[Korean Culture & Language] 노(老)



Hello, this is Uptempo!

There has been a never-ending debate about the right age to get married. While some people believe that they should get married in their 20s, others believe that marrying in their 30s is better. People who believe that getting married in their 30s is a better idea say that love and passion have no age limit. They claim that getting married in their 30s is preferable because they are more clear about what they want, have matured and improved communication skills, and are better at balancing personal and professional obligations.

In Korea, if someone doesn’t get married past the ‘혼기(an age when one might expect to have the opportunity to marry),’ Koreans call them ‘노총각 (a single man who has past the 혼기)’ or ‘노처녀 ’a single woman who has past the 혼기’. However, because these words have negative connotations, you should avoid using them on someone. 

Photo by Esther Ann on Unsplash

‘노(老)’ is a Chinese letter for ‘old’. The letter ‘노(老)’ is used for words like ‘노인(old person)’ ‘노년(old age)’, ‘노안presbyopia’, ‘노약자(The elderly and the weak),’ and ‘노약좌석(designated seat for the elderly and disabled)’. Currently, almost one-third of the seats on Seoul municipal buses and 12 of the 54 seats in a subway are designated for the elderly and disabled.

Ex) “다니엘, 일어나. 거기는 노약좌석이야.”

“Get off of the seat, Daniel. That’s a designated seat for the elderly and disabled.”

Ex) ‘옆집에 사는 사람 노총각 인가 봐’

“I’m sure the person who lives next to me is a single man who is past the marriageable age.

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