The Oxford English Dictionary, the English dictionary published by the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, has newly added words from Korean culture such as ‘ramyeon’(ramyeon), ‘haenyeo’(haenyeo), and ‘sunbae’(sunbae).

Ji-eun Care (Korean name Cho Ji-eun), a professor in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford and the OED Korean consultant, said on the 7th (local time) that eight Korea-related words, including ‘bingsu’(bingsu), ‘jjimjilbang’(jjimjilbang), ‘ajumma’(ajumma), ‘Korean barbecue’(Korean barbecue), and ‘officetel’(officetel), had been added.

Following seven additions last year, including ‘dalgona’(dalgona), ‘maknae’(maknae), and ‘tteokbokki’(tteokbokki), new Korea-related words have been added for the second consecutive year.

First published in 1884, the Oxford English Dictionary, an authoritative dictionary of the English-speaking world, now operates as an online platform and is updated regularly. Korea-related entries have increased significantly since the 2000s under the influence of Hallyu. In 2021, 26 were added, including ‘daebak’(daebak) and ‘oppa’(oppa).

The newly added words this time are also those whose frequency of use has risen with the influence of Hallyu. ‘ramyeon’ and ‘haenyeo’ fall into this category. The Japanese-origin ‘ramen’(ramen) and the Japanese divers ‘ama’(ama) had been included earlier.

Care explained, “We tried to include haenyeo a few years ago as well, but it was not easy due to the limited amount of research and materials available in English,” and “Recently, with a drama featuring haenyeo, awareness of haenyeo and references in the English-speaking world have increased, which made inclusion easier.”

‘jjimjilbang’, ‘bingsu’ were also included as mentions increased with the popularity of K-culture.

‘sunbae’, whose meaning differs from the English ‘senior’(senior), was also added. Terms for titles or relationships that do not exist in English, such as ‘nuna’, ‘maknae’, and ‘hyeong’, continue to be added.

Although ‘galbi’(galbi), ‘samgyeopsal’(samgyeopsal), and ‘bulgogi’(bulgogi) are already listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, this time ‘Korean barbecue’ was added. As a related record, the sentence “A Korean barbecue dinner was served” from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, a Hawaii daily, in 1938 was presented.

Care said, “Once a word makes it into the Oxford English Dictionary, it is not deleted even if, over time, it falls out of use; it remains forever,” adding, “Leaving a trace in English, a global language, has important meaning for future generations.”

She added, “For Hallyu to have a long-lasting impact, there needs to be a great deal of book publication and research output in the English-speaking world.”