There was a period of time right after my mum first learned about "your mum" jokes, and she immediately started making them to me and my brother for a while, so I can confirm that lol
I noticed Koreans love puns, but whenever I try to make a pun by saying a similar word, Korean people think I just don't know they right word! They always say 'oooh that's the wrong word, you should've have said this word' and I'm like '....I know I was trying to be funny' hahaha. So I just avoid trying to make jokes hahaha
I gave the eulogy at my father's funeral and literally was making jokes from the lecturn at church. I have a pathological need to lighten the mood. If I ever go to a Korean funeral I'll just stay silent.
Wow! not only is this subject interesting, but it's packed full of Korean sentences and expressions to study. I especially like the side-by-side Korean and English subtitles. Thanks.
One thing I was curious about that wasn’t covered was making self-deprecating jokes about yourself. That’s a large part of my own repertoire, but I always wonder if people would take me seriously if I trotted them out.
Most times they will probably take you seriously because it's part of the culture to be self-deprecating anyway like whenever someone compliments you or thanks you for something. It's expected that you will downplay it that it was nothing, I'll do better next time, or whatever.
I have definitely noticed that bodily functions (especially poop) are a feature of Korean humour and they also seem fond of ‘slapstick’ style comedy. I’m originally from the UK and sometimes Korean humour reminds me of some British humour. In relation to Kdramas and movies Koreans seem to have the ability to bring humour to really ‘dark’ or sad situations. Sometimes I catch myself laughing and then I am reminded that the circumstances the characters are in are actually awful. Is one of the things I love about Korean dramas.
I remember tutoring a kid that recently came from Korea to the US and he was telling me he got into fights with other kids because they were saying your momma jokes and he got so mad. Now I understand why 😂
I am from the Czech Republic and because there were several political regimes in 20. century, we really like to do satiric jokes about politics and so on. Ones I did some jokes about communism connected to North Korea and so on and my Korean friend really didn't catch that. He thought I actually like communism instead of making jokes about that. So I had to explain him that I hate communism and my grandpa was in communist prison when he was young... Since then I am more careful about that. 😅
I have not been to Korea. But one of the thing that attracts me is what I perceive of as their sense of humor. I get my sense of Korean humor from media and professional entertainers. How much different is this from ordinary people? I understand there is a small standup scene, and it seems to me that funny women get to MC almost as much as men, if not more. They seem to have a lot of laughs watching each other get fall down drunk, or make mistakes while showing off. I it looks like part of the drinking culture that performing can be involved and it's always funny, never totally earnest. I really find most of my Korean content related to KPop groups. SHINee Key is pretty deadpan at times. The semi-scripted talk and variety shows often show people fake arguing and attacking each other. When I was a kid we called it "Sounding." I don't know why. They take turns and laugh at the jokes even when they're being teased. This is not cracking jokes with friends, this is professional comedy to a degree. But it's not constricted by the political correctness that destroyed so much humor in America. The can sing, they can dance, they can work as a team, and some of them seem to have taken comedy classes. The famous pratfall/screw up/ bad parody comedy of SHINee over the years is my gold standard. Those guys are like the Marx Brothers meet the Rat Pack. I also used to stay up late watching RUNNING MAN. But on a personal level, I don't think joking with someone you don't know is best way to figure out if you're going to get along.
I'm a Shawol and I find Key hilarious. I think growing up in other countries has influenced his humour in a way that makes it different to a lot of other Koreans. I notice that he often has to reassure people that he's joking because his humour can be so sarcastic and, as you say, deadpan. His mouth certainly gets him into trouble sometimes 😆
I watch a lot of kpop related content and I've definitely seen teasing jokes between people that are really close sometimes, like banter. Dad jokes of course! And of course pop culture reference jokes like movie lines and memes, I think all cultures have those type of jokes. I think those are probably the easiest to land if you can make a reference during really good timing.
I feel like Korean humor is so my style, too. I've never been comfortable with North American sarcasm, depreciation, etc. I am right in there with the poop and fart stories with my besties*, though.😂 I've also noticed a lot of 'dad jokes' or puns I Korean humor, and I love that!!❤
What about puns?! I’m sure I’ve seen kdramas where people’s names get punned on, but do they play with words like we do in English? I’m terrible/excellent* at puns and always find myself punning in whichever language. But very weak and don’t want to get punched (or to offend anyone). *delete as appropriate if you hate/love puns
I've noticed that a lot of humor in shows and stuff usually has to do with someone's appearance. I'll see friends joke that the other is ugly, or make someone act cute when they aren't fond of it, and it's done with good humor, but that's not something you often see an English-speaker joke about.
I talked about this a while ago with my Korean friend. It seems to me that in Korea, everyone is in on the joke. So they laugh together and have fun together. But in America, especially with sarcasm, jokes are actually weapons to make one person look better than another. They’re often about social power and domination rather than humor and having fun.
Not sure whether this is the right place to ask this but seeming as there are a diverse group of people who watch, maybe it's a good idea. I can speak three (kind of four) languages, English as mother tongue, Swedish - fluent, Korean - upper intermediate and my French was intermediate, but through lack of practice, has dropped. I'm of the opinion that when you get to a decent level in a second or third language that your personality comes through in that language. I don't buy this idea that people enjoy speaking other languages because they can 'be a different person'. Korean for me is great because it's active, jokey and there are a lot of idioms that you can use easily. Just the grammar is vast and difficult ㅠㅠ That way of talking appeals to be me in Korean, as that's my personality in English. Swedish is similar, albeit a little more reserved. And when I spoke French, I could put myself in the way I spoke. I ask this as my brother lives in Germany and is intermediate German, but complains that speaking to an average German is boring. He can't put his own personality across in conversations. When he came to Korea recently, and we went hiking up Bukhansan, he noticed that Koreans would comment on me not wearing hiking clothes (just normal sneakers and tracksuit trousers) but would wish us well with a joke and a laugh. He said that wouldn't happen in German, they'd just complain (maybe just a Berlin thing) that you're not dressed properly. Not sure what I'm asking here, just interested to hear ideas of whether you think you are true to your own personality when speaking in second and third languages. Especially conversing in Korean.
It was bugging me for a while, then I forgot about it, but I see it again here and it reminded me. What is the cap brand?! "American" and "68" on the front, and "Scout about. Deout around. For new talent." What the hell is "deout", a French-Canadian hybrid term? Google gives me nothing. Kinda reminds me of old Champion spark plugs merch, lol...
I’m a nurse, but before becoming one, it seemed like mostly guys (like my male family members😂) did body/poop/fart humor, but then I got into nursing and….well….sometimes you just have to laugh. My girlfriends and I hardly ever do that when we’re together though 😂 I have stories to tell though 😂😂 This is interesting!!! Thank you!!
*With the right person* they find it hilarious if you say "혹시..." and then ask something negative. E.g. "혹시... 바보야?" (혹시 is the way of signalling that you're trying to be very polite when you're asking the question, so the contrast is what they find funny).
Japanese culture seems pretty similar to Korean culture. I've found that you can be sarcastic but you need to be a bit obvious about it. No subtlety. And you have to accept that sometimes they won't understand despite how obvious the sarcasm is. Their instinct is to take you literally until they get a feel for your sense of humor. Some people will never pick up on sarcasm. Safest thing is to not be sarcastic but it's a big part of Western humor so I think it just comes out anyway.
I noticed in many K-dramas there is at least one toilet/poop funny scene (or more) 🤣 I mean... they even have a toilet museum?! 😂 Can someone please explain why there is this fascination with poop/toilet humor? 😆🤣
I noticed that among Korean men, 90% of their jokes referred to the male genitalia. At first, a lot of my jokes fell flat, but when I went back and added the word p*nis somewhere into the same jokes, suddenly all the guys laughed their heads off! 고추 때문에 웃겨서 죽겠다^^
Ah that’s great about parent jokes, I hate mom/parent jokes in America, pisses me off (just cause I’ve always been very protective of my mother in every way) so any negative thing about her, joke or not, I will be ready to fight. So I’m glad Koreans don’t do that
My entire humor probably consists of 80% irony, 10% dark humor and 10% puns (which I'm yet unable to make in Korean) 😅 언젠가 한국에 갔다면 완전히 재미없는 사람처럼 보일 것 같아요, 아마 아재개그들을 외워야 돼요.... ㅎㅎ
@@GoBillyKorean I like morbid humor. But I don't see how "You have my sympathy, but hey... at least your family member wasn't killed by a white truck!" doesn't get you punched. 😂
I know of someone whose family member died by being hit by an ambulance....there weren't jokes made at the funeral service so much, but at the wake afterwards, the irony of the person's death was brought up in a humorous way by some, including some members of the deceased's family. For some people, dark humour can be a coping mechanism.
There’s an old famous Mary Tyler Moore episode where a character named Chuckles the Clown died when an elephant sat on him during a parade Mary’s station was reporting all. Everyone but Mary made jokes. She was shocked at their lack of compassion. At the funeral everyone was in serious self control. Until someone read Chuckles’ eulogy. Mary, shocked again, at herself this time, was the only one who couldn’t control her laughter.
Australians love to joke about tragedy and death….TBH I found it quite shocking when I emigrated from the UK but I’m used to it now. I believe it’s meant to be a way of relieving grief or shock.
This is why it's so hard for me to connect with Koreans using Korean. 😢 We have different senses of humor. Plus there aren't some words I that always use in English or if there are, they can be seen as rude. I always feel like I can't be myself. Plus my vocabulary needs expanding. 😅 But that's a discussion for another day.
I do a lot of these collabs in Korean too! But it just depends on what I think the audience will be okay with. You can find the full playlist on my channel :-)
There was a period of time right after my mum first learned about "your mum" jokes, and she immediately started making them to me and my brother for a while, so I can confirm that lol
I noticed Koreans love puns, but whenever I try to make a pun by saying a similar word, Korean people think I just don't know they right word! They always say 'oooh that's the wrong word, you should've have said this word' and I'm like '....I know I was trying to be funny' hahaha. So I just avoid trying to make jokes hahaha
Lolllll this is like every class for me!
I gave the eulogy at my father's funeral and literally was making jokes from the lecturn at church. I have a pathological need to lighten the mood. If I ever go to a Korean funeral I'll just stay silent.
Wow! not only is this subject interesting, but it's packed full of Korean sentences and expressions to study.
I especially like the side-by-side Korean and English subtitles. Thanks.
One thing I was curious about that wasn’t covered was making self-deprecating jokes about yourself. That’s a large part of my own repertoire, but I always wonder if people would take me seriously if I trotted them out.
It's not funny, so get yourself a better humor.
Plenty of people think it’s funny. It depends on how wells it’s executed.
They'll take you seriously sometimes. Just deal with it. You have to be yourself I think.
Most times they will probably take you seriously because it's part of the culture to be self-deprecating anyway like whenever someone compliments you or thanks you for something. It's expected that you will downplay it that it was nothing, I'll do better next time, or whatever.
I have definitely noticed that bodily functions (especially poop) are a feature of Korean humour and they also seem fond of ‘slapstick’ style comedy. I’m originally from the UK and sometimes Korean humour reminds me of some British humour. In relation to Kdramas and movies Koreans seem to have the ability to bring humour to really ‘dark’ or sad situations. Sometimes I catch myself laughing and then I am reminded that the circumstances the characters are in are actually awful. Is one of the things I love about Korean dramas.
totally! even the darkest kdramas have really funny jokes in them. big fan of the slapstick in variety shows and stuff as well
I remember tutoring a kid that recently came from Korea to the US and he was telling me he got into fights with other kids because they were saying your momma jokes and he got so mad. Now I understand why 😂
Kids sometimes say your mom jokes looking to pick fights. If he's obviously getting upset and they don't stop they're just being mean.
I am from the Czech Republic and because there were several political regimes in 20. century, we really like to do satiric jokes about politics and so on. Ones I did some jokes about communism connected to North Korea and so on and my Korean friend really didn't catch that. He thought I actually like communism instead of making jokes about that. So I had to explain him that I hate communism and my grandpa was in communist prison when he was young... Since then I am more careful about that. 😅
THAT is immensely useful! I keep on making jokes, and thats good to know what boundaries i should not cross in Korea, without knowing 😅
I have not been to Korea. But one of the thing that attracts me is what I perceive of as their sense of humor. I get my sense of Korean humor from media and professional entertainers. How much different is this from ordinary people? I understand there is a small standup scene, and it seems to me that funny women get to MC almost as much as men, if not more. They seem to have a lot of laughs watching each other get fall down drunk, or make mistakes while showing off. I it looks like part of the drinking culture that performing can be involved and it's always funny, never totally earnest. I really find most of my Korean content related to KPop groups. SHINee Key is pretty deadpan at times. The semi-scripted talk and variety shows often show people fake arguing and attacking each other. When I was a kid we called it "Sounding." I don't know why. They take turns and laugh at the jokes even when they're being teased. This is not cracking jokes with friends, this is professional comedy to a degree. But it's not constricted by the political correctness that destroyed so much humor in America. The can sing, they can dance, they can work as a team, and some of them seem to have taken comedy classes. The famous pratfall/screw up/ bad parody comedy of SHINee over the years is my gold standard. Those guys are like the Marx Brothers meet the Rat Pack. I also used to stay up late watching RUNNING MAN. But on a personal level, I don't think joking with someone you don't know is best way to figure out if you're going to get along.
I'm a Shawol and I find Key hilarious. I think growing up in other countries has influenced his humour in a way that makes it different to a lot of other Koreans. I notice that he often has to reassure people that he's joking because his humour can be so sarcastic and, as you say, deadpan. His mouth certainly gets him into trouble sometimes 😆
Just another comment. I love the double subtitles, I learn a lot ❤
I watch a lot of kpop related content and I've definitely seen teasing jokes between people that are really close sometimes, like banter. Dad jokes of course! And of course pop culture reference jokes like movie lines and memes, I think all cultures have those type of jokes. I think those are probably the easiest to land if you can make a reference during really good timing.
I feel like Korean humor is so my style, too. I've never been comfortable with North American sarcasm, depreciation, etc. I am right in there with the poop and fart stories with my besties*, though.😂
I've also noticed a lot of 'dad jokes' or puns I Korean humor, and I love that!!❤
omg same, I prefer watching korean variety shows over stand up comediens talk about the same sexual jokes and racist jokes lol
What about puns?! I’m sure I’ve seen kdramas where people’s names get punned on, but do they play with words like we do in English? I’m terrible/excellent* at puns and always find myself punning in whichever language. But very weak and don’t want to get punched (or to offend anyone).
*delete as appropriate if you hate/love puns
Yes, they love dad jokes :) ua-cam.com/video/-JXAb7bm1c8/v-deo.html
Great, so I'll have to adjust my entire sense of humour, basically 😂 Because it's so dry, you couldn't tell I was joking if you don't know me
I have a similar problem, which I chalk up to being from the UK, our sense of humour is often extremely dry lol
I've noticed that a lot of humor in shows and stuff usually has to do with someone's appearance. I'll see friends joke that the other is ugly, or make someone act cute when they aren't fond of it, and it's done with good humor, but that's not something you often see an English-speaker joke about.
Yes, that's a common thing to talk about - not only in jokes. For many visitors it can be a bit of a shock to experience that for the first time.
She seemed like such a respectable young lady until she jumped on the poop joke bandwagon 😂😂
너무 재밌네요
A random question but
동갑이세요
Sorry to know that you got punched for making a joke ( it's kinda funny lol 🤣 )
I talked about this a while ago with my Korean friend. It seems to me that in Korea, everyone is in on the joke. So they laugh together and have fun together. But in America, especially with sarcasm, jokes are actually weapons to make one person look better than another. They’re often about social power and domination rather than humor and having fun.
Not sure whether this is the right place to ask this but seeming as there are a diverse group of people who watch, maybe it's a good idea. I can speak three (kind of four) languages, English as mother tongue, Swedish - fluent, Korean - upper intermediate and my French was intermediate, but through lack of practice, has dropped. I'm of the opinion that when you get to a decent level in a second or third language that your personality comes through in that language. I don't buy this idea that people enjoy speaking other languages because they can 'be a different person'. Korean for me is great because it's active, jokey and there are a lot of idioms that you can use easily. Just the grammar is vast and difficult ㅠㅠ That way of talking appeals to be me in Korean, as that's my personality in English. Swedish is similar, albeit a little more reserved. And when I spoke French, I could put myself in the way I spoke. I ask this as my brother lives in Germany and is intermediate German, but complains that speaking to an average German is boring. He can't put his own personality across in conversations. When he came to Korea recently, and we went hiking up Bukhansan, he noticed that Koreans would comment on me not wearing hiking clothes (just normal sneakers and tracksuit trousers) but would wish us well with a joke and a laugh. He said that wouldn't happen in German, they'd just complain (maybe just a Berlin thing) that you're not dressed properly. Not sure what I'm asking here, just interested to hear ideas of whether you think you are true to your own personality when speaking in second and third languages. Especially conversing in Korean.
It was bugging me for a while, then I forgot about it, but I see it again here and it reminded me. What is the cap brand?! "American" and "68" on the front, and "Scout about. Deout around. For new talent." What the hell is "deout", a French-Canadian hybrid term? Google gives me nothing. Kinda reminds me of old Champion spark plugs merch, lol...
재미있어요! Very interesting :)
Down in the southern part of the USA they use sarcasm... It may sound like a compliment but it's really not. Exam: Bless your pea picking heart.
I’m a nurse, but before becoming one, it seemed like mostly guys (like my male family members😂) did body/poop/fart humor, but then I got into nursing and….well….sometimes you just have to laugh. My girlfriends and I hardly ever do that when we’re together though 😂 I have stories to tell though 😂😂
This is interesting!!! Thank you!!
*With the right person* they find it hilarious if you say "혹시..." and then ask something negative. E.g. "혹시... 바보야?" (혹시 is the way of signalling that you're trying to be very polite when you're asking the question, so the contrast is what they find funny).
Gosh, us Scots are scuppered if we go to Korea. All our humour isn't acceptable. 🤣🤣
Japanese culture seems pretty similar to Korean culture. I've found that you can be sarcastic but you need to be a bit obvious about it. No subtlety. And you have to accept that sometimes they won't understand despite how obvious the sarcasm is. Their instinct is to take you literally until they get a feel for your sense of humor. Some people will never pick up on sarcasm. Safest thing is to not be sarcastic but it's a big part of Western humor so I think it just comes out anyway.
I’d say that “Your mum” jokes are really offensive in the U.K. too…
Maybe because you find yourself at the receiving end a lot perhaps ? 🤔
Korean are respectful even with their jokes :)
Yeah
I noticed in many K-dramas there is at least one toilet/poop funny scene (or more) 🤣 I mean... they even have a toilet museum?! 😂 Can someone please explain why there is this fascination with poop/toilet humor? 😆🤣
I noticed that among Korean men, 90% of their jokes referred to the male genitalia. At first, a lot of my jokes fell flat, but when I went back and added the word p*nis somewhere into the same jokes, suddenly all the guys laughed their heads off! 고추 때문에 웃겨서 죽겠다^^
My father in law’s nickname is 사기꾼. He always find it hilarious when I call him that. I have told strangers about this and they are mortified 😂
Ah that’s great about parent jokes, I hate mom/parent jokes in America, pisses me off (just cause I’ve always been very protective of my mother in every way) so any negative thing about her, joke or not, I will be ready to fight. So I’m glad Koreans don’t do that
My entire humor probably consists of 80% irony, 10% dark humor and 10% puns (which I'm yet unable to make in Korean) 😅
언젠가 한국에 갔다면 완전히 재미없는 사람처럼 보일 것 같아요, 아마 아재개그들을 외워야 돼요.... ㅎㅎ
I'm trying really hard to imagine a funeral (anywhere on this planet) where jokes are appreciated. Maybe that of a deceased stand-up comedian? 🤔
It's fairly common in many English speaking countries to make morbid humor, especially among people who are close.
@@GoBillyKorean I like morbid humor. But I don't see how "You have my sympathy, but hey... at least your family member wasn't killed by a white truck!" doesn't get you punched. 😂
I know of someone whose family member died by being hit by an ambulance....there weren't jokes made at the funeral service so much, but at the wake afterwards, the irony of the person's death was brought up in a humorous way by some, including some members of the deceased's family. For some people, dark humour can be a coping mechanism.
There’s an old famous Mary Tyler Moore episode where a character named Chuckles the Clown died when an elephant sat on him during a parade Mary’s station was reporting all. Everyone but Mary made jokes. She was shocked at their lack of compassion. At the funeral everyone was in serious self control. Until someone read Chuckles’ eulogy. Mary, shocked again, at herself this time, was the only one who couldn’t control her laughter.
Australians love to joke about tragedy and death….TBH I found it quite shocking when I emigrated from the UK but I’m used to it now. I believe it’s meant to be a way of relieving grief or shock.
I know you did BTS Korean now can you do ATEEZ and Stray Kids please? :)
I see so many scenes with physical humor or people literally falling on the floor laughing. Does that really happen irl?
On TV, of course :-)
Well Billy most people that are 6'4" 280lb pretty much says what they want. Nobody wants too fight a bigfoot except another bigfoot.
I can't be the only one who wants to know what Billy said to get punched, because physical violence is not really a thing in Korea.
It is definitely a thing in Korea :o
I hate sarcasm anyway. It always comes off as condescending and disrespectful.
This is why it's so hard for me to connect with Koreans using Korean. 😢 We have different senses of humor. Plus there aren't some words I that always use in English or if there are, they can be seen as rude. I always feel like I can't be myself.
Plus my vocabulary needs expanding. 😅 But that's a discussion for another day.
Is it possible to do these collabs entirely in Korean? I find the switching back to English kind of jarring.
I do a lot of these collabs in Korean too! But it just depends on what I think the audience will be okay with. You can find the full playlist on my channel :-)
Many thanks