Twenty-fucking-eight
Apparently the Sino-Korean numbers 10, 18 and 28 – ship, shipbal and ishipbal – are very rude in Korean. I don’t know the exact meanings but they’re along the lines of ‘fuck’.
In my Korean class today one of the students was asked what shoes are. He knew the answer – shinbal – but couldn’t remember it and ended up saying ‘shipbal’. It was an amusing moment, and the teacher gave him the finger in response.
A little while ago I went to see Night at the Museum at Lotte Mart. I could see from the poster that its Korean title wasn’t just a Koreanisation of its English title – naiteu at deo myujieom, or something – and there weren’t any leaflets for it either, so I tried to ask by starting time. 18:10.
Because Koreans are a year old when they’re born and they add another year each New Year, I’m now 32 – even though I’m still only 30 in real years. My friend Sue is now 28.
Walking Commentary