If you read Korean texts, you might have noticed that they use the same word, 푸른, to describe both the sky and the mountains. But how can they be the same color?
Another curious thing about Korean colors is that many Koreans call the green light in a traffic signal 파란불, which literally means blue light. Do they not see the difference between blue and green?
The answer lies in the history and culture of Korean language. In Korean, there are only five native words for colors: 하양 (white), 검정 (black), 노랑 (yellow), 빨강 (red), and 파랑 (blue). All other colors are borrowed from Chinese or other languages. These five native colors have a wider range of meanings than their English counterparts. So when Koreans say 파란색, they are not just referring to blue, but also to shades of green and turquoise.
Not only that, each five native color word has their sibling color words to describe the shade, tone and nuance of the color. For example, while 파란색 refers to a bright blue color, 푸른색 is usually used to describe things in nature like 푸른 하늘 (blue sky), 푸른 바다 (blue sea) and 푸른 산 (green mountain). There’s also 퍼런색 (a purplish-blue color) to describe the color of bruises.
So why do Koreans use 파란색 for green things? One possible explanation is that Koreans perceive colors differently from Westerners. According to some studies, Koreans have a broader category for blue than English speakers, and they tend to focus more on the brightness than the hue of the color. Another possible explanation is that Koreans use 파란색 as a default color word when they are not sure about the exact color name or when they want to emphasize the contrast with other colors. For example, Koreans might say 파란 사과 (blue apple) to contrast it with 빨간 사과 (red apple), even though they know that the apple is actually green
So next time you see a Korean text with 푸른 하늘 or 푸른 산, don't think of them as blue sky or blue mountain. Think of them as expressions of the natural beauty and harmony of Korea.
Comments
Post a Comment