That image is from September 30, 1988, during the Seoul Olympics. Did anyone else know the use of 'fighting' in Korean to mean 'go for it' or 'good luck' dated back that far?
Oh, wow, I always thought it was spelled differently. I always figured they'd use a "p" instead of an "h." Sorry, I still need to figure out how to use Korean on my keyboard.
So I guess the obvious question now is when was the first time "fighting" was used in Korea?
Could it be similar to "Ganbatte!" or "Ganbarre!" in Japanese, which, though often mistranslated as "Good Luck" actually means "Work Hard" or "Give it your all"?
To me, it seems that it could be an adoption of the English term typically used by armed forces divisions to express 'die hard' commitment as a singular team, as in the "Fighting Fifth" marines, etc.
@Japonymous Judging from the times I heard "Ganbatte" or "Ganbarre" used when I lived in Japan, and from the times I've heard my Korean friends use "Fighting," I'd say they're used about the same way. Granted, there's a little bit of a politeness difference with the "-te" and "-re" endings. I honestly have no idea how politeness factors into "fighting."
Keep in mind that I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure you'd use it in the same instances.
I'm not sure when it originated, but did a quick search and found the 1982 advertisement seen here for 화이팅-씨, a health drink for athletes, which says at the top 'I came, I fought, I conquered.'
The first time I heard it (as a cheer) was in '98 at an English camp. At the time, though, I misheard them and kept thinking "Why does everyone want to be the White Team?"
'Fighting Korea!'
I did not, but at the time I was relatively new to the country.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, I always thought it was spelled differently. I always figured they'd use a "p" instead of an "h." Sorry, I still need to figure out how to use Korean on my keyboard.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess the obvious question now is when was the first time "fighting" was used in Korea?
Could it be similar to "Ganbatte!" or "Ganbarre!" in Japanese, which, though often mistranslated as "Good Luck" actually means "Work Hard" or "Give it your all"?
ReplyDeleteTo me, it seems that it could be an adoption of the English term typically used by armed forces divisions to express 'die hard' commitment as a singular team, as in the "Fighting Fifth" marines, etc.
ReplyDeleteThat's just my intuition, though.
@Japonymous
ReplyDeleteJudging from the times I heard "Ganbatte" or "Ganbarre" used when I lived in Japan, and from the times I've heard my Korean friends use "Fighting," I'd say they're used about the same way. Granted, there's a little bit of a politeness difference with the "-te" and "-re" endings. I honestly have no idea how politeness factors into "fighting."
Keep in mind that I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure you'd use it in the same instances.
I thought the term was much older, originating closer to the Korean War.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure when it originated, but did a quick search and found the 1982 advertisement seen here for 화이팅-씨, a health drink for athletes, which says at the top 'I came, I fought, I conquered.'
ReplyDeleteI never heard anyone saying it back then. I first started hearing it around 2002.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I heard it (as a cheer) was in '98 at an English camp. At the time, though, I misheard them and kept thinking "Why does everyone want to be the White Team?"
ReplyDelete