Some of the funny things Ive dealt with over the past year in Korea has been getting used to some of the slang here in Korea. While some is really easy to get used to, some others just seem unnecessary.

For example, in the US and other countries, we use our mobile or cell phones extensively. In Korea, the term really isnt used that much. Rather Koreans refer to these devices as handpones (because there is no F sound in Hangeul). Getting used to that term is really easy.

As an active member of the YouTube community, I often refer to my work there as making movies or making videos. However, those terms really dont translate well in Korean culture. What does translate is calling those projects UCCs. The term stands for User Created Content. The abbreviation does make sense, but I do have to admit, that I have a hard time using it. I often speaking about making a video with my ex-pat friends and making UCCs when discussing the topics with Koreans.

One of most aggravating slang terms Ive come across here in Korea is PPT. This term is used to describe Powerpoint presentation. The term is derived from the file extension that Microsoft affixes to its presentation files: presentation1.ppt. The computer geek in me really rebels against falling presentation files PPTs, since there are several different types of programs that can create presentations. Furthermore, I dislike calling anything by its file extension, since they can easily be changed. That being said, PPT is firmly entrenched in the Korean culture and I find myself working today on a PPT file for school.

Another little bit of slang has recently come to my attention: RSP. Anyone who has ever been to Korea, knows that the only game more popular than Soccer and Baseball is Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Seriously.

Any number of things can be won or lost on a simple game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. However, the youngest generation of Koreans seem to think that actually saying Rock, Paper, Scissors takes too long and have shortened it to RSP.

Probably my favorite slang term in Korea is: FIGHTING! This phrase is used for encouragement rather than as a challenge. So if youre out and about at a team sporting event you can use this with pride, knowing that it wont land you in the slammer for trying to instigate a riot.

Music, used with permission from Jason Shaw. (less info)