During my time in Korea, I experienced many new forms of body language.
- #1 is bowing (of course).
- Hugging is a no-no, even if it's with a same-sex friend. They find it uncomfortable and at times invasive. Some Korean like hugging but I'd recommend waiting for them to initiate the hug.
- Hugging and any sort of PDA between couples is super-duper-okay. I've seen some pretty weird things at cafes. Korea has a strong couple culture and it's very evident no matter where you are from the subway to a restaurant to a bus stop.
- When you give someone your credit card at a shop or even giving a paper to a friend, you are supposed to do it with one hand outstretched (holding the item) and the other hand supporting the outstretched hand (either at the wrist or by your elbow). You use both hands when handing items to people older than you (bosses, teachers, etc.) and handing important materials (business card, resume, etc.). The two-hand style is also used by cashiers when giving an item to a customer (receipts included).
- When you call someone over to you, you do so with your palm facing down rather than up. That one never stuck for me so I would just do it with my hand facing sideways, towards my chest.
- Women tend to cover their mouths when they laugh. Some told me it's because of bad breath (Korean women tend to brush their teeth between every meal and carry around toothbrushes & paste in their bags).
- Man-spreading is not common on public transport. Almost everyone sits with both feet planted on the ground. I didn't see a lot of leg crossing in general.
- Personal space is much smaller, especially in areas like Seoul and Busan where every place is crowded.
- I would say eye contact was pretty normal. However, I was never in a business situation where eye contact might be different.
Asking basic questions in Korean can be very different or similar to English depending on the question. Question words in Korean (who, what, where, how, etc.) don't tend to be in the beginning of the sentence. They are usually placed after the Subject of the sentence to show exactly what the question refers to. IMPORTANT NOTE: The word "you" is not used when asking a question in Korean. Using "you" is seen as rude because you are creating distance between you and the speaker. The word "I" is often used when speaking and writing but not "you"
- For example, when asking for the bathroom you say 화장실이 어디예요? (lit. Bathroom where is?), switching the order wouldn't make sense (where is? bathroom.)
- However, asking for time is more similar to English structure 몇 시예요? (lit. How much time is it?)
- The structure is most often Subject + Question Word + Verb
- (저는) 한국어를 공부하고 있어요 = I am studying Korean (lit. I korean studying am)
- 한국어를 왜 공부하고 있어요? = Why are you studying Korean? (Korean why studying are?)
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