I recently traveled to New York City for a speaking engagement.  In preparation, rather than sitting in my hotel room memorizing my speech, I went for a manicure and pedicure at a midtown salon.  The nail technician was a Korean woman in her mid 50’s or so.  I typically don’t talk much under those circumstances.  Soap bubbles, lotion and someone else’s soft warm hands help me relax, meditate on my life and catch a breath.

But New Yorkers are curious about visitors.  She asked me where I was from, why I was in New York.  Since I was dressed casually I think she was surprised to hear I was in town to give a speech to a group of attorneys. That prompted the typical questions about marital status, kids, and job.  My story is not a short one, and so we ended up deep in conversation.

Her story was not a short one, either.  She came to New York from Korea more than twenty years ago but her English was still heavily accented.  We talked about our lives.  I told her I had been married a while then divorced at 35.  She was still married and her children were now in their twenties.

She told me that Koreans have a word and symbol for all of the decades of life.  The word and the accompanying symbol are supposed to embody the spirit for that point in life.  The message is both practical and philosophical. We agreed that 40 is a pivotal age for a woman, whether you are married and a mother or neither, as I am. When she meditated later on the special word for age 40, she had come to a new acceptance of everything that had happened to her before and since.

I was surprised that I had never heard anything about the Name for Each Age. One of my oldest and dearest friends is originally from South Korea and I have recently become acquainted with an American who has lived in South Korea for more than twenty years. Granted, they are men and average men don’t often talk of such things. But most men I spend time with are thoughtful and contemplative and I’m an attentive listener to stories about different cultures.

It took quite a bit of digging by my friend, Bob, to unearth the details behind what this woman had told me. Bob is a former Big 4 consulting firm partner who is an American living in Korea, teaching at a university. He’s just become a Korean citizen. The nail technician had written out the English phonetic representation of the Korean characters associated with some of the ages we had discussed.  This information was scribbled on a product card from the salon. I took a photo of the ad with the scribbling and sent it to Bob via email.

The history of The Name for Each Age goes way back.  It comes, probably from the period of Korean history known as the Three Nations period around 300 AD or even before.  It was during this period that Confucianism and other artifacts of Chinese culture became welcome (as well as political and military alliances).   As such, the Names and their definitions originate from the Chinese language of that period.

Many Koreans know the names but few, Bob discovered, actually know the original meanings.  This led him to the elders in his neighborhood who have had training in both Chinese characters and Confucianism. Bob told me that their translations into modern Korean were difficult since they had difficulty thinking of modern day Korean words to replace the Chinese.

Keep in mind that in the period this originated few people lived beyond age 35 or 40.

AGE      NAME       한글       MEANING

15        Ge Hak       지학       Age where one recognizes the value of education

20        Yak Kwan   약 관      Age when a boy becomes a man  (Sorry. No equivalent for women)

30         I Lib          이 립       Age to begin your life’s planning

40        Pul Hok      불혹       Age when you have enough experience not to be fooled by others

50        Ji Yung       지영       Age when you begin to understand the Gods thinking  (Note: Not religious Gods but forces of nature.)

60        I Soon        이 순      Age where you have the experience to take in the thoughts of others and determine the best and worst

61       Hwan Gap   환 갑    Notable age as you have now lived through one full cycle of the 12 annual symbols (i.e. Year of the Dragon )

70       Ko He         고희       Age where you are filled with happiness  (Because you are not dead, I guess.)

80       San Su        신수      Meaning for this age and age 90 and 100 is as a title only to signify you have reached this age.

90       Chol Su        졸수        See 80.

100    Sang Su       상 수       See 80, and with additional meaning of exceptionally long life.

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Francine McKenna (@retheauditors on Twitter) has more than twenty-five years of experience in a range of industries in the consulting and professional services environment. She is the Managing Editor of the specialized news site, re: The Auditors, that focuses on the business of the Big 4 audit firms. This site provides essential updates on accounting regulation, auditing, and strategy combined with high- quality, independent, original reporting on the accounting industry. She is a freelance writer with credits in the Financial Times, Accountancy Age, Accountancy Magazine, Internal Auditor Magazine and various financial, media, and technology blogs and has been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Times of London and Chicago Tribune, amongst others. She also blogs at The Huffington Post. She has been interviewed by accounting and social marketing/media sites. Her public speaking credits include private training, university teaching, and speeches for the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, and the Maryland Association of CPAs.

Tagged in: Korean Culture, Life, New York, symbolism