Why Do Koreans Get a Couch and Don’t Use It?

It’s hilarious. Koreans basically do everything not on a couch, but in front of a couch: eating food, watching television, hanging out with friends, working on a laptop, and more. For Koreans, it works as a backrest.

Why though? ????

It’s because Korea has the “sitting on the floor” lifestyle. Koreans are used to eat, sleep, and study on the floor. Look at the desk on the above picture. You have to sit on the floor to use the desk.

The “sitting on the floor” lifestyle started way back in the past, like hundreds of years ago. Hanok, a traditional Korean house first built in the 14th century, had an “Ondol (온돌)”, which is a floor-based heating system. By sitting or lying down on the floor, one can feel the warmth of the floor.

Being used to the “sitting on the floor” lifestyle, Koreans often do this cross-legged posture.

The posture is called 아빠다리 or 양반다리 in Korean. It was a posture mainly taken by the elders and noblemen.

– 아빠 = Dad
– 양반 = Yangban (nobleman in Joseon era)
– 다리 = Legs

Can’t see their legs because they are sitting with their legs crossed. Many Koreans do this when they sit on a chair.

But those who are not used to sitting on a floor might have a hard time with this posture. And it’s known that sitting cross-legged for a long time is not good for your spine and knees!

???? Question for UoH Friends :

✔️ Can you do 아빠다리 (crossing your legs)?

✔️ What is your country’s lifestyle in terms of posture?