[NB] The interesting ways Korea counts age

[JJJ]

Article: "They were born on the same day at the same time..." but one is two years old, one is zero years old?

Source: Money Today via Naver

Article is a summary of the confusing way age is counted in Korea and the way it divides who is higher or lower status when it comes to relationships. 

The first concept is 'early year', where if you're born in an earlier month of the year, like February 1989, you'd be considered to be in the same age group as 1988ers and technically older than anyone born in the later months of the same year as you. This especially affects what year students are placed in and who becomes your senior/junior. Someone the same age as you could still be your senior or junior depending on 'early year'. 

The second concept is counting the year you were in the womb and automatically being one when you're born. A child born on December 31st in Korea would become two years in old on January 1st because they were one when they were born and the new year counts as an entire year even though his birthday hasn't passed yet. 

The system is being criticized lately because younger and younger people are using it as a way to establish power over their peers, even counting down to the differences in months. . 

1. [+4,797, -372] I really don't understand why we have the 'early year' concept, someone please explain ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹

2. [+3,979, -195] The product of a Confucianism culture where people believe being older equals power

3. [+3,284, -114] I'm one of those 'early years' but once you actually work in society, none of that matters

4. [+2,769, -145] I really don't get why we have 'early years'

5. [+510, -32] I don't know why we can't just determine age by the year we were born in

6. [+365, -32] 'Early years' are in a tough spot because you don't know whether to speak formally or informally to your peers...

7. [+331, -10] This age concept makes it so hard to make friends... Foreigners just treat everyone on one level as equal friends but Koreans have to treat hyungs differently, friends differently, just too much to consider. 

8. [+337, -15] The concept is so messed up. Someone born in December 2014 has to be the hyung to someone born in March 2015 when they're only 3 months apart but someone born in March 2015 and someone born in December 2015 are considered 'friends/same age' when they're 9 months apart. 

9. [+216, -11] The 'early years' really messes me up... Since my juniors are technically the same age as me but they're still my juniors... it's just a messy situation. 

10. [+198, -15] Yeah, I never know whether to call someone born in the same year as me but considered an 'early year' hyung or not...

[sweetjohoney]

I always found their age system interesting.

[kinjiki]

So retarded.

[Athena]

I was born on Christmas so a week after I was born I would be considered two years old, but their age system is stupid. You can't be one years old when you are born.

[SLEEP TALK]

1. [+4,797, -372] I really don't understand why we have the 'early year' concept, someone please explain ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹

 

mte

[amber oppa]

[Tokki the Awkward Potato]

I was born on Christmas so a week after I was born I would be considered two years old, but their age system is stupid. You can't be one years old when you are born.

[Totoro]

Not even they understand their age concept 

[Alisonn]

I find it interesting when people complain about this.  The concept isn't that hard to grasp, but maybe because I'm Vietnamese and we count age the exact same way.

[YOONGI]

Someone born in December 2014 has to be the hyung to someone born in March 2015 when they're only 3 months apart but someone born in March 2015 and someone born in December 2015 are considered 'friends/same age' when they're 9 months apart. 

 

 

their age system is always messin with my head

[Tee]

This especially affects what year students are placed in and who becomes your senior/junior. Someone the same age as you could still be your senior or junior depending on 'early year'. 

 

This is the same thing that's done in elementary schools in the U.S. (at least where I'm from). I'd imagine it's probably universal. ?? The "cutoff" was in September or whatever. I was born in August and I knew juniors who were only one-three months younger than me.

 

8. [+337, -15] The concept is so messed up. Someone born in December 2014 has to be the hyung to someone born in March 2015 when they're only 3 months apart but someone born in March 2015 and someone born in December 2015 are considered 'friends/same age' when they're 9 months apart. 

 

Mmhmm.

[Kelly]

ehh it's not tht confusing. lol i remember my mom complaining that she had to call her older brother's wife something formal even though they're the same age just cause she's the wife of the oldest child. 

[silicon soul]

The "early year" ONLY makes sense only in places which don’t/can't use a normal calendar year (whatever country’s calendar doesn’t matter). For example in the UK, an entire school year lasts from September - July with August as the summer holidays (I guess its because summer is just for kids to have fun). Thus those born in the previous year or in winter/spring months are obviously gonna be older than summer kids like me but everyone is considered the same year regardless of exact date; my summer birthday was usually right after school ended so I was always one of the youngest in my entire year group and technically graduated each school year 1 year younger than my friends .

 

However, for everything else, early years age is dumb, its never used in post school life in my experience. Jobs dont care, age related things like movie/alcohol dont care when in the year you’re born or even your adult peers. Its kinda pointless ingraining the early year seniority in earlier life when it becomes useless later on.

 

The womb years are even more stupid, you don’t even spend an entire year in the womb - 9 months optimally but even then you could have premature births or complications.

[ANTI-IKON]

I was born on Christmas so a week after I was born I would be considered two years old, but their age system is stupid. You can't be one years old when you are born.

Whatt...so if you are born around Christmas as well, you would add two years to your intl age?    

[Kazuma Kiryu]

Not even they understand their age concept 

[Athena]

This especially affects what year students are placed in and who becomes your senior/junior. Someone the same age as you could still be your senior or junior depending on 'early year'.

 

This is the same thing that's done in elementary schools in the U.S. (at least where I'm from). I'd imagine it's probably universal. ?? The "cutoff" was in September or whatever. I was born in August and I knew juniors who were only one-three months younger than me.

 

8. [+337, -15] The concept is so messed up. Someone born in December 2014 has to be the hyung to someone born in March 2015 when they're only 3 months apart but someone born in March 2015 and someone born in December 2015 are considered 'friends/same age' when they're 9 months apart.

 

Mmhmm.

Yep. The cutoff dates for elementary school really affected me.

[Athena]

Whatt...so if you are born around Christmas as well, you would add two years to your intl age?

I think I would only add one more year to my current age. I'm not sure this is too confusing.

[sane]

A 2 year old new born... 

[Miss.Miss]

Such a complicated system. It's likely to end affecting the way people communicate and form relationships and this idea of always having someone in power in many of the social interactions just seems difficult. It can be a slippery slope as well if someone decides to abuse the power age and seniority gives them. 

[Nikki]

This especially affects what year students are placed in and who becomes your senior/junior. Someone the same age as you could still be your senior or junior depending on 'early year'. 

 

This is the same thing that's done in elementary schools in the U.S. (at least where I'm from). I'd imagine it's probably universal. ?? The "cutoff" was in September or whatever. I was born in August and I knew juniors who were only one-three months younger than me.

 

8. [+337, -15] The concept is so messed up. Someone born in December 2014 has to be the hyung to someone born in March 2015 when they're only 3 months apart but someone born in March 2015 and someone born in December 2015 are considered 'friends/same age' when they're 9 months apart. 

 

Mmhmm.

Yeah. Since I was born in November I started school late and was in the same grade as my cousins who were born in 1986 even though I was born in '85. While my cousin who was born a few months before me was in a grade higher.   So I consider my little cousins the same age as me. LOL

[Ogre Shrek]

Playing devil's advocate here: The gregorian calendar way of counting someone's age is just as arbitrary: a person born in 1990 would be considered a year older than someone born in 1991 even if the former was born 31 Dec & the latter on 1 Jan.

 

It's not the manner by which age is measured in Korea which is the issue (other countries like Vietnam and China do it too). Rather, it's the excessive emphasis placed on seniority that is the key.

[Tee]

A 2 year old new born... 

lol

[s4a]

Playing devil's advocate here: The gregorian calendar way of counting someone's age is just as arbitrary: a person born in 1990 would be considered a year older than someone born in 1991 even if the former was born 31 Dec & the latter on 1 Jan.

 

This. All methods of measuring passing of existence are arbitrary and have their flaws.

 

The main complaint seems to be about the honorifics system overall and not about the actual extra year from conception.

[SchoolNote]

I'm confused just reading about it.

[mystiqurez]

I find it interesting when people complain about this.  The concept isn't that hard to grasp, but maybe because I'm Vietnamese and we count age the exact same way.

you were negged so I +1 you 

 

I think it's because the Koreans are going by the Lunar calendar and it isn't explained using that calendar hence it's confusing for most.  Lunar new year or most commonly known as "Chinese" New Year usually occurs in Feb Gregorian calendar (?) so I guess the Koreans just left it as end of Feb.  They say you've been in the womb for almost a year so close enough, when you're born you're one years old.