The Korean consonant ㄹ (rieul) is a tricky sound, acting like a soft 'L' at the start or end of a syllable (e.g., 러시아 - Russia, 말 - word) and a quick 'R' (a flap) in between vowels (e.g., 미래 - future), often sounding like the 'tt' in "butter" or a light Spanish 'r'. The key is to touch the ridge behind your front teeth with your tongue, not the very front or back, creating a sound that's a blend of 'L' and 'R', making it lighter and flatter than an English 'L'.
It can be either, depending on the language and context: "Gaja" (가자) is the common Korean informal word for "Let's go," though pronounced closer to "Kaja" by many, while "Kaja" is used in some Slavic languages (like Slovenian) as a name or for "effort/work," and the Italian wine brand Gaja is pronounced "Gah-yah," not "Gaja," notes a YouTube video.
Eng, agma, or engma (capital: Ŋ, lowercase: ŋ) is a letter of the Latin alphabet, used to represent a voiced velar nasal (as in English singing) in the written form of some languages and in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Perhaps the most popular of the Korean terms of love between couples it means "honey," "darling," or "baby," which you'll often hear among couples in K-dramas. You can also just shorten it to 자기 (jagi). Use this term along with Korean love phrases. It's used for both men and women.
Koreans use "우리" (uri - "we/our") instead of "my" to show deep cultural values of collectivism, community, and intimacy, reflecting a worldview where the group (family, nation, shared community) is prioritized over the individual, even when referring to personal things like "my mom" or "my house," fostering a sense of belonging and shared experience. This usage emphasizes closeness, as seen with "우리 엄마" (our mom) or "우리 집" (our house), and extends to national identity ("우리나라" - our country).
Ę (minuscule: ę; Polish: e z ogonkiem, "e with a little tail"; Lithuanian: e nosinė, "nasal e") is a letter in the Polish, Lithuanian, and Dalecarlian alphabets.
The letter Đ/đ is used to write the voiced alveolo-palatal affricate, [dʑ], similar to the ⟨j⟩ in "jam". The crossed d was introduced by the Serbian philologist Đuro Daničić in 1878 for use in Serbo-Croatian in his Dictionary of the Croatian or Serbian Language, replacing the older digraphs dj and gj.
The Arabic letter ى is called Alif Maqṣūrah (أَلِف مَقْصُورَة), meaning "restricted alif," or sometimes Alif Layyinah (أَلِف لَيِّنَة), meaning "flexible alif". It looks like the letter ي (Yaa) but without the dots and functions as a long 'a' (ā) vowel sound, appearing only at the end of words, like in "على" (ʿAlā - on).
Just like the word 'F*ck' in English, this can be used when you're angry or when something is frustrating. What is the meaning of shibal? 씨발 (Ssi-Bal). This is perhaps the most commonly used Korean curse word which can be adapted in any kind of situation.
The most common Korean slang for "WTF" includes 헐 (Heol) for shock/disbelief, 뭐야? (Mwoya?) meaning "What is this?", and for stronger vulgarity, the abbreviation ㅅㅂ (S-B) for 씨발 (Ssi-bal), similar to the English f-word.
As aspiration is a distinctive feature in Korean but voicing is not, Gim is more likely to be understood correctly. However, Kim is usually used as the romanized form in both North and South Koreas. The surname Lee is originally 리 (Ri) in North Korea and 이 (I) in South Korea.
A sunbae is an elder who is in a higher grade or has had more experience. A hoobae is the opposite: someone who is in a lower grade or has had less experience. This concept is derived from the Confucian tradition of filial piety, which states that the younger must respect the elder.
Calling a friend or boyfriend “oppa” is common, and for those under 50, it is hardly seen as unusual or out of place.
/dʒ/ is an affricate consonant; it can't last long. /ʒ/ is a fricative consonant; this means it is possible to make it sound for a long time: /ʒʒʒ/. However, in normal speech /ʒ/ has a length similar to other consonants.
"Oscar Tango Mike" (OTM) uses the NATO phonetic alphabet to mean "On the Move," indicating readiness, mobility, or ongoing progress, often used in military or tactical communication to signal movement or a unit's active status. It's formed from Oscar (O) + Mike (M). Other phrases include "Tango Mike" for "Thanks Much," and "Lima Charlie" for "Loud and Clear".