The Korea Herald

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[Korea Quiz] Puppy words

By Korea Herald

Published : Oct. 4, 2023 - 08:11

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Dogs are the most favored companion animals in South Korea, with nearly 75 percent of pet-owning families choosing to raise them.

In the Korean language, the word for dog is "gae," and a puppy is a "gangaji," but there are more affectionate slang terms widely used online.

"Meongmeongi" is a friendly and endearing way to refer to dogs. It's derived from the onomatopoeic representation of the sound dogs make when they bark -- "meongmeong," as heard and perceived by Koreans.

"Daengdaengi" is a more recent term with a similarly friendly connotation, which emerged online from a popular word play on meongmeongi, where "멍멍" is intentionally misspelled "댕댕," which, depending on the font used, can look very similar on a screen.

"Gyeongong" is a term meant to anthropomorphize dogs, with "gyeon" originating from the Chinese character for "dog."

"Nyangi" is an endearing way to refer to cats, the Korean word for which is "goyangi." Street cats or stray cats are commonly referred to as "gil-nyangi," combining the word "gil," which means street in Korean, with nyangi.

Answer: (d)