Hey Korean learners, particularly English-speaking ones! How often do you discover new words in Korean that don't have direct equivalents in English? I've found a few, and I thought I'd share them here.
미련. This is usually translated as "lingering feelings" or "lingering attachment." Sometimes "regrets" is used too, though it's "regrets" in the sense of feeling something was left undone, not "regrets" in the sense of remorse. I'm not even sure that I understand all the subtleties of this word, because English doesn't have a word that corresponds to it precisely.
아쉽다. This word has given me much frustration, because the meaning is hard to pinpoint. Broadly speaking, it's an adjective describing feeling the absence of something, sometimes translated as "it's a shame." Of course, it also has a noun form, 아쉬움. Like "미련," it's often translated as "regrets." I think I understand the basic idea, but the way it's expressed makes it difficult.
엇갈리다. This word has several meanings, but they all seem to be based on the idea of two or more things not meeting while going in different directions. For instance, if one person is walking from Point A to Point B, and another person is walking from Point B to Point A, but they never meet each other along the way, this verb would describe what they did. It also can be used to describe a mixture of different feelings or sensations, such as someone being both happy and sad at the same time. If there are mixed opinions on something, this verb could also be used. It's very interesting. This is only my guess, but perhaps the nuance of it is that both feelings are in effect, but they don't cancel each other out. They're both expressed, but separately.
Those are a few I've found. What are some others that you know of?
Also, any Korean speakers who can explain the words above better than I did are always welcome to clarify them.
