Thanks to Kpop and the rise of blockbuster Korean films such as Parasite, South Korean culture continues to gain popularity worldwide and the latest update in Oxford English Dictionary proves it!
According to the latest update in September 2021, the update included over 1,650 new words, and more than 17 new entries are related to Korean culture.
Some of the Korean words and slang included in the OED are:
-> Aegyo (cute, charming, adorable)
-> Daebak (a jackpot, expressing enthusiastic approval)
-> Fighting (a word of encouragement to cheer someone on)
-> Hallyu (the Korean wave)
-> Hanbok (a traditional Korean costume)
-> Mukbang (a Livestream video featuring people gorging on large quantities of food)
-> Skinship (touching or close physical contact between parent and child or between lovers or friends, used to express affection or strengthen an emotional bond)
-> Trot (a genre of popular Korean music with repetitive rhythms and emotional lyrics)
-> Unni (a respectful term for a girl’s or woman’s elder sister, or admired actress or singer)
According to Koreaboo, the dictionary also added eight words related to the Korean cuisine such as banchan (side dishes), bulgogi, chimaek (fried chicken served with beer), dongchimi (kimchi made with radishes), galbi (beef short ribs), japchae (noodles), kimbap (a rice dish wrapped in seaweed) and samgyeopsal (pork belly).
The full list can be seen on the Oxford English Dictionary’s official website.
