I love living as an expat in Korea. Everywhere you go, there's something beautiful to feast your eyes on, or delicious to indulge in, or fascinating to learn about. And there are hundreds of funny signs to make you giggle as you walk around and explore the Land of Morning Calm, as Korea is also known.
I want to share some of the funniest, strangest, or even rudest Konglish signs I've seen during my travels in Korea, a place I've called home since 2015, and write about in my blog.
More info: inmykorea.com
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I Will Find You And I Will Put You In A Salad!
This is why you shouldn't use a translation app for writing English signs! The word for red and enemy are similar in Korean and instead of a red cabbage, you get this.
When you really hate cabagge....face enemy cabbage. In theatres June 2nd. Next year: part 2 – cabbage nemesis.
England had the Wars of the Roses. Is this the Korean Cabbage Wars. :D
Load More Replies...But the word for red is "발갛다". How is it different from "적양" if that also means red?
Most likely the "pure Korean" and the "Sino-Korean" thing. See, like in English you use "pig" to address the animal and the Latin "pork" to address the meat from the animal, in Korean, there's a similar system using Korean and Sino-Korean, or Hanja. Oh, and btw, it's 빨갛다.
Load More Replies...I totally agree. Cabbage is ok, this stuff is the enemy. A matter of personal taste (and never having had anything ever make it taste good.)
Right?! I have no idea how a cabbage can change its taste so much when the only difference is the colour!
Load More Replies...Can. Not. Stop. With. The. L-A-U-G-H-I-N-G!!!!! Bwah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!!!
I think this would be a great way to promote this beautiful, healthy vegetable -- especially to kids. I'm imagining a nice braised red cabbage dish (in chicken or veggie broth, with sauteed onions/jalapeno peppers, and diced potatoes), called "Cabbage War! EAT YOUR ENEMY!"
Even though Korea uses a completely different language and alphabet than English, it's not that hard to live, work, and travel here. Actually, there's a lot of English in Korea. Public transport has English announcements and signs. Restaurants often have English menus. Signposts and maps have English directions and names on them. Even Korea's biggest groups are singing in English these days! That makes it really easy to live and travel in Korea.
Let's Get Naked To End Covid-19!
If you sneeze on your clothes, they could spread corona, so maybe being naked is the best way to walk around safely?
Well, if you are naked, you freeze. If you freeze you stay at home. No contact – no infections!
Wow you really made some thinking!!! Never would have thought of that
Load More Replies...Were you at a mall, clothing store or the like? It actually says basically the same in korean, so probably meant "refrain from trying on clothes"
The Table Is The Best Place For Delicious Love Making. Just For You
I think this cafe meant to say that they will make delicious love (romantic meals?) just for you, but love making is something they probably weren't intending to offer.
Please, for the love of god, use sanitizer. Before AND after preferably
There's a growing number of English speakers in Korea and a lot of Koreans are eager to practice English. I sometimes get random strangers to work up enough courage to ask me a few questions and start a conversation in English. I really appreciate their effort to learn my language and I'm doing my best to learn theirs, too.
You Don't Have To Be A B***h This Summer, But There's A Festival For You If You Are
Beach and b***h are written the same in Korea and they sound the same... It's funny to see that even Korean mega-corporations like Lotte can't avoid Konglish mistakes.
I would too, if I were drinking water.
Load More Replies...Bitch is a standard word. Why is everything censored like we're 3 year olds??
Because, BP. We've been asking that question, too. I agree, and a female dog is called a bitch.
Load More Replies...Funny thing, while my English is very good, my italian ear still cannot distinguish between B***h and "Beach" (or Hassle and A**hole for that matter). I can spell them all right, no problem there, but I can neither hear the difference nor pronounce it (without some effort). I get teased a lot by my wife and daughter.
sounds like a huge asshole...er i mean- hassle....
Load More Replies...This Eel Is Really Good At Lifting Weights. That's What Happens When You Eat Here
Yes, eating eel will help you be strong in a certain area, guys.
(ʘ言ʘ╬) Let's start an emoticon chain, people!
Load More Replies...It's still so tiny though! "Makes your man part stronger, but not longer!"
You might not know it, but Korea is a country that has fully embraced English and mixed it in with its own language. There are hundreds of loan words from English used in Korean that make it a lot easier to live in Korea as an expat. I can drink "ko-pi" (coffee), eat "ke-ki" (cake), and watch "ti-bi" (TV) in my "a-pa-tu" (apartment) whilst using my "su-ma-tu-pon" (smartphone).
No Wonder The Birth Rate In Korea Is So Low
The sign is supposed to say Pregnant women is not allowed to get on, but I guess the translation was lousy
Load More Replies...I see, part of The Greater Leap Down The Stairs?
Load More Replies...Do You Need An Old People Stick?
yes, the stick infused with old people bones. I am a necromancer now!!!!
I have a purple old people stick from my foot surgery recovery. I'm not that old but I'm going to call it that from now on!
English is also a mandatory subject all the way till the end of high school and even at university students still learn some English. I should know, as I teach them it. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that everyone knows how to speak English and use English correctly. This leads to a lot of 'Konglish' mistakes. Konglish is a mix of Korean and English and is used to describe those happy moments of confusion for English speakers when trying to decipher Korean signs, images, or slogans. From the summer b***h (beach) festival to delicious c**p (crab) salad, there are so many funny ways that the earnest efforts of Korean sign-writers, shop owners, and poster makers end up with the wrong outcome.
I Was Really Confused Until I Learned How To Use A Toilet Correctly
Another useful guide to using a toilet in Korea. So many wrong ways to do it!
My question is why do australians and koreans not know how to use toilets?
Load More Replies...This sign makes sense since there are still plenty of squat toilets in Korea and nearby countries, so some visitors may have never encountered a western-style toilet
Spot on. I've seen signs like this quite a lot in Malaysia too
Load More Replies...If they put this sign up there, it's because shitty things had happened there. People can be disrespectful and gross in so many levels.
Or maybe it's because not everyone on the planet knows how to use a western flush toilet, and squatting (not sitting) is the normal method in many parts of the world.
Load More Replies...I worked at a place that got guests from all over the world, and man how I wish we'd had these signs. I cleaned toilets with foot prints pretty constantly.
I have never seen anyone do the one in the middle, but very obese people sometimes sit backwards like the top one, and in many cultures it's normal to squat like the bottom one.
In 2021 the only reason for these is if your business is expecting tour groups from the Chinese provinces.
There are still plenty of squat toilets across Asia -- Korea, Japan, Vietnam, etc. My wife's Japanese sister didn't replace her squat toilet with a western style one until she remodeled her house about 5 years ago. Fortunately my wife gave me detailed instructions before we visited, and I got to try it out at the train station before we went to their house since the public restrooms there all had squat toilets.
Load More Replies...These signs are for people who come from countries where they squat over a hole in the floor and they break the toilets when they stand on the rims.
What Else Would You Do At A Hair Stylists Except Set Your Hair On Fire?
This would make me really worried about getting my hair styled here.
Technically speaking, it's English written in the Korean alphabet (Hangul).
Load More Replies...There’s a way to style hair with Gorilla Glue, too, but I wouldn’t recommend either one.
Load More Replies...Their is actually a hairstyling technique in which the stylist uses flames to style/cut the hair
An elder in Memphis used to cut hair using flames. His shop smelled horrible.
Fire haircuts/velatherapia. This is literally a technique for cutting hair - using flames instead of scissors.
One common cause of Konglish comes from a lack of letters in the Korean alphabet. There are several English letters not in the Korean alphabet, including f, v, and z. Some letters are also confusing as they have very similar sounds, such as b/p, l/r, and g/k. This turns crab into c**p and hello into herro.
When In Danger, Make Sure Not To Calm Down!
These Hotdogs Are Addictive!
Narcotic, maniac, and holic are commonly used in Konglish signs to mean something is addictive or really desirable. He's a check maniac/holic (he loves chicken). This hotdog is narcotic (it's addictive).
And it's deep fried bread, too! Even better.
Load More Replies...Omg if it is my husband will be on the next plane to Korea!
Load More Replies...The most common cause of Konglish mistakes is sadly due to a lack of care to check the mistranslations or too much reliance on not-yet-perfect translation apps. Korean words are based on groups of syllables and those syllables can have many meanings. This leads to some unusual Konglish translations, such as "enemy cabbage" instead of "red cabbage". Other times English seems to have been written almost randomly, with no real thought for what the sign says at all, leading to a random stream of words that have very little real meaning. It's kind of artistic, but also very confusing if you need to actually understand the translation.
It's Ok, I'm Fine Being Single. Honestly
It's a badge. I guess you're meant to wear it in the club so people know you're lonely?
Load More Replies...looks like a Babybel-esque cheese? "I'm single" denoting it's a singular item. My best guess.
I was also hoping for cheese, but it's a pin badge.
Load More Replies...14 year old TikTok girls when they find out being "Dreamsexual" is just having a crush on some guy:
This is so funny. I don't know why, but I thought this was a small wheel of cheese. Like those Babybel cheeses?
i thought for a second that was a babybel cheese with a really weird wrapper on it :P
Don't Touch This Guy's Sack Or You Won't Get His Snacks
The name of this shop is "saek" in Korean, and they want to show what they sell. Unfortunately, their translation sounds like they're a bit possessive about a sack.
is it just me, or did anyone else think of a ball sack..... welp i need wholesome juice
Yeah. Who knew Rocky Mountain oysters would be in Korea.
Load More Replies...If you want to find Konglish signs, the most common places are toilets (they really want foreigners to understand Korean toilet culture), clothes shops (fashion fails are strong in Korea), cafes and restaurants (so many bad menu translations), and in stationery stores. When you travel to Korea, look out for any funny signs and see if you can work out what the Konglish means.
The Toilet Is Painful, So You Should Probably Not Use It?
Another toilet sign with a weird Konglish translation. I'm not sure what's painful about the toilet, but it might make you want to avoid using it.
Here the Korean says the "toilet is in pain/is hurting". It seems Koreans have trouble distinguishing noun and verb forms of the same word.
Actually true. It's one of the typical mistakes done by Korean learners. Also, they'll often say "I'm boring", meaning "I'm bored".
Load More Replies...Narrow plumbing, don't flush paper. Maybe translated from "cramped"?
The Irony Of This English Work Book. Hellow!
The easiest English word that people learn first, but it was apparently too much for the designer of this English workbook.
I love the quote at the bottom. “A best friend is someone who loves you when you forget to love yourself.”
Most English speakers in Korea get so used to seeing these translation fails that you sometimes end up not even noticing them. I don't think many people get angry unless it's something really important that hasn't been translated well and ends up putting you in danger. Most of the time they're pretty harmless, sometimes they're hilarious, which is a good thing as it brightens up your day.
There are so many signs saying “Grand Open” (not opening) or “1th Anniversary” (not 1st) that foreigners just shake their heads and get on with their day. At least half of the shops in Korea have “close” signs (not closed) and there's really no escaping Konglish.
Story Of My Life!
You should work for a Korean fashion store ;)
Load More Replies...Oh I have acne stories! I was 15 and worked at McDonald's. Work the drive through and deal with pissy customers or work the grill? Grill please.
Embracing Konglish By Making It Into Your Logo. Delicious Hatdogs Here
This shop actually embraces Konglish. Hotdogs are pronounced hat-dog in Korean and this shop decided to put hats on its hotdogs as a joke.
@SilverRain- DANG! You took the words outta mah head and got them here before I even reached the page! Oh, you're GOOD!!! -Lol? ★~(◠‿◕✿)
Load More Replies...Hot is pronounced correctly, 'haht'. However, this is a transliteration error. Short O makes an ah sound and is written that way in Korean, then gets butchered going back to The Roman alphabet. The second short O is written as a long O in Korean, keeping as just o when switched back. Hatdog!!
If there's a really funny Konglish sign that appears in a popular place, it'll definitely get shared all over social media by Korean expats. Facebook groups like Every Expat In Korea is a good place to find some of these pictures. The Summer B***h Festival was a classic example that still comes up from time to time on expat groups.
These Konglish fails don't get shared on Korean media, probably because it's a bit embarrassing for people and they don't want to discourage people from using English. On social media, however, you can find them posted by influencers or people's personal accounts quite often.
City-based Facebook groups usually share local Konglish mistakes. Recently, a large department store in my city (Daejeon) posted a big sign advertising their "42th year" sale. Some expats shared pictures of it (including me) and within a couple of days the sign was taken down and changed. Sadly, most don't get corrected and the same mistakes keep popping up... but that's great for people like me who love to share them with everyone else.
Only Put Your Troubles Into The Toilet, Not Toilet Paper?
In Korea, a lot of older toilets don't have good plumbing, so you're meant to put your toilet paper in a bin, not in the toilet. I guess your troubles were what you deposited after lunch?
Probably sick of digging wet wipe induced Fatbergs out their sewers like everywhere else
A Creamy Story That's Only For Ladies
Seen on a ladies clothes store. For the dirty minded, this might be funny.
I lived in Japan for 3 years before coming to Korea and saw a lot of hilarious English signs there, too. Japanese and Korean share similar problems when translating into English, such as the confusion between R and L in both countries. I saw a shop called "Eye Rashes" (not lashes) in Japan, which sounds painful! The grammar structure is very similar in both languages, which is backward from English, so that causes a lot of weird sentences and translation mistakes. There's a kid's clothing chain called 'Starvations' in Japan, which is a really weird name for children's clothing. Japan is another great place for spotting these kinds of signs and I wish I'd taken more pictures of them when I lived there.
Not Sure I'd Want To Order This In A Restaurant.
There's little difference between b/p in Korean, but a big difference between crab and c**p!
...is it supposed to say Crap? Why in the world are we censoring the word crap?
I have a dear friend who is Eritrean. Tigrinya has the same confusion between Bs and Ps. It's not uncommon for her to write "I don't have to take this crab!" Or "she is so dump!"
That's because ㅂ can be pronounced b or p, depending on its relation to other letters.
Yeah, it's a simple difference but can lead to lots of mistranslations.
Load More Replies...Oh come on now, since when is "crap" a swear word? (I s2g if bp auto censors that I will go feral)
Are yall seriously censoring the word crap Wtf is wrong with u
I'll Be Back... To Terminate Some English Here
I had to look this place up online. It is an English cram school! Maybe they mean you'll finish your English education here? So weird...
I'm British, But I Have No Idea What This Is About
Let's see if I can decipher that into English... "Hazzy's works wholeheartedly to be top-of-the-line. We consider your health before our own. Now that you're here, let us make your dreams come true. The future is full of challenges, and we will approach those dreams with the dignity and grace of the traditional British aristocracy." It still doesn't make much sense, but it makes more sense!
Hilarious. It's like they're talking in their sleep after a few too many drinks.
Let me try: (It is) Hazzy's intent to be the best with our "whole effort" and enthusiasm (eagerness). (In the) Spirit of the Millenium, Hazzy will put you before ourselves (I). Now that you are here, make your dream come true. The frontier is full of challenges (but if you ever dream of enjoying) British tradition like a British Aristocrat (you will find it here) Is this a tearoom?
Outsiders Don't Like To Be Used, So Please Don't Use Them
Some Mountain Poetry For When You're Out Hiking In Korea
More random punctuation! Not a very useful warning sign, it actually sounds like a poem.
I've spent so many years wading through auto-translations that I can make perfect sense of stuff like that. It basically says "Cliff ahead! Proceed slowly and with caution while going down the mountain."
I'd fricking die on this hike cuz I'd misinterpret the sign as being a quote from a book where someone says "cliff!" and then walks slowly down the mountain while i fall to my death.
Don't Use These Nunchaku Aggressively, Keep Them In A Shady Instead To Avoid Losing Quality
"do not use aggressive toward people" but.... nunchucks (im assuming thats what these are) are a weapon????
More auto-translation! Let's see... "This product is dangerous, use with caution to avoid injury; Product should be kept away from extreme light and heat; Do not use to assault others".
Keep it under shady management and use passive-aggressively.... Ok, got it!
Why are nunchucks vulnerable to light and heat? Aren't they basically a couple of sticks with a chain? A weapon that is more likely to injure the user than anyone else, I might add.
I really don't know if I have room in my shady for these, and if they're already damaged...
Nothing Like A Bit Of Fun Time With Math! But Never Spare The Rod
From the same series as the 'hellow' English workbook, this math workbook has random phrases on it to make it look more 'international'. It just looks odd to English speakers though.
Fun fact: This is from the Bible. A lot of people have interpreted it to mean "You should beat your kids." However, the translation more accurately describes a shepherd's crook, which was not used to hit the sheep but to corral them and nudge them away from cliffs and stuff. So the meaning of it becomes "take care of your kids", not "hit your kids". Source: some pastor I heard once. Do your own research.
Shepherds used a rod and what we call a crook. The crook was for retrieving sheep or pulling them towards the shepherd. The rod was used to do what you say a crook was supposed to do. So the shepherd had two things, a rod and a staff (Ps 23).
Load More Replies...What An Aweffle Name For A Waffle Shop!
Awesome + Waffle does not = a good shop name.
if your instagram account is awesomewaffle that would work, but not this
Probably Not A Good Start To The Honeymoon
I assume the owner of this ice cream shop thinks that this is a cute name - a bride of ice cream - but it just sounds creepy in English.
No! Perhaps It's Ok To Smoke Here?
A common problem in Korea when writing English signs is knowing when to use! punctuation. It really changes the meaning of the sign!
So they don't have question marks or? exclamation marks 😳
They do, but it's a fairly recent addition. And not as many as European languages. There was even a time they had no spaces between words either.
Load More Replies...I Was Sold At Ink, But Not Sure About The Cream Cheese Bread
Squid ink gets added to some things to make it black, which I guess is cool? Black pizzas are just wrong though.
Load More Replies...Squid ink tastes delicious. Some Asian loves to eat squids cook with its ink. But, it might not suitable for fine dining though. Left black stain on your teeth after eating.
Usually sweet in Korea. I would guess with cream cheese, more just cheese flavored
Load More Replies...Those Chatty Beans Are Always Friendly.
There is a saying that someone is 'full of beans', maybe it alludes to that?
Don't Take Your Time To Fold It Up, Just Put That Toilet Paper Straight Into The Toilet
I know! I was going to make a whole paper aviary, but I have to rush the paper instead :(
Load More Replies...It also says used toilet paper, did someone smother it with their leftovers and didn't put it in?
I Lobe You, Beer. I Really Lobe You!
A common mistake in Korea as there is no letter 'v' in the Korean alphabet.
Oh Football Club Korea It!
FCK (Fussball Club Kaiserslautern) was my village team in Germany. Thought the same thing when I first saw the FCK logo everywhere--I assumed everyone was just angry about everything, lol.
I'm Feeling Very Thoughful Today. So Thoughful
What Kind Of Chicken Do They Serve Here?
Ho is actually a surname, so it might be someone with the surname 'Ho' running the restaurant or must have established the restaurant.
Learn How To Use The Toilet Correctly
This sign is really helpful for those who didn't grow up with seated toilets. But I wonder how many people have actually jumped on top like this?
If someone isn't used to using an actual toilet I can see how they could think they're supposed to stand on the seat and squat like they'd do with a hole in the ground. Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.
Have you seen the inside of some public bathrooms? This would be the only explanation.
Squatting to poo is better for you! It opens up the inner sphincter and aligns the colon for more complete elimination. Google squatty potty
No! Let's Get Drinking! Cheers!
A common problem in Korea when writing English signs is knowing when to use! punctuation. It really changes the meaning of the sign!
I love bad English! Different culture, I know, but during the Hello Kitty obsession of the '90s, I found a whole basket of stuff in the discount store. Thinking my daughter would like some, I found that there was a misprint and they were all labelled "Hell Kitty". Needless to say, I bought a ton of them.
A big cringe of embarrassment I feel as a near-native English speaker born and living in SK ;-D A lack of understanding of the difference between the two languages certainly seems associated with overdependence on machine translation. For the love of King Sejong PLEASE get help from your bilingual friends or professional human translators
I love bad English! Different culture, I know, but during the Hello Kitty obsession of the '90s, I found a whole basket of stuff in the discount store. Thinking my daughter would like some, I found that there was a misprint and they were all labelled "Hell Kitty". Needless to say, I bought a ton of them.
A big cringe of embarrassment I feel as a near-native English speaker born and living in SK ;-D A lack of understanding of the difference between the two languages certainly seems associated with overdependence on machine translation. For the love of King Sejong PLEASE get help from your bilingual friends or professional human translators
