SATOORI: HOW TO SPEAK KOREAN LIKE A LOCAL

사투리 (satoori) is the Korean word for ‘regional dialect’. It’s a set of words, phrases, grammar, pronunciation patterns that are

unique to a specific region of Korea. A satoori accent is the particular way a person speaks Korean. For example, some satoori accents are slower and more drawn out(늘어지다). Other satoori accents may have different intonations(억양) from the standard dialect. Seoul & Gyeonggi satoori This is the standard Korean dialect that you’ll learn in a Korean textbook or university course. It’s also what you’ll typically hear on news reports or during speeches. Gangwon Satoori It isn’t a very densely populated area of Korea, so the satoori isn’t as distinct or popular as some of the other areas of Korea. Chungcheong satoori Many Koreans think that the Chungcheong accent is one of the kindest-sounding. That is because it sounds slower and not as strong as some of the other dialects.

Gyeongsang satoori

The people in this area speak with a strong and aggressive accent. The highs and lows in speech are much more significant than standard Korean. In this area, men are often thought of as more masculine(남성적인) and 무뚝뚝하다 (muttukttukada | curt). Females with this accent are considered cute.

Jeolla satoori

To ask questions or make suggestions, an ‘잉 (ing)’ sound sometimes appears, so ‘Have you eaten?’ would be pronounced ‘밥 믁어잉 (ap meugeoing)?’ in Jeolla province.

Jeju satoori

Being an island, Jeju’s dialect is even more different than the other Korean dialects. The Jeju dialect is grammatically Korean. However, some of the vocabulary words are so different than even native mainland Koreans can’t understand them!