Seven Korean-related Terms Added in Bulk
Known in the Western World Through K-Dramas, etc.
Seven Korean words have been newly added to the English dictionary published every three months by the University of Oxford in the UK. Included among them is dalgona, which gained attention through the Netflix drama 'Squid Game'.
On the 7th, new words were updated on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) website. The Oxford English Dictionary updates new words at the end of each year, and this time, seven Korean words were added in large numbers. The newly registered words are noraebang (karaoke room), maknae (youngest member), jjigae (stew), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), pansori (traditional Korean musical storytelling), and dalgona (Korean sugar candy).
Previously, in 2021, 26 Korean words were added to the English dictionary, riding the wave of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) led by K-dramas. It has been three years since words originating from Korea were registered on the website.
The Oxford English Dictionary, first published in 1884, is an authoritative dictionary in the English-speaking world. Today, it operates as a digital version searchable instantly on its website and is regularly updated every three months.
The Oxford English Dictionary contains 500,000 words and phrases from past and present, along with meanings, etymologies, and examples. It also includes sentences actually used in academic papers, news articles, and social networking services (SNS).
The English language has a history of adopting and developing words from various roots worldwide, and this long-standing flow is comprehensively compiled in this dictionary.
In particular, the newly added word 'dalgona' is confirmed to have been greatly influenced by Korean dramas such as the Netflix drama 'Squid Game'. The dictionary explains dalgona as "a Korean candy made by adding baking soda to melted sugar, usually sold as flat pieces with simple shapes like hearts or stars carved on them at street stalls."
As an example sentence, it presents a phrase excerpted from the Boston Globe in October 2022: "Netflix just premiered the Korean mega-hit 'Squid Game,' which drew fans with dalgona candy."
Professor Ji-eun Cho (British name: Ji-eun Keir), a Korean language consultant for the Oxford English Dictionary and a professor at the University of Oxford's Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, explained to Yonhap News, "Words that are widely used, mentioned, and referenced in the English-speaking world and have evidence left in texts are included in the dictionary." Professor Cho also predicted that Korean-related words will steadily increase in the English dictionary in the future.
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