I recall a particular Korean word that I noticed in a movie that I feel it touches my heart anytime I hear it is “Han (한).” A very deeper word with deep meaning one that even many Koreans find hard to explain in English. The first time I heard it properly in a Korean movie called Mr. Sunshine. The old woman in the film talked about “han” when she lost someone dear to her. The way she said it, you could almost feel her pain through the screen.
“Han” may means sadness but still carry a powerful ckind of mix which also explain of sorrow mixed with hope, anger, love, and forgiveness all together. It’s the feeling you get when life has hurt you, show you how harder it is to live, but you still keep going. In Korea, it comes from a long history of suffering war, separation, and lost dreams but also from strength. People carry their “han” quietly and still smile the next day. That’s what makes it powerful.
When I first learned about it, I thought of it that also in Nigeria, we also have something close to that. We may not have a word exactly like it, but we know the feeling. People tend to be strong many times keeping quiet, passing through pains people hide when things go wrong like when someone loses their job or loved one but still shows up strong. That kind of silent strength connects us as humans.
What makes “han” special to me is how it shows that there is still between even when you are sad. It reminds me that pain doesn’t always destroy, it builds us, teach us, give us strength, learn our weakness and sometimes it makes us deeper. Every time I hear that word in a Korean drama, it feels like I understand life a little more.
It's always part of my why I love Korean movies so much it not always about stories, it show us feelings that words alone can’t describe. “Han” is one of those words full of emotion, history, and quiet beauty.
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