Archive #18

Annyeong Daily #18: answers explained

October 22, 2026 · Today was about suggestions, brothers, salty food and talking to elders. You also learned why Incheon has "eo" in its name.

Want to try it first? The answers are below.Play #18

1Drama talk

Your friend grabs their bag and says '가자!'. What did they say?

가자! (gaja!)

Let's go!
I'm going alone
Go away!
Wait for me

Answer: Let's go!

가자! (gaja!) means "Let's go!" The ending -자 (-ja) turns a verb into a casual suggestion. It works with almost any action verb: 먹자 (meokja, let's eat), 놀자 (nolja, let's play). Use it with friends or younger people. To be polite, Koreans use the normal polite ending: 가요! (gayo!). The same 가요 can mean "I go," "Let's go" or "Go," and the situation tells you which. Example: 내일 같이 영화 보자 (naeil gachi yeonghwa boja) — "Let's watch a movie together tomorrow." "Go away!" is a tempting wrong option, but -자 always includes the speaker.

Casual (반말) · warm · Say it to: Friends, family, younger people you know

2K-pop

Traditionally, who calls someone '형'?

형 (hyeong)

Anyone, to their father
A woman, to an older man
A man, to his older brother or an older man he is close to
A man, to a younger man

Answer: A man, to his older brother or an older man he is close to

형 (hyeong) is what a man calls his older brother. He also uses it for an older man he is close to, like a friend or co-worker. A woman calls the same man 오빠 (oppa). So Korean has four words for older siblings: 형, 누나 (nuna), 오빠 and 언니 (eonni). The choice depends on your gender and on who is older. Age matters a lot in Korean, even one year. Example: 형, 밥 먹었어? (hyeong, bap meogeosseo?) — "Hyeong, did you eat?" Calling an older man only by his name can sound rude.

warm · Say it to: Men, to an older brother or a close older man

3Food

You taste the soup and say '짜요'. What's wrong with it?

짜요 (jjayo)

It's sweet
It's salty
It's cold
It's spicy

Answer: It's salty

짜요 (jjayo) means "It's salty." It comes from the verb 짜다 (jjada), "to be salty." In Korean, taste words work like verbs. So 짜요 is a full sentence by itself. Korean soups get their taste from salt, soy sauce or soybean paste, so this word is useful. If the soup is not salty enough, say 싱거워요 (singgeowoyo), "It's bland." Example: 이 김치 좀 짜요 (i gimchi jom jjayo) — "This kimchi is a bit salty." Do not mix it up with 매워요 (maewoyo), "It's spicy." That is a different word.

Polite (해요체) · Say it to: Anyone — friends, hosts, staff

4Grammar

You ask your grandmother whether she's eaten. Which is right?

할머니, 진지 ___? (halmeoni, jinji ___?)

먹었니
먹자
먹었어
드셨어요

Answer: 드셨어요 — 할머니, 진지 드셨어요?

할머니, 진지 드셨어요? (halmeoni, jinji deusyeosseoyo?) means "Grandma, have you eaten?" Korean has special respectful words for elders. You do not only change the ending. You also change the noun and the verb. 밥 (bap, meal) becomes 진지 (jinji), and 먹다 (meokda, to eat) becomes 드시다 (deusida). An even more formal verb is 잡수시다 (japsusida). In Korea, "Have you eaten?" is also a warm greeting that shows care. Example: 할아버지, 진지 드세요 (harabeoji, jinji deuseyo) — "Grandpa, please eat." 먹었어 (meogeosseo) and 먹었니 (meogeonni) are casual forms for friends or younger people. They are rude to a grandparent.

Polite (해요체) · warm · Say it to: Grandparents, parents, older people

5Hangul

Using the official Revised Romanization, how is this written?

인천

Incheon
Inchun
Incheong
Inchon

Answer: Incheon

인천 (Incheon) is a city west of Seoul. Korea's main international airport is there. In Revised Romanization, ㅓ is written eo. So 천 is cheon, not chon. ㅗ is already o, so ㅓ needs a different spelling. That is why many Korean names have eo, like 서울 (Seoul). The old spelling, Inchon, came from an older system that used a special letter, ŏ. Example: 인천 공항에서 만나요 (incheon gonghangeseo mannayo) — "Let's meet at Incheon Airport." "Incheong" is wrong because there is no ㅇ (ng) at the end.