Does Korea have less Engrish?
This photo was sent in as an Engrish submission on many occasions, but it is actually an ad for a book on how to speak English correctly - the English text is from a famous Engrish blunder and is used as an example:
Photo courtesy of Brad Kelly
I’ve often wondered why I do not get more Engrish samples sent in from Korea. There are certainly a number of Engrish from Korea (as the Engrish from Other Countries section can attest to), but not nearly as many as Japan or China.
The Korean and Japanese languages have a similar grammatical structure, and they are both incredibly different from English pronunciation-wise, so I am not sure that we can account for the dearth of Engrish in Korea too much on the differences in the source language. Maybe the Korean English educational system is better than that found in Japan?
My hunch is that it is mostly a pop culture thing. Although an outsider can see many similarities in Japanese and Korean pop culture, Koreans don’t seem to want to use English nearly as much to decorate their products and advertising. I guess English doesn’t have the ‘cool’ appeal that it does in Japan?
Of course I am only guessing from my limited knowledge of Korea. Maybe someone can enlighten me a bit more?
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I spent one month in Korea this summer, and I didn’t see any “Engrish” or major errors anywhere that I went with the lone exception of on t-shirts. However, I frequently encountered signs in English with numbers to report errors in English on signs or other public information. They said something along the lines of, “Please report errors that you find on signs written in English,” while providing a number like (11)-1111-1111 to call. Perhaps Korea is just more sensitive about it?? I really have no idea, just another random guess…
Funny you should mention this. I just went to a Super H-Mart in Illinois yesterday. I took a picture of a somewhat funny Engrish sign.
Hitting the Korean stores, I find only mildly funny Engrish on Korean products. I think that the Korean Engrish I see isn’t generally of the pants-wetting quality I see on Engrish.com. More like: “Have Fun With Your Friend Choco Boy” and less like: “super best life number one product for eternal happiness”
In America, we call it Coors Light.
I am an EFL teacher in Korea. There are tons of Engrish things, and both English and Engrish are plastered over everything. Just yesterday, though not 100% Engrish, I saw a shirt that said “I rap caucasionally”, and in school, its always fun to find students wearing “F*cking Paradise City” or “Sh*t Happens when you Party Naked” jackets. I think Japan, in general, just happens to have more Engrish. Trust me, the education system is NOT better. Why don’t more Korean things appear on this site? Maybe its because I never bring my camera anywhere! Who knows, but believe me, there is plenty.
All the korean exchange students at my school had better english than the japanese ones lol
If you’re not seeing much engrish from Korea, it’s because you’re not looking in the right places. My son just returned from a one-week engineering conference in Korea and brought a gift with this explanation on the box and is quoted verbatim, even to the punctuation:
The Hahoe Byeolsin Exorcism Masks
This exorcism was originated from Hahoe-ri, Pungchenmyeon, Andongkun, Kyeong-buk, Korea, According to the legend, the Haheo mask was made by a boy named Heo by the revelation og god at the middle age of Koryo Dynasty. However, it is known that the boy was died by the anger of god at the moment when a girl who has beenin one side love made a hole on the door of work and looks at his working on the mask.
Not funny enough to be engrish, but not English either.
Maybe that explains why there’s such a demand for English teachers there.
I send you Engrish from Korea on a reasonably regular basis, but it gets lost under all the other emails you get!
(also I send it under a different name)
Believe me, as an English teacher for four years in Korea, I have seen some fabulous Engrish - and I’m not talking about just store names! My textbooks abound with horrific Engrish (not funny, just … poor).
My current fave Korean Engrish is a t-shirt that has a pic of a toilet on the back, with the words “RELAX - take your time”" beside it.
Ansoni! I have a picture of the “rap caucasionally” shirt from a mall here in Masan!
There is PLENTY of Engrish to be found in Korea! I always get into trouble when I’m there for taking pictures in places I’m not supposed to, like the grocery store.
At a Super H-Mart in Fairfax VA I saw a sign which stated “If want ask spoon at counter”. They meant “ask for a spoon at the counter if needed”. The “counter” is actually the customer service counter located at the other side of the store.
Korean Engrish certainly exists. Super H-Mart is a great source of produce and Korean Engrish.
“passed by our manager”- that is outrageously funny!
I’ve certainly seen strange english configurations on tee shirts worn by Korean tourists to my area