[I Cook With A Flashlight]

Now you know how Japanese people feel when people scream KAWAII all over the place.

[Irrationallyrational]

I can't believe everyone has a problem with this. I mean I might but I swear I've never heard a non-Korean use those terms ever. This whole topic is new to me.

But the Kawaii thing..damn that ticks me off sometimes.

[lovebaby]

It's the same with otakus and their excessive "kawaii" and stuff like that. I personally have never heard anyone uses the Korean honorifics. My friends who are also K-pop fans, and I only refer to the artists as their first names, I guess because we're not very affected by Korean culture.

[adiavoy]

Yeah... people really shouldn't overSHOUT the word "kawaii" especially if you aren't Japanese... I find it weird when some people call their favorite artists, or people they met over the internet, unnie or oppa.. most likely they aren't even Korean. You should probably only use Korean honorifics to family/close friends. OH, and I have a perfect example... some girls on soompi always say "Oh Taemin(from Shinee) noona is here for you!" or something similar. I find that way odd too.

[vuemt]

hello! i'm not korean but yes i do watch alot of korean dramas.
and i think its adorable when a girl calls a guy "oppa"! but with a
squeaky voice....thats a different story!! =] and i love it when little boys
calls older girls noona. its just sooo cute!

[iangel]

OP: are you korean? maybe she's just trying to impress you. lol

I think it's fine that Korean ppl use it. And ya it's weird when other ppl use it.
Unless they are learning Korean or something...

plus, I'm sure there exist a word with the same meaning in every language.
And if you don't know your mother tongue, just stick with English, plain and simple.

[misaberry]

yeaaaah, i totally know what you mean.
esp. when people who aren't even korean overuse it to sound cute.

OPPA~~~~!!!

dfjgskdljglfkjg grrr

now that i think about it, i overuse unnie for a certain friend
ahehee


oh yeah, tihs is the same as KAWAIIIIIIII

[xthefirst]

Hm, I just use it jokingly sometimes with a few close friends. But I definitely don't say it that often.

[kibum-LOVE]

guilty.
like really bad. i mean not really bad, but im viet and the reason why i think people use it all the time is its been totally comercialised in the korean drama entertainment industry. and in kdramas, girls who call the guys oppa are ALWAYS cared for and its such an affectionate term. personally, i love the word oppa. its like my favourite word, ever. i call everything oppa, like my pencil, my desk, my books lol.

i DO get annoyed when you cant pull it off but if you can then its fine. i do however get annoyed at kawaii because that just cant be pulled off. by anyone. i dont actually call anyone oppa except for my guy bestfriend? i have a bunch of korean guy friends but i never call them that, just my bestfriend. and we're just so used to it now, its like in place of his name? whenever i call him by his real name now he looks at me weird and once we had a fight and then i didnt call him oppa but then when we apologised then i called him oppa and he was like 'oh good, you still call me oppa'

i think koreas really lucky to have words that other cultures like to use. its all about multiculturalism and breaking down barriers. if people say that, then how come no one objects to asians liking american entertainment or japanese liking korean things or even getting pasta and spaghetti. i dont think people should be saying 'stick to your own cultures vocab' because that the root of all racism.

however, when im whining or telling my bestfriend off, it does take a high pitched girly tone, but then again, even if i DIDNT use oppa, itd be the same tone, except with his name.

bottom line, if you dont feel comfortable with it, ask them to stop. if you wanna use it, then ask them if you can.

[Bonsaitea]

I've never even heard korean people use it! lol.

I watched coffee prince before where the girl keeps calling the guy "ahjusshi" (i think...) and i had no idea what she was saying cause they didn't bother translating that because i guess they just assumed everyone knew what it meant.


i didn't know foreigners would use it. is it like wapanese overusing "chan"?

[I Cook With A Flashlight]

guilty.
like really bad. i mean not really bad, but im viet and the reason why i think people use it all the time is its been totally comercialised in the korean drama entertainment industry. and in kdramas, girls who call the guys oppa are ALWAYS cared for and its such an affectionate term. personally, i love the word oppa. its like my favourite word, ever. i call everything oppa, like my pencil, my desk, my books lol.

i DO get annoyed when you cant pull it off but if you can then its fine. i do however get annoyed at kawaii because that just cant be pulled off. by anyone. i dont actually call anyone oppa except for my guy bestfriend? i have a bunch of korean guy friends but i never call them that, just my bestfriend. and we're just so used to it now, its like in place of his name? whenever i call him by his real name now he looks at me weird and once we had a fight and then i didnt call him oppa but then when we apologised then i called him oppa and he was like 'oh good, you still call me oppa'

i think koreas really lucky to have words that other cultures like to use. its all about multiculturalism and breaking down barriers. if people say that, then how come no one objects to asians liking american entertainment or japanese liking korean things or even getting pasta and spaghetti. i dont think people should be saying 'stick to your own cultures vocab' because that the root of all racism.

however, when im whining or telling my bestfriend off, it does take a high pitched girly tone, but then again, even if i DIDNT use oppa, itd be the same tone, except with his name.

bottom line, if you dont feel comfortable with it, ask them to stop. if you wanna use it, then ask them if you can.

What are you trying to say? I have to ask a japanese person to speak japanese? And how do you pull a word off? Explain how I am supposed to "pull off" kawaii? Is it only restricted to japanese people?

[Hongki.love]

Lol, I agree, a lot of teen girls like to use the phrase 'oppa'. x]

And as you said, I don't see the problem using it to address celebrities.
I guess it does get overused at times.
It's kind of like the teenage girls' way of being cute and somewhat flirty with older guys, hahah.
But I don't really get annoyed by it. ^^

Personally, I don't use it at all...because most of the people I know are just straight out English-speaking people.
But when my fangirl-ness takes over me...HONGKI OPPA! Lol. x]

[LennyRin]

hrm.. it used to bug me alot.. but ive been around so many korean people that whenever im around them it just comes out naturally.. not calling them oppa or unnie.. but just letting korean words slip.. for ex: whenever i go to the korean restaurant in my neighborhood.. i tend to speak to them in konglish cuz the people who own the store are elder and sometimes dont understand what we're saying.. and when i leave ill say khamsahamnida.. or when i get there i say annyonghaseyo.. etc. im not korean but i do get mistaken to be it.. and i dont call someone oppa or unnie unless they tell me its okay to.. my convo partner asked me to call him oppa.. so i do but never to a stranger.. idk.. and i dont talk in that annoying high pitched voice.. i wouldnt call myself "wannabe" .. idk.. i dont know what to call it.. eh.. idk.. haha.. but i think using it how i do is fine.. as long as you dont over do it..

also i only speak korean to my non korean friends who are taking korean class.. just to practice conversing.. if it truly offends people.. i apologize.. but how else are we gonna learn? .. i have a lot of respect for different cultures and enjoy learning the language and culture/traditions.. i wouldnt classify myself as a wannabe...

Lol, I agree, a lot of teen girls like to use the phrase 'oppa'. x]

And as you said, I don't see the problem using it to address celebrities.
I guess it does get overused at times.
It's kind of like the teenage girls' way of being cute and somewhat flirty with older guys, hahah.
But I don't really get annoyed by it. ^^

Personally, I don't use it at all...because most of the people I know are just straight out English-speaking people.
But when my fangirl-ness takes over me...HONGKI OPPA! Lol. x]

agreed.. fangirling gets us all the time haha LOL

[mikk]

i have this friend who will cann anyone oppa or unnie. i mean, i know it's respectful in a way but.. it's like the.. i-met-you-one-second-ago, i-found-youre-older-than-me-so-ill-call-you-oppa-even-if-i-dont-even-know-you. sometimes it gets reallly annoying. she uses kkot-so-ree when she says it too =_=

[shining_star[:]

eh im sorry but whats kawaii? i see it all over this forum sometimes xD

[eternal_bliss]

eh im sorry but whats kawaii? i see it all over this forum sometimes xD

Basically the Japanese word for 'cute'.

It does bug me that they have to try to hard to fit into a different culture. It's fine if someone occasionally uses it but overusing it is annoying.

[dabombhomiez]

I can't believe everyone has a problem with this. I mean I might but I swear I've never heard a non-Korean use those terms ever. This whole topic is new to me.

But the Kawaii thing..damn that ticks me off sometimes.

Yo wordddd Kawaii pisses me off too ...I feel you irrationallyrational.

[cocainerror]

I know this Chinese girl who uses "Omo" at the beginning of every sentence.

Holy shiz yes. I absolutely hate it when people use omo and they are obviously not Korean. I don't even like it when Koreans use it. It sounds old to me or just over exaggerated when that event they are facing isn't even something to react to.

I hate it when it's over used. That is all. In Korea it's natural so it wouldn't seem so annoying but over here it's a foreign word and even I am not so used to hearing it around so it's not really a word you'd go blasting around. That's why it can get annoying.

[AyaDoll]

I DEFENETLY DISAGREE with u !
its not that ppl use those term on perpose to annoy u or to be wannabe its just that she/he hears it a lot (if she/he interested in kpop) and it becomes a habbit! nothing to be freaked about!!!
just coz its korean terms doesnt mean that ONLY koreans can use it,u urself korean and u use english terms as well in ur everyday caonversations,its NOT a crime to repet something u hear or like!!!

[ovaltinejenkins]

NO ONE calls me unni or nuna... a long time ago, it didn't bother me, but then these kids who are like 2-3 years younger than me at church call my cousin, who is a year younger than me unni and nuna. grrrrr =___=

i NEVER call anyone oppa! only my brother;;; i think its kind of awkward otherwise.
but i do call people unni, just because i do respect them. if theres a girl that's older than me, but acts my age, i don't call them unni...