How to Distinguish Koreans From Others?

This is a famous meme of the boy band SEVENTEEN where
only Korean members are clapping their hands when laughing

1. Koreans clap their hands when laughing

Nine out of ten Koreans clap their hands when laughing (or hit a person next to them). Clapping is almost like the habit of all Koreans. It’s one way to react or empathize with others when something funny comes up.

People on the Korean reality shows shouting “mom” as they are surprised by certain things.

2. Koreans call mom when surprised

Saying “엄마” or “엄마야” is one of the common words Koreans often shout out when surprised or scared. It’s similar to saying “Oh my god” in English. Why call mom? We don’t know the exact answer, but our guess is that it’s because moms are the most dependable people in the world!

3. Koreans say “I think I’m going to die” a lot

Koreans add the phrase 죽을 것 같아 (I think I’m going to die) or 죽겠다 (I’m dying) to emphasize certain situations. For example, if today’s weather is steaming hot, I can say “더워 죽을 것 같아”, which means “It’s so hot I think I’m going to die”.

– 배고파 죽을 것 같아 → I’m starving to death
– 배불러 죽을 것 같아 → I’m full to death
– 졸려 죽을 것 같아 → I’m sleepy to death
– 심심해 죽을 것 같아 → I’m bored to death

4. Koreans start with “No” when speaking

It says on the picture above, “No but honestly really Koreans can’t start a sentence without using no, but, honestly, and really.”

아니 (no) is the most often used word to initiate a sentence. Other words include 근데 (but), 있잖아 (you know), 진짜 (really), and 솔직히 (honestly). These words don’t really have any specific meanings behind them.

Koreans even combine these words together :

아니 근데, 아니 근데 솔직히, 있잖아 솔직히, 아니 근데 진짜, 진짜 솔직히, 아니 근데 있잖아, 근데 있잖아, etc.

(No but, no but honestly, you know honestly, no but really, really honestly, no but you know, but you know, etc.)

So, if you happen to see a person who is :

– clapping as they’re laughing

– saying, “No it’s so funny. I think I’m gonna die”

– and shouting “Mom!” as they get surprised by a friend,

you now know that person is KOREAN!

Just kidding. ????

Of course, these characteristics can describe many Koreans, but not every Korean!

???? Question for UoH Friends :

✔️ Are there any ways that can distinguish people from your country?