicated to the Korean language and have Korean friends you're going to be using banmal just as much, if not even more.
Well , we only have to remove 요 from the end of a polite phrase ,umm in 99 percent cases
lets learn about honorifics and when to use them
She is literally the brightest person I have ever seen in my entire life...So cute I feel like crying from her cuteness 😍💞
IKR
In America, it's polite to wait until everyone has their food before you start eating, but who eats first doesn't matter to much. Once everyone has their food, everyone kinda starts eating at the same time.
I’m American, but old. I was brought up that hosts wait for the host to start eating before starting themselves. Amongst guests, ladies before gentlemen.
@@SH-td4yt you mean hosts wait for guests to eat first?
@@SH-td4yt Same in Australia.
If a group is eating out at a restaurant, then it is usual to wait for everyone to have their food served, and make a group decision to start eating, unless the meal is hosted by one person, then it is usual to wait for the host to indicate we should start...If eating at someone’s home, it is usual to serve guests first, and they should start first but it is ok if they wait for everyone to start together...If it is an informal meal at home with close friends or family as guests, then I would still make sure that they were served first, then we would all start together and no one would care too much - unless there was someone very elderly there (grandpa, grandma), then of course we would wait for them to start. I guess it’s universal manners - if I’m out at a cafe having brunch with a close friend, our food would normally be served together, we would finish our conversation and there would usually be a small conversation about beginning to eat...it’s just polite to turn your attention to the food together, then resume chatting as you eat I guess - I’m British, and I live in South Africa
In some traditional African homes, it is common for men to eat first, and the most senior/most important man begins or is served first by the women. Age is also respected and the elders are also served before others.
We eat separately 💀💀💀
as somebody who will be going to korea someday in the future, this video is very relevant to my interests! i will probably be the person speaking 존댓말 in situations where it is not necessary.
About the polite language, those who study Korean outside of Korea - the teachers often teach mostly the polite language so that we don't make the mistake of speaking banmal to elder people. Korean language teachers outside of Korea don't teach banmal or spoken language because there is often not enough time to cover that too.
So, unless the person studies Korean outside of their language classes, they won't be able to learn banmal or spoken language.
I agree with you. I am an Australian surgeon visiting Korea to train in their Plastic surgery techniques. I have made the effort to learn some basic Korean so as to be able to communicate basic things. I only speak with Honorifics. I am not clever enough, nor do I have the time to learn both formal and informal vocabulary.
My local Korean doctor colleagues all speak English anyway and appreciate the effort I have taken to learn Korean as a foreigner who did not grow up learning Korean (like they did in learning English). I visit my local Korean colleagues (who are my friends) homes all the time and address their children with formal speech. Never had any issues. Their children adore me and they know I am a foreigner. Their parents appreciate I am polite.
I think she is nitpicking and clearly not exhibiting insight or perspective into the fact that unlike English, which has a few select words that are formal and the rest are neutral, you have to pretty much change the structure of almost ALL Korean words when switching from formal to informal speech.
So if I have a limited time to learn Korean, I would prefer to make someone like her cringe because I am being over-formal, rather than risk offending people with my informal speech.
Yes, I agree! As someone studying Korean, my teacher doesn’t even touch on banmal and I really don’t have the time to learn it by myself, or know any Koreans who can teach me. I use my Korean to get by on taxis/stores but most of my friends speak English and I don’t communicate in Korean with them!
I'm sure all korean teachers teach the fact that you can speak informally to people who are close/same age/younger than you though. Even if they don't properly cover how to use it, it's supposed to be common knowledge.
In any case, if you're trying to learn a language seriously and want to use it for real, it's VERY important to use it outside of class as well. Nothing will skyrocket your learning than with talking to native speakers. Before I started taking lessons I self studied and used Hellotalk for a little bit and that helped me a lot, and making close friends I was able to be comfortable with both informal and formal speech. You have to be comfortable with using both, there's no way around it.
I like this video because even if you never go to Korea, it's still fun to learn about different cultures around the world. But if you go there, you get a bit of experience.
Imagine a Korean goes to a culture where the guest eats first, and everyone just stares at each other awkwardly for a minute
Ah guests eat first in my culture. But ofc it's not what happens in every family here.
Hyy😂🤦🏽♂️
i saw something like this happen on a late night show once with BTS. they were waiting for "the elder" to sit first, but late night hosts always have the guest sit first lolllllll
Embarassing foreigner moment I had - pressing what I thought was the normal pedestrian button for the traffic lights in a really busy street in Hongdae (we have them to press at every traffic light pedestrian crossing in the UK). Turned out it was a special button for blind people to help them cross the road and a really loud message came on over the loud speakers....EVERYONE turned to look at me and I died a little inside. You live and you learn I guess!
That happened to me once too...
I will remember this one 😭😂
Ohh man this could totally happen to me 😂😂😂😅
We have that button traffic here in HK.
😅
It's not 'indian' it's hindi.. lot of people think the language spoken in india would be indian, but one of the official language is 'hindi' and not 'indian' 😂💜
I'm sorry but "Hindi" is not an official language of India itz juzzz another. Language.. India has no official language...
@@Riki_Rc India does not have 'National Language' , as it is a secular country! But instead, It has official Language as hindi n english
I think u thought 'official' as 'national
@@Riki_Rc hindi is one of the official languages in india and english too
Priyanka Vadile even I used to keep saying this to people who called it Indian and not hindi. But let's be honest ... there's hardly any reason for her to be so interested in our country to know about the name of the language. Like not everyone says Mandarin but most people say Chinese.
@@didishen152 ik.. I just said it in a light way! That's y putted (😂) in there.
It's definitely a cultural difference. In America we don't care who eats first at the table. Normally we'll wait until everyone has the food and sits down before starting to eat. But age doesn't matter
I really liked hearing the perspective about sharing a meal with others and how the focus is really about having that experience with the people you're with vs just focusing on your food
The tip about not eating before the oldest person at the table I already kinda knew but now I'll never forget it after watching your video. All the other tips were super helpful! Thank you!
Hoping that some day, the pandemic will be over and I can finally visit Korea!
I was always taught that you should feed the kids first. It’s not a strict rule, but I was raised to view not giving food to the kids first as a sign that you’re a bad caregiver.
As a foreigner surgeon training in Korea who has a limited Korean vocabulary, I resolved only to learn the HONORIFIC form of speaking; that I use to address my Professors and at surgical conferences. I'm not clever enough nor do I have the time to learn both formal and informal ways of speaking. So yes, I am guilty of addressing my friends and colleague's children in a formal manner. I have never had any complaints though; they all recognise the effort I have gone to try to grasp their language, compliment me for being polite and do not nitpick as you have done regarding dropping honorifics. My local Korean doctor colleagues appreciate the effort I have taken to learn Korean as a foreigner who did not grow up learning Korean (like they did in learning English).
Their children adore me and cling to me until their parents have to peel them away every time I depart from visiting them in their homes.
So if I have a limited time to learn Korean, I would prefer to make someone like Rachel cringe because I am being over-formal, rather than risk offending people with my informal speech.
Adults/people in a professional who are speaking to kids can get away with speaking formally to children. It's similar to how you might see a grandmother speaking to a child formally. It's cute. It's different when it's a 20-something just out suddenly speaking to a child stranger. If you change the tone to more of a "I'm speaking to a child" it's generally just a cute way to speak to children as if they are all grown up. But like the example she gave about asking if they've eaten, there are definitely different words that level up the formalities of speaking that you probably wouldn't use with a child even if speaking formally. It sounds like the friend chose all the formal versions of words this surpassing simply adding 요 to the end of sentences.
But at the end of the day. If you look like a foreigner, any amount of Korean will be received with appreciation even if things are wrong. They might try to help you fix it though but it's because they can see you want to learn.
Different for me as a born and raised overseas (교포) Korean. I'm expected to know Korean fluently (which I'm not) and my mistakes are taken a bit more as an offense.
@@terriuskim4313 I think there is also similar pressure for other Asian foreigners (especially if you are korean passing) to also know the formalities well and better than everyone else. I don't think the expectations are as high as overseas born Koreans, but I think some of it is there.
I think waiting patiently for elders is a great thing not an outdated idea. It's a great respect and courtesy, it shows value to our elders which is important.
I didn't think people cared who ate first. We just eat when the food arrives
I think the "whoever eats first" thing is not a big deal outside of asia unless it's some holiday or special event.
I still don't get the "letting the oldest person eat first rule". Cause its honestly just a cultural difference. Why not start eat t-o-g-e-t-h-e-r if you want to " share the moment?" . Its weird to look at the person and wait until she eats. i feel like its reaaally uncomfortable. But well, just like i said. It is really is culture difference.
I agree with this too. I understand it's a respect thing in Korea but, if I'm hungry and no one else is eating, I don't want to sit there and wait.
Exactly
Totally agree!!
If I'm hungry I start eating right away and people older than me.... TRUST ME THEY DONT CARE. Here in the states everything is more chill I guess
Actually it's Asian culture, even when I was a child I couldn't eat until my father ate first, but now that my family has left that culture, my father and mother now often say "if you're hungry, please eat first", or when we eat together we started together.
The old culture that has to wait for the oldest to eat only applies when we visit our relatives' houses
but i'm asian too and we don't even practice that?
I love how she says that a person shouldn't assume anothers intention... I love that😘
After watching so many k dramas, I even do almost all these things here in Mexico lol my friends are starting to get worry but I find super nice to show that kind of respect to seniors like Korean culture
It's so relaxing and funny listening to you speaking! You are a nice person Rachel. Thank you and always be like that ❤️🙂
#1 is not embarrassing to foreigners. It's embarrassing for everyone else, but as a foreigner, we are not embarrassed by being polite. To me, when I hear 반말 used in even the correct setting, my ears hear it as sloppy speech and I find it disrespectful to my ears even if it's not directed at me. To me is sounds like "you are not even worth full language and verb endings," and it sounds extremely unrefined and super awkward to hear. Like when people say 거맙다 or anything without word endings, and it's directed at someone you're speaking to, to me it's super cringey to hear.
Being overly formal is cringy too. I wouldn't ask a close friend "Excuse me good sir, would you happen to know the whearabouts of the bathroom, kindly please and thank you" that's putting way too much distance between my friends and I. You're just not used to it. When I first used banmal I also found it weird and awkward because it was my first time and only spoke formally before but after awhile it became more comfortable. Whenever I hear banmal now I just think they are either close or same age. If you're dedicated to the Korean language then you have to be comfortable with using both, there's no way around it. That's just how the language works.
It's very valuable to understand the nuance of the situation. So I really do thank you for taking the time to explain it sincerely and in such detail. Specifically, the emphasis on the social situation of just spending time with another (older) person; enjoying their company and conversation. You're not just there to eat a meal. That sentiment is very genuine and wholesome, and it's something to bear in mind for one's everyday busy lifestyle. ~ Anyway, many other content creators speedrun these kinds of items, "Just do this, because you're supposed to", which isn't nearly as helpful.
I actually grew up doing the complete opposite when it comes to who eats their food first. As a person from southern America, typically family’s serve the children first. Because children need more nutrients and it’s more important for them to eat. So typically, people will serve their children first and then eat their own food. No one is focused on other adults unless it’s a formal gathering, and then we just wait for everyone to have their food before we start eating.
Like others have pointed out, as a Korean learner I've only worked with 존대말 so far. 😅 The teacher said that 반말 is less important for us right now since we're less likely to use it and in most situations it's better to be overly polite than too informal.
That teacher is right that its better to be overly polite than accidentally be rude, but if you make korean friends and become close you're going to be using banmal all the time as well.
You remind me so much of my friend I haven't seen in a couple of years, your positivity and your cheery tone and always present smile, it's very heartwarming
Thank you for trying to educate us but some parts sounded pretty condescending as for me.
"Why would you even do that?"
Can I enjoy and share the moment without waiting for someone to eat first and not being compared to an animal? Thought so, thanks.
"I understand. Cultural difference.."
I don't think you do. Your culture is not superior to mine, because it's sometimes stricter.
And as a foreign languages teacher and translator... the 1st example could be really discouraging for learners. You didn't have to mock him like that. Half of my students would probably cry and shut down if they heard that from a native speaker.
Some things that might seem natural to you are strange to others. Let them know that they're wrong but do it respectfully.
Kinda upset right now. Couldn't make it thru the whole video.
I agree with you!
Agreed, if someone is trying hard to speak a language that is not familiar to them, it should be praised and you should bring up mistakes politely to teach and educate, not to humiliate. If someone laughed at me or cringed while i'm trying to learn about and understand their culture it would really upset me and would probably hinder my learning process in fear of being laughed at again....
@@ambsxb6566 yes, that’s exactly what I was talking about! And this is a totally normal reaction.
I can’t help but imagine myself in the guy’s shoes. How would I feel watching this video? Probably embarrassed af but would try and laugh it off if asked. And there’re people who a lot more sensitive than me.
I do believe she made it seem that way, it also offended me a little bit, but I don't think that was her intention.
I would never have thought about handing the scissor like that. I thought touching the blades with filthy hands would be much more seen as rude XD
Shoutout to the horn-player lol
Rachel happy 200k subscribers and wishing you more and more achievements in life 💛💛SENDING GOOD VIBES ❤❤❤
I'm sure this works out among Koreans, but as a foreigner, I've always wondered how you find out people's age in a polite way when you first meet them so you can address them correctly. I can't imagine it's as direct as "Good afternoon, I'm Jane Foreigner, pleased to meet you. I'm 57, how old are you?" (That is my actual age.) Some situations are obvious, when there's a child, like in your example, or when there's someone older than I, and trying to identify those folks could lead to tricky situations. BTW, the order in which people eat at table is also a thing in the US, at least in some subcultures. Thank you for your videos. :)
The problem with these videos is that they tempt me because I think "wouldn't it be hilarious if..."
Omg, thank you so much. I’m flying to Korea in 2 days, wish me luck.
Love your video! btw what's going on with your witchcraft ahhaha as soon as you showed the loud cars outside people went crazy on the streets in my city too 😂😂
This was so informational! Also, there are some things I wish we did more over here in the states. As usual, thank you Rachel!!!
Thank you for this video, im due to go to Korea next year so I definitely want to show upmost respect to the Korean people and culture ❤
I have been in Korea for almost 2 months and I haven't made these mistakes thankfully!
How is it in Korea? Just interested :)
It's been a little strange because of you know what, but it's been great overall!
The first point you made comes down to the way the Korean language is taught to foreigners. 존댓말 is explained as polite and not as formal. In many Western countries you are expected to be polite to everyone, but only formal to the elderly and people in a higher position than you.
For the second one, it is 100% a cultural difference.
In America, you leave a tip because it makes up the rest of the server's paycheck. They get paid less than minimum wage because people are expected to give them tips.
Number four is also a cultural difference.
The biggest mistake would be NOT asking Rachel out to dinner!
I feel so educated thanks Rachel you are the best😄
Oh what a surprise to be there 35sec after publication haha
Rachel u look so cute! 💕💕
Namaste in India is just like Annyeonghaseyo in korea. Nothing against you. We always pay our respect to our elders by saying them Namaste by joining our two hands. Please don't offend by this. J just clarify . I always respect other cultures & you too. 😊😊
She is saying that joining two hands is not ok in Korea because it's not a Korean culture. Obviously it's done by us here in India because it's an Indian thing
She is talking about Korea the people who think that they have to join both their hands in Korea...
@@royalchallenger8446 yeag
I think that's a bit off point. It's like a white person going to Korea and trying to talk to everyone in Korean. It's awkward and not appropriate.
She never said it's offensive everywhere tho??
this information is very useful for me so thank you very much, i really enjoy your content. some of those things were very new to me since i've been growing up in the US all my life and things are very different here. i will try to be mindful of these things, i've wanted to go to Korea for a while now and i'm very interested in learning everything i can. that part you mentioned about your friend made a lot of sense and gave me more to think about since for me specifically i always try to be as polite as possible when speaking and i usually speak to both adults and children the same way.
"But! This week, it's okay cause it's not about me........... it's abboouutt YYOOUU!!" I laughed🤩🤣
My most embarassing mistake in Korea was going to the jimjilbang and not knowing how to get to the showers and if I should still wear my bra 😅
So, did you still wear your bra?😅
@@itsdamla Yea, I figured better safe than sorry 😅
Its so interesting how different cultures are around the world. When it comes to who eats first, normally its the host/ paying person, and grandparents. But a lot of times my family is like "O just eat np." These are good tips to keep in mind while traveling to Korea.
I really like the gesture of giving and receiving something with two hands, I just think its beautiful 😌 I do the same even here in my motherland after visiting Korea, it became one of my favourite habits 😍
I live in Korea, and I love it too! It feels like the giver has a more genuine care in the giving. My students hand me their workbooks like that, often with a little bow. :-))
You are literally one if my favorites in RUclips.
Also i noticed you sort of said "position" as "포지션" 😆 ( i think I might've spelled it wrong but oh well)
I have learned so much in your vlogs unni 감사합니다
It sound so stressful n difficult to mingle. Yeah we respect the old people, if u eat first doesn't mean u disrespectful them. Just be happy n casual about it.
I don’t know why I still wasnt subscribed
I love your videos they get me in a good mood
Talking about eating. In the netherlands it is common for the guest to eat first.. So my dad was waiting for my wife to start eating and she was waiting for my dad because he is older hahaha :)
Wondering which country was most culture-shock for you Rachel, when you visited other countries?
Or found yourself unsure of what was the way something should be done?
I think it would be much better to explain "letting the oldest person eat first rule" in this way. I am born and raised in Korea. So, I am Korean. When I have food with older people, I should wait til the oldest person start to have a meal. But, usually, the oldest one say "Let's eat". When they say that, it does not matter who is the first to have the meal on the table!!!
7:15
In my culture it is actually common for everyone to be allowed to serve themselves and eat whenever when they are already seated(i.e. there isn't this "wait for the senior person to eat first"), but parents will(usually) serve their kids first to make sure they have their food and that they are eating well.
First of all: really good vidéo Rachel, it will be really useful, thanks💙👌
Second: I don't agree with you on the 2nd mistake. I think taking the first bite have nothing to do with paying attention to the person you're with. You can let the dishes arrive, finish your conversation, say "Let's start eating ", and have a bite first. I think we can still listen and react to what the people in front of us is saying. Maybe the person who have the first bite was more/really hungry , but why does that mean that she or he was there just for the food. At the end of the day, you're the one paying your own meal, so if you really just cared about the food , you would just have comed by yourself. If you proposed to a relative to eat with you, it's for a reason, first or second bite have really nothing to do with it☺😌🤷♀️
There's two mistakes that I did among the one you described.
The first one is the tipping one. That was the first time I went to Korea and I wanted to tip a merchant which politely refused (I still did it with my two hands, which kinda saved the situation from being super akward...It still was though, the merchant had no idea why I was giving her more than I was supposed to and it suddently occured to me that maybe that's not a thing in Korea).
The second is to use honorific to a kid, however, it's not at all in the kind of situation you described.
My best Korean friend used to work in a kindergarden in 대전 which was pretty friendly and open so, they let me in and follow my friend as she was working (that was planned in advance with the rest of the staff, obviously and was one of my best moment spent in Korea, ever. That was super cute).
The thing however is that spending a day in a kindergarden, is super cute but it's also super exausting because, obviously, kids being kids, they do a lot of noise and I was helping my friend during her job because I simply couldn't watch her doing everything as I was watching like a scrub...So, at one point, I started to get pretty tired, I have to admit (in fact, I admire my friend and her collegues for going through that all day, everyday. This job is no joke, let me tell you that).
That's where I made that mistake, which, btw, made my friend laugh out loud (and rightfully so lol). I was speaking with my friend and another teacher at the same time...And a child just shown up and asked me something, which caused me to reply to him in honorific form because my brain was kinda overwhelemed and forgot to make the transition in language lol
I wanted to point out though, bowing with hands joined have a tendency to really trigger me when I see other foreigners doing it (and you're absolutely right, some do, I saw many).
I mean, nobody has to learn all the intricacy of a foreign culture when they travel abroad but how to bow when to go to Korea is kinda the 101. Someone who didn't even bother about how to greet peoples and deliver the very cliche bowing with their hands joined kinda shows that they did litteraly zero effort to understand the country and probably don't even care.
It's the equivalent of not knowing how to say "hello" in English when you travel to an English speaking country. There's a minimum of effort to produce knowing that you're going in a different country imo. It doesn't have to be a lot but there's a difference between making mistakes because you don't know and making mistakes because you don't want to know.
The first is understandable and forgivable, the latest is just a lack of respect.
What I find amusing is why would someone think of joining hands when they bow? Why? Hahaha! Are they so immersed in yoga they forget it’s not universal? Koreans and Japanese bow all the time so one should pick up the visual cues very easily.
@@EVL-xj5vc Good question, maybe it's similar to prononciation: When people don't know how to do it, they try to find an equivalent in their own culture and since bowing while joining your hands is a very common thing to be done in a lot of religions, it might just be that.
Btw, you pointed out something very true which illustrate what I said perfectly: Even if you have no idea how to greet peoples all you have to do in order to bow properly is to look around and see how Koreans do it...I mean, you can even pick it up on the fly when someone greet you for the first time, it's not like it's some super complicate gesture that needs years of practice to perform.
American living in Korea. Today I accidentally left my debit card in the ATM and had to have an engineer come to my bank (after hours) and get it out for me. I was so relieved that I had was able to get my card back that I said "감사합니다" three times and when I looked down I realized my hands were almost pressed together in the way you described. I think subconsciously I was remembering my time living in Thailand. I've never done that before in Korea, and as soon as I realized what I'd done I remembered this video. 😅
In india we use "aap" for elders for ti anyone whom we should be respectful
But we also use "aap" to a stranger kid jst to be polite
Ohhh weow totally different from korea
The expressions she treats us with.... ABSOLUTELY LOVE HER!!!!
Thanks so much for this video Rachel! I’m hoping to study abroad in South Korea next summer so this is super helpful :)
For me when it comes to formal/informal speech, I wouldn't speak formally on an infant or children, but teenagers I'd use it if I have to speak to them. In other situations with fellow adults... I always feel like I need to have someone's verbal confirmation to drop the formalities before actually doing it, even if they're younger than me. Doing it right off the bat even if they are younger still feels weird because we just met and still don't really know each other too well. In any case I find it depends on the person. Some people want you to drop the formalities right away. Some people would rather you get to know them more before actually doing it. Some others would rather you speak formally no matter how close you get. In any situation I try to make sure I ask before I do it, but I'm still unsure if it's necessary or not.
How does Rachel's hair stay so bouncy & healthy with all the bleaching?! Hair care/maintenance video is a must.
in brazilian culture we don't wait for the oldest person to eat first. depending on the situation, guests eat first, mothers & their children eat first or the entire group waits for everyone to have their meal in front of them so we can eat at the same time. across the board though, men are expected to serve themselves last (bc they eat the most) so there's enough food for everyone
Hello Rachel love your videos hope you stay safe❤️
in India, there are people who speak to kids in polite speech...though it sounds unusual..there is a whole group who speaks like that even if they are the parents of the child. Its not formal though..just polite. The rest of the languages mostly speak like that with elders..there are even languages in India where they speak casually even with elders.
Eating etiquette is different too..some cultures in India have the kids eat first and then the seniors in the house the then the adults. In our family though we all always start eating together. Its not necessary for anyone to go first.
Tipping in India is not common but people do it if they want and it is accepted , not expected though.
For handing things ...it depends on what the 'thing' is...its not a age thing..its a 'object' thing.
Obviously...coming from India i think if Koreans would like their culture to be accepted..they should be open to accepting other cultures as well.. So the greeting you showed is very polite from my POV. As long is its not rude..it shouldn't be a problem on how people greet. Just reciprocate the same way.
I'm Italian and i think I would start using formal language to people older than 30. I'm in my 20s and it happened to me some kids or adults used formal language and called me "signora" (ma'am) and I almost got offended 😂 it's as if a kid or somebody called you 아줌마 in your 20s 😂 You have to be very careful not to use polite titles or formal language to young people cause if you do some people can think you're making fun of them telling them they're old.
Talking about when to start eating here I think if you're eating with your family you can eat as soon as you have your meal in front of you but if you're with friends/people you don't know it's polite waiting everyone has their meal in front of them then start eating. Age doesn't matter. Most of the times the people who don't have the meal in front of them yet tell you to start eating even without them but the act of waiting for them gives a good impression.
The first point confused me🤔 does your friend speak honorific to the 5 year old? Like how?
Here in my country we wait for others before eating it's not about superiority. These are all culture differences. Your country is more on traditional way. Don't be mad at us, we are all learning.
Using 존댓말 with everyone is also something that a lot of Korean-Americans tend to do. This is mainly because we grew up speaking Korean almost exclusively with older people like our parents’ friends, friends’ parents, and our uncles and aunts. It’s only more recently as I’m getting older that I’ve been using more and more 반말. But it still feels a little bit disrespectful when I use it, even when it’s with people much younger than me. Even though I know it’s not.
Hey! Rachel i am so sorry I am not trying to be rude or something but indian is actually not a language its the nationality and " namaste " is a Sanskrit word which means I bow to you.not in a bad way but like a really polite and respectful way of saying hello I'm sorry if I sound rude ☺
Rachel, I always enjoy your videos. You're so entertaining.
I love your videos and these are helpful to know but I'm literally laughing at how stupid some of these things sound 🤣 absolute culture shock.
I've lived in Korea for over 2 years now and it really bugs me when people find it amusing that I hand things over with two hands. This often happens in stores when I'm paying. They find it cute I guess. That's really annoying.
Loved this video including the sponsor at the end. 2:14 is my favorite part
Oh I’m so happy to know you don’t tip in Korea. I’ve had so many awkward situations with this whole traveling
I'm a foreigner in Korea (over a year now) so I immediately clicked this haha
How is it there
Thanks soo much for doing this video, i didn't know many of these but about the "namaste" and bowing at the same time, its the natural way of greeting according to Indian tradition, like how you bow down n respect the person or greet them. So I hope people don't feel awkward when indians do dat to them but yea.. traditions..... cultural differences, can't help but just making sure koreans know it n der is no need to feel awkward
Where I come from we feed the elders first then visitors then men then woman then children. But in the home the children eat first and adults get what's left. But if there is an elder in the home they come first IN EVERYTHING
Here in Brazil, people don't usually wait for the eldest to start eating, but I was raised by my grandpa, so I do that and most brazilians in my age don't get that. It's like it was kind of subjective, so isn't easy to explain in a way others can understand.
I find this very interesting and a much needed education for many. Thank you for sharing this type of information and I hope to see more on this topic. In my family we have always waited for the elders to eat first at a meal but it isn’t something that is done in every family here in the USA. Do S. Korean restaurants focus on elders when bringing the individual orders to the table? I have often wondered about that.
I was taught that you wait until the hostess/host eats. Once they take a bite, everyone else can eat.
But when you are travelling to different countries, do you follow their culture and do you start eating together with everyone? Just asking don’t kill me.
Having Korean Pen Pals the first thing I ask them is to let me know if they find anything wrong in something I say as I know there is cultural differences. Currently trading recipes with one as I have been cooking Korean food a lot the last 1 1/2 and she is learning how to cook Western food. I love learning about the different culture differences. If we were all the same life would be boring!!
Actually, most of what she said is how we do things in America with the exception of tipping, and using both hands. When you go to give someone scissors, knife, etc.., you always hold the blade part so you don't stab the other person, and it's also to protect yourself.
When she was describing eating before your elders, reminds me of something we would see in a comedy movie. I also laughed when she was saying that when you bow, some people put their hands together like they are praying. This was also funny. You can just picture the white handkerchief on someone's head doing this.
I always enjoy Rachel Kim's videos. Gamsahamnida, gomawoyo, gomawo,... it's so confusing... jinja gamsahmnida.
I loved that part "Hello sir is this your ball.........................."😂😂
17:33 ...🎵ho ho boga boga ho ho🎵 [tribal sound] 😆
Idk why I keep my smiling whenever I watch her through out the whole the video.. 😁😁 in most of her videos
In India we speak in honorific with strangers, sometimes even if the other person is a kid. It's very polite to do n no one seems to find it weird.. at times in some families, honorific is used within the family members on regular basis..
It's a relief to watch this and see that I didn't make those mistakes when I lived there TwT
In my culture, literally not one person will care who eats first, but everyone will wait until all people have their food to start eating at the same time. It can actually be considered rude if you start eating first before everyone has the food in front of them.
I do appreciate vids like this one. For me, they help me bring some etiquette into my TaeKwonDo studio. It advises me some best practices Such as handing swords or targets over with two hands...
I also find it awkward when I don't use two hands while handing over things to others especially elders. It is something I have been taught by my parents since I was a kid.
In many ways we have to thank the world wide web. It has opened up areas of cultural differences that most people would never know about without people like you actually teaching us in your own subtle ways. The more I watch the videos, the more I want to come to Korea.
Using one person as sample size is not convincing. It's very uncommon for people speaking to kids like they are professors. Also, do foreigners include those from Korea's neighboring countries because the Chinese and Japanese would never accuse Koreans of being uptight.
About waiting to eat. What if the oldest person’s food takes much longer to prepare? Is it right to expect other people to eat their food when it’s cold just to wait for the oldest person to get their food?
Or is it even more polite for the oldest person eating to tell everyone to go ahead and eat their food while it’s warm and not wait for the oldest person to get their food?
Using our social anxiety as clickbait 😒😒😒 IT WORKS 😭😂
I’ve learned a lot about respect and manners from these videos and reading the book Nunchi. Even when I receive a name card from an Australian I would take it with both hands, and I found it a little rude when the Australian took mine with one hand casually. I also learned to stand up to shake someone’s hand if I am sitting down.
Thank you for explaining these mistakes 😁 I would deffo have made the mistake to eat first 🤣 I think I have a better chance of behaving correctly now 😇
I have watched so many k drama to notice several cultural habits of korean. Correct me if I'm wrong..
1. Korean takes their working life seriously. Every k drama mention different types of job in korean.
2. There is sort of hierarchy in korean. People in korea must respect and obey their senior or bosses especially in work place. To the point of sucking up their bosses is a must?
3. Notice heavy drinking culture of korean especially soju. Every night? People in korea must attend drinking occassion organize by their company.
4. This one I found weird and not sure if it is true. Is it true that korean doesn't take bath or clean themselves in the morning? Or not taking bath in the morning is normal thing in majority part of the world too?
In my country the eating rule is not about age but if the host announces everyone can star eating or when all plates finally arrive at the table so no one is left out
Alright time to take notes again