Moving Day in Korea? 📦 Let’s Talk Dates!

Hello! It’s Daily Hangul, here to upgrade your Korean skills! 👋✨

Have you ever watched a K-Drama where the main character moves to a new rooftop apartment? 🏠 Moving is a huge event in Korea, often symbolizing a fresh start! Today, we are going to learn how to talk about dates, specifically focusing on setting a moving day.

Numbers can be tricky, but don’t worry! I’ll make it super easy for you. Let’s get ready to move! 🚚💨

🔑 Core Expressions

1. 언제 이사해요? (When are you moving?)

• Pronunciation: [Eonje isahaeyo?]
• English: When are you moving?
• Explanation:
  • 언제 (Eonje): When
  • 이사해요 (Isahaeyo): To move (house).
  • This is a polite way to ask about someone’s schedule. You will hear “Eonje” a lot in dramas when friends make plans!

2. 10월 24일에 가요. (I’m going on October 24th.)

• Pronunciation: [Si-wol isip-sa-ire gayo]
• English: I am going on October 24th.
• Explanation:
  • Korean dates use Sino-Korean numbers (Il, I, Sam, Sa…).
  • Month: Number + 월 (wol)
  • Day: Number + 일 (il)
  • Particle: ~에 (e) marks the time/date.

💡 Pronunciation Tip:
Watch out for October (10월)! Normally 10 is ‘Sip’, but for October, we drop the ‘p’ to make it smoother. So it is Si-wol, not Sip-wol!
Also, when saying the day 일 followed by 에, the sounds link together. 24일에 sounds like [Isip-sa-i-re].

3. 손 없는 날 (Handless Day / Auspicious Day)

• Pronunciation: [Son eomneun nal]
• English: A lucky day for moving (Lit. Day without hands)
• Explanation:
  • This is a unique cultural term! “Hands” refer to evil spirits that follow you. A “Handless day” means the spirits are gone, so it’s the best day to move. Moving costs are often more expensive on these days!

💬 Real Dialogue

Let’s see how two friends, Minji and Jason, talk about moving.

Minji: 제이슨, 언제 이사해요?
(Jason, when are you moving?)
[Jeiseun, eonje isahaeyo?]

Jason: 다음 주 금요일에 해요. 11월 5일이에요.
(I’m doing it next Friday. It is November 5th.)
[Daeum ju geumyoire haeyo. Sibi-rwol o-irieyo.]

Minji: 오, 도와줄까요?
(Oh, shall I help you?)
[O, dowajulkkayo?]

Jason: 괜찮아요! 이사 후에 짜장면 같이 먹어요! 🍜
(It’s okay! Let’s eat Jajangmyeon together after moving!)
[Gwaenchannayo! Isa hue Jjajangmyeon gachi meogeoyo!]

🇰🇷 Culture Tip: Moving Day Food

Did you notice Jason mentioned Jajangmyeon (Black Bean Noodles)? 🍜

In Korea, on moving day, people are too busy to cook and all the pots are packed in boxes. So, it is a tradition to order Jajangmyeon delivery! It’s cheap, fast, and delicious. If you ever move in Korea, or help a friend move, you MUST eat this! It tastes better after hard work. 😉

📝 Wrap-up & Quiz

Great job today! Now you can tell your friends when you are moving or traveling. Remember, for dates, use Sino-Korean numbers (Il, I, Sam…)!

Let’s practice! (True or False)

1. To say “October”, you pronounce it as [Sip-wol]. (O / X)
2. “언제 (Eonje)” means “Where”. (O / X)
3. Koreans usually eat Pizza on moving day. (O / X)

Happy studying! See you next time! 안녕! 👋

[Answers]
1. X (It is [Si-wol])
2. X (It means “When”)
3. X (We eat Jajangmyeon!)