Belong with Konglish

Konglish is South Korea’s own special form of English! Typical English words take on unique meanings and are often not understood by those outside of Korean circles!

In South Korea, a business colleague will be quick to offer you his or her name card before inviting you to the hop/hof to drink soju one shot. Many doctors will tell you they prefer to give shots in a patient’s hip. A friend may be envious of someone’s S-line or V-line. A neighbor may bring sand to eat at the beach, and if you’re into K-pop, a classmate might invite you to a fan sign for a highteen star.

Nearly every English-speaker who has spent significant time in South Korea or working with Korean communities can tell you a story about a language mix-up while speaking English with someone who was otherwise fluent.

In Belong with Konglish, Lauren (teacher of English as a Second Language for Adults and owner of Lauren’s Language Lessons) guides the reader through the meanings of essential Konglish words. With the help of native Korean speaker, Yire, Lauren shares examples of common phrases, humorous stories, and helpful culture tips. Each chapter comes with an audio link to make sure you can hear authentic Korean pronunciation of key terms!

This book is a must-have if you:

Regularly do business with Korean companies
Work closely with Korean expat or immigrant communities
Teach in Korea
Plan to travel to, live in, or work in South Korea
Love Korean culture, K-pop, K-dramas, etc.
Have an interest in learning about language and culture
Have friends, family members, or loved ones from Korea

Belong with Konglish will make sure you aren’t left out of the conversation! Get ready to communicate more successfully, belong more fully in a cross-cultural environment, and take advantage of a tool to better understand your friends, colleagues, coworkers, peers, and even favorite celebrities!