Friday, December 07, 2018

Does 깡통을 차다 mean "kick the can"?

ANSWER: maybe but probably not

깡통 is the Korean word for tin can. 깡 is the Korean pronunciation of the English word can, and 통 (筒) is the Sino-Korean word for can, so 깡통 is just the combination of the two words.

Just before, during, and after the Korean war, American soldiers and others brought a lot of canned foods to Korea, and many displaced Koreans and orphaned children would collect the empty cans to use as begging bowls, often wearing the empty cans on their bodies in some way.

Though the verb 차다 can mean to kick, it can also mean to wear or to carry. When Koreans hear the expression 깡통 차다, they are more likely to associate it with begging and bankruptcy than with kicking a can.


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