Onomatopoeias

    One thing that I find beautiful about languages is how certain words are used to paint pictures and bring it to life. I personally find the Korean language very descriptive and artistic, more so than English in many cases. 

One good example of this is onomatopoeias. I’ve come to realize that in English, onomatopoeias mainly imitate sounds. For example, ‘buzz’ to mimic a bee and ‘tick tock’ to mimic the sound of a clock. 

    In Korean however, onomatopoeias imitate sounds, movements, and even emotions. They can be split into two categories: 

• Uiseongeo (의성어)- Sound Words
• Uitaeeo (의태어)- Mimetic Words

Uiseongeo- Sound Words

    Sound words in Korean onomatopoeias are the closest to English onomatopoeias. They are more literal, like animal sounds or sounds objects make. 

• Meong-Meong (멍멍)- woof
• Baseulak (바스락)- rustle

Uitaeeo- Mimetic Words

    Mimetic words go beyond mimicking sounds and go into categories like movements. I think it’s interesting that there are words for things that don’t even make sounds, like the way something sparkles, how someone tiptoes, or how someone feels. A lot of these mimetic words are also used in Korean songs.

Some examples are:

• Sappun sappun (사뿐사뿐)- walking lightly
• Like a Cat (사뿐사뿐) by AOA (in song title)
• Banjjak banjjak (반짝반짝)- sparkling
• Gee by Girl’s Generation (in song lyrics)

    Through both sound words and mimetic words, Korean captures details that English doesn’t always have the vocabulary for. Whether in everyday conversation or in songs, these expressions enrich the language with vivid imagery.