왜 한국인들은 처음 만났을 때 나이를 먼저 물어보나요? > 문화/관습

Asking your age in Korean society is ‘How should we treat each other?’ You can think of it as the first step to becoming polite. In Korean, it is used depending on the relationship with the other person. ‘Honorific language’ and ‘Informal language’is clearly divided! 🇰🇷

To be more specific, here are the reasons:

• Criteria for selecting a title: If you know the age, you can decide how to call the other person, such as 'unni', 'hyung', 'sister', or 'oppa'. Conversation becomes much easier when you decide on a title! 🗣️
• Establishing a relationship: Korea has a strong culture of respecting age since ancient times. Because conversation style and tone of voice change depending on age, it is important to check people's ages in order to start a relationship while being polite to each other. 🤝
• Getting to know each other quickly: Once you know the age, you can treat the other person appropriately, which has the advantage of reducing unnecessary misunderstandings and allowing you to become friends faster! 💖

Of course, the younger generation these days pay less attention to age, and sometimes speak informally or become friends from the beginning, but in Korea, age is still an important factor in forming human relationships. 'Cultural Promise' is one of them. 🕰️

If you feel embarrassed later when someone asks your age, “That’s how Korean culture is!” and hand it over lightly! I'm asking because I want to get along better with you, so I hope you don't feel too offended. Okay? 🥰