::A Geek in Korea::

The word “생일” is made up of two Korean syllables. “생” (Saeng) is Life, or existence. And “일” (il) means day. So, “생일” (Saeng-il) Life existence day, or birthday. The word “학교” (hakgyo) is school. Following me so far?

Anyway, there is one occasion where students have a swelling amount of school pride. That is on their   “학교 생일”, or “School Birthday”. This phrase is completely nonsensical. A student told me in English, “Thursday is my school’s birthday! I don’t have to go to school on my school’s birthday!”

She’s a very bright girl, and she only speaks English in class, so I knew what she was translating. I had heard it before, but had never thought to stop and correct a student. It’s difficult for students to remember the correct way to say such an expression in English.

“School birthday? So a mommy school and a daddy school went to the school hospital and had a baby school that was born on your school’s birthday? This baby school was born this Thursday?”

I’m not being sarcastic and bad when I explain something like that, despite how it comes off written. By using the expression literally, she saw it was absurd to say it that way in English.

The class laughed and she said, “Hey, wait, school birthday DOESN’T make sense in English, does it?” I don’t think she ever thought about the image before.

I said that, “School opening day anniversary” or “School opening remembrance day” were better. In her credit, she finished telling the story without saying “School birthday” again. I think I’ve corrected her habit of using the expression.