Although I speak Korean fairly OK, I don't speak it to my kids all that much. But there are a few words that I use consistently and I thought I'd share them here!
gee gee 지지 (pronounced like the letter G x 2) = dirty.
We say this one ALL the time in our household. And according to the preschool teacher, Christian (bit over 3 years old) says it all the time at school too! She was like, he says everything is gee gee! =) This word is just so fun to say. Dirty hands = gee gee! Dirty clothes = gee gee! Poop-y diaper = gee gee! Don't touch that! It's gee gee!
ah ttuh 아뜨 (short for 아 뜨거워 = That's hot!)
This one gets used a lot during mealtime. Christian has a tendency to shove things into his mouth without considering their temperature. A stern warning of ah ttuh usually does the trick so that he doesn't burn his mouth or tongue!
mem-me 맴매-not sure of the Korean spelling (spanking)
We don't spank that much in our household but there are times when we feel that it's called for. It's actually not the spanking itself but the warning of one that helps Christian behave better. I would say something like, "Appa's going to give you a mem me unless you clean up your toys!" When he knows he's been bad, he'll even say, "Don't give me mem me..." with that pouty puppy dog face that we can't resist...
mam-ma 맘마 (food)
I used this more when Christian was little... especially when feeding him his first solids. I'd say "Mam ma muck ja!" (Let's eat food!) as I got ready to feed him some finger foods or purred foods. I'd ask if he looked hungry, "Mam ma muck ul leh? (Do you want some food?). It's another fun word to say but it also sounds a lot like mama if you use that word for mommy in your house. We used umma so wasn't a problem for us. =)
What, if any, baby words did or do you use?
- Mary
