Uptempo Global

Hello, this is Uptempo! While being ‘frugal’ is not a bad thing and is often admired, being ‘cheap’ is almost always frowned upon. For example, not going shopping for one’s own clothes until all of one’s clothes have worn out is acceptable and is considered frugal. However not getting a birthday gift for one’s mother in order to save money is unacceptable and is considered ‘cheap’. It is possible to be frugal without being cheap. Photo by   Towfiqu barbhuiya   on   Unsplash In Korean, ‘ 알뜰하다 ’ means ‘ frugal , ’ while ‘ 구두쇠 ’ means ‘ cheap ’.   Ex)   A: 태희는 정말 알뜰한 것 같아 . 항상 남은 음식을 가져가잖아 . Tae-hee seems to be really frugal . She always takes the leftovers home. B: 저건 알뜰한 게 아니라 구두쇠 인거야 . 자기 베프인 세미 생일 선물도 안 줬대 . That’s not being frugal . She’s just being cheap . She didn’t even give Saemi a birthday present even though she’s her ‘best friend’. The term ‘ cheap ’ may also refer to a price of a product. While ‘ 싸다 ’ means ‘ cheap ’ or ‘ affordable ,’ ...

Hello, this is Uptempo! While some people argue that the internet is destroying language, many linguists claim that it is actually improving our ability to communicate in more diverse ways. People now have a wide range of options for expressing oneself online, ranging from words and acronyms to emoji and GIFs. Texting, blogging, and emailing have become so interwoven in our everyday lives and relationships, to the point that the forms of language and communication have fundamentally transformed. Texting abbreviations like ICYMI (In case you missed it), TL;DR (Too long, didn't read), LMK (Let me know), NVM (Nevermind), TBH (To be honest) is a popular form of online language.   source: https://www.flaticon.com/ ‘ ㅋㅋ ’ in Korea is almost equivalent to ‘ LOL ’ .   ‘ ㅋㅋ ’ is an abbreviation for ‘ 키키 ’ or ‘ 크크 ’ which are the onomatopoeias for laughing. The numbers of ‘ ㅋ ’ s might indicate one’s level of interest in what the other person has said. Just writing one ‘ ㅋ ’ is like sen...

  Hello, this is Uptempo!  If you’ve lived in Korea or have Korean friends, you might have heard of the phrase ‘ 헌팅   하다  (going hunting) ’. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘ hunting ’ in English means " to go in quest of wild animals or game; to participate in the chase ". Other meanings are " To search, seek (for or for anything), particularly. with zeal and energy ".   Photo by   Victor Clime   on   Unsplash However, in Korea, ‘ 헌팅 (Hunting) ’ refers to the ‘ practice of picking up women , ’ usually in unusual settings. There are particular streets or bars in Korea where young people go to ‘ hunt( 헌팅 ) / pick up opposite sex’. ‘ 헌팅포차 (Hunting Pocha) ’ is  a bar where a group of friends of the same sex goes to ‘hunt/search’ for the opposite sex to hook up with or ask for numbers , based on the principle of "come alone, leave with a partner". They simply need to inform the waiter whose table they’d like to ‘ hunt ,’ and the waite...

Hello, this is Uptempo! Homonyms are words that are spelled and spoken the same yet have distinct meanings. Even though it can be confusing to see two words with different meanings, the rest of the phrase should give you a good notion of what's being addressed.   In Korean, ‘ 감아 ’ refers to both ‘ close ’ and ‘ wrap ’. Photo by   Joanna Nix-Walkup   on   Unsplash Ex) 눈 감아 봐 . Close your eyes for a moment. Photo by   dylan nolte   on   Unsplash Ex) 이 테이프를 박스에 감아야 해 . We need to wrap the tape around the box (secure the box with tape) https://youtu.be/XMG0tsnWZiI Below are the lyrics of Loco’s ‘ 감아 (Hold Me Tight) ’: 누가 또 네 심기에 손 댔어 Who hurt you this time? 맞아 전부 그 사람이 잘못했어 You’re right. It’s all their fault. 쓰다듬어주고 싶어 네 머리를 I want to give you a pat on the head 오늘도 고생 많이 했어 Today has been a long day for you. 이번 주말에는 떠나자 어디든 Let’s getaway for the weekend. We can go anywhere you want. 일단 눈 감아 내 팔에 기대서 Close your eyes for now,...

Hello, this is Uptempo! Living in a Confucianism-influenced culture, Koreans are encouraged to repress rather than express their feelings. You’ve undoubtedly heard people say ‘ 네가 참아 ’. If directly translated, it means ‘ Suppress your emotions, ’ or ‘ hold back your anger ’. It usually means ‘ That’s enough ,’ ‘ Calm down ,’ or ‘ forget it ’. Photo by   Samuel Regan-Asante   on   Unsplash The word ‘ 참아 ’ can mean many things like ‘ suppress ,’ ‘ hold back ,’ ‘ bear ,’ ‘ stand ,’ ‘ endure ,’ etc. Ex) 윗 층 시끄러운거 더 이상 못 참겠어 . 오늘은 말 해야겠다 . I can’t bear all this noise coming from upstairs. I’m going to tell them today. Ex) 화를 너무 참는 것 도 건강에 좋지 않아 . 어떻게든 해소 하도록 해봐 . It’s unhealthy to suppress or ignore your anger. You have to let it out somehow. Ex) 어제 저녁에 존이 헤어지자고 했어 . 눈물이 났는데 겨우 참았어 . John asked me to break up last night. It was so hard to hold back my tears. Ex) 안 웃긴 척 했지만 , 너무 웃겨서 겨우 참았어 . I acted as if it wasn’t funny, but I actually couldn...

Hello, this is Uptempo! The below video is titled ‘ 만만한 사람 특징 (Characteristics of a person who is a pushover) ’. ‘ 만만하다 ’ refers to a ‘ pushover ’.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEBGK9msqkA&t=420s The video begins with So-hyun saying “ 아무튼 약속 취소해서 진짜 미안해 오빠 . 내가 죽어야지 . 내가 진짜 너무 멍청해 가지고 거절도 못 하고 . (I’m so sorry. I must die. I couldn’t say no to him because I’m so stupid)” She canceled her plans with her boyfriend because her boss asked for a substitute staff. But then the boss canceled on her when she was already on her way. She calls his boyfriend to tell him that it is canceled, and ends up joining a gathering where her boyfriend’s friends are. When she referred to other girls as ‘ 공주님 (princesses ) ’ and herself as a ‘ 난쟁이 5 (dwarf 5) , ’ the other girl tells So-hyun “ 소현아 , 너가 네 엄마라고 생각 해 봐 . 누가 너를 함부로 대하도록 둘거야 ? (So-hyun, imagine that you were your mother. Would you allow people to treat you as they do now?)’ When a friend got drunk and So-hyun’...

Hello, this is Uptempo! Investors are occasionally forced to sell their investments at a loss. The 10 percent rule states that if a stock's price falls by 10% or more from its purchase price, the investor should sell it. Even though it seems simple, many investors have learned the hard way how difficult it is to understand the most fundamental rule in investing. Photo by   Jason Briscoe   on   Unsplash It’s hard because no one wants to sell at a loss. Selling at a loss also means that the investor admits that they made a mistake. However, they may lose only a tiny amount of money and still be financially and psychologically well enough to invest the next day only if they can put their ego aside. Cutting one’s losses early saves them from taking a catastrophic collapse from which they will be unable to recover. The 10% rule doesn’t only apply to stocks but also to people in Korea. Like the old stock market saying, an investor should ‘cut their losses short and let their pr...