I'm interested in Korean culture, and I think one of the most distinctive features of Korean is honorific language. I often watch Korean TV dramas and variety shows, especially those shot by my idol. At first, I was surprised by the way they communicated, because many words or names are followed by several words. I didn't know Korean at the time, and it didn't exist in my native language. After I felt strange, I searched the Internet for this phenomenon, which was my first understanding of Korean honorific culture. I think one of the most distinctive features of Korean is honorific language.
There are also honorific terms in China, but only the honorific names are widely used, for example you should not use "Ni" (which means "you" in English) to call your elders, but use "Nin" (which I can't express in English). Honorific language exists in every situation in Korea, and people have high requirements for respect. The younger should use honorific words to the older, even if their birthdays are only a year or even a few months apart. When people meet for the first time, they should also use honorific words. It is extremely impolite to address each other by name, always be sure to add honorific suffixes. In the variety show, many guests after getting familiar with each other will still use honorific words until both parties confirm that they can treat each other as friends without honorific words. In many cases, when two people are very close to each other, they will only change from honorific to semi-honorific, which retains part of the necessary honorific title.
In my future Korean learning, I think it is very important to learn and master the use of honorific language. This will not only help me understand Korean culture better in the future, but also be helpful for daily communication. I don't want my Korean friends to think I am impolite.
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