Black Day in Korea: The Holidays for Singles
Learn About the Unique Significance of Black Day in Korea
Black Day could be translated to Singles Day in Korea.
👉 It is an unofficial holiday celebrated by the many singles in Korea who are tired of all the couple-oriented holidays like Valentine’s Day and White Day.
Black Day is celebrated every April 14th.
Let’s dive into the intriguing world of Black Day in Korea!
⬇️ Interested in one of the sections below? Clicking on the link will take you straight there!
Black Day in Korea | How Do Koreans Celebrate Black Day?
Black Day in Korea | The History of 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon)
Black Day in Korea | What Other Foods Do Koreans Eat on Black Day
Black Day in Korea | FAQ
Black Day in Korea | How Do Koreans Celebrate Black Day
👉 블렉데이 (blek-dei) – Black Day is the day singles celebrate not being in a relationship.
This unofficial holiday began as a sad day to mourn being single.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated around the world on February 14th. In Korea, ladies will gift chocolates and presents to their partners on this day.
Asians celebrate another day called White Day on the 14th of March.
This is the day gents will gift candies and presents in return. After two months of couples celebrating love, it’s time for the singles to celebrate their ‘not in a relationship’ day. To contradict White Day, the day is called Black Day. Thus, this day is celebrated on the 14th of April.
✨ In the beginning, 블렉데이 (blek-dei) – Black Day was mostly celebrated with a group of single friends. They will gather and eat 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon) a black sauce noodle that Koreans enjoy eating regularly.
Since the color of 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon) is black, this seemed to be the most appropriate food to eat celebrating 블렉데이 (blek-dei) – Black Day.
However, in modern days, it isn’t a sad day to mourn but rather a joyful day to embrace being single.
👉 Now, people usually celebrate this day with family members and close friends. Eating 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon) is an essential part of the day so restaurants selling 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon) are bustling on this day.
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Black Day in Korea | The History of 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon)
✨ Touching on a little history of 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon), this black noodle is derived from a Chinese dish called Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面).
We still refer to this as a part of 중화요리 (joong-hwa yo-ri) meaning Korean style Chinese food. The Korean 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon) uses the same base sauce as the original Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面).
However, the method and taste differ greatly. The Korean version is sweet and more drenched in sauce. In the old days, the most popular food for eating out was 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon).
This black noodle is still a popular choice for kids and adults alike due to the savory flavor that Koreans can’t get enough of.
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👉 Nowadays 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon) is often enjoyed as a go-to delivery food rather than something you would dine out. Also, this black noodle is a traditional food to eat when you move to a new place.
The first delivery meal you will order after moving into a new place is
짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon).
This is due to the convenience of the swift delivery when you are surrounded by a large amount of stuff to clean and organize in your new house. You can quickly eat and clean up hassle-free.
If you plan on trying 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon) at a Korean restaurant, here is how to order a bowl.
짜장면 한그릇 주세요
(jja-jiang-myeon han gu-rut joo-se-yo)✨ If you are at a restaurant, always use the formal way to order.
We don’t use the most formal or casual way. The more formal way that we generally use for any occasion is the best way to order at a restaurant.
If you want to ask a friend to eat 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon), here is the right way to suggest.
Example: Let’s go eat black noodles.
짜장면 먹으러 가요
(jja-jiang-myeon mu-gu-reo ga-yo)짜장면 먹으러 가자
(jjia-jiang-myeon mu-gu-reo ga-ja)This is a commonly used form in Korean but can be tricky.
먹으러 가다 (mu-gu-reo-ga-da) go to eat
This is called the V-(으)러 가다 grammar – go (somewhere) to do something
You use a verb in the front like 먹다 (to eat) like in the example above.
먹으러 가요 (mu-gu-reo ga-yo) is the formal conjugated form and 먹으러 가자 (mu-gu-reo-ga-ja) is the casual conjugated form.
🔎 Only movement verbs could be used after the action verb for this grammar form.
For example:
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 오다 | o-da | come |
| 와요 | wa-yo | formal conjugated form for 오다 |
| 와 | wa | casual conjugated form for 오다 |
You are inviting someone to come eat black noodles instead of going together.
Example: Come to eat black noodles.
짜장면 먹으러 와요
(jja-jiang-myeon mu-gu-reo ga-yo)짜장면 먹으러 와
(jja-jiang-myeon mu-gu-reo wa)| Korean | transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 다니다 | da-ni-da | go around |
| 다녀요 | da-nyeo-yo | formal conjugated form for 다니다 |
| 다니자 | da-ni-ja | casual conjugated form for 다니다 |
Example: Let’s go eat black noodles
짜장면 먹으러 다녀요
(jja-jiang-myeon mu-gu-reo da-nyo-yo)짜장면 먹으러 다니자
(jja-jiang-myeon mu-gu-reo da-ni-ja)✨ Although this translates to going to eat black noodles it means to travel around to eat black noodles: Meaning to find good restaurants and try out several restaurants in a day.
Here is another way to suggest eating 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon) – “Do you want to go eat black noodles?”
| Korean | transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 짜장면 먹을 래요? | jja-jang-myeon mu-geul-rae-yo | Would you like to eat jjajangmyeon? (more formal) |
| 짜장면 먹을래? | jja-jang-myeon mu-geul-rae | Do you want to eat jjajangmyeon? (casual) |
Black Day in Korea | What Other Foods Do Koreans Eat on Black Day
✨ As this unofficial holiday’s name is Black Day, black-themed food is very popular to eat.
The most popular is the 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon), but black coffee is also another favorite. Coffee is such a thing in Korea so you can’t miss drinking a cup in the morning.
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블랙 커피 pronounced blek-cu-pee in Korean refers to Black Coffee. When Koreans are talking about 블랙 커피 (Black Coffee) they are almost all the time referring to Americano or Flat White. Koreans love to drink coffee iced.
So Iced American is one of the most heard drinks in a coffee shop.
아이스아메리카노 (ice-ah-me-li-ka-no) is how Koreans pronounce Iced Americano.
👉 Here is how you would order coffee in Korea.
| korean | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 사내 | sa-ne | inside a company |
| 맞선 | mat-sun | blind dating, or meeting to date someone |
| 환혼 | hwan-hon | exchange of spirits |
| 아이스 아메리카노 | ice americano | Iced Americano |
| 한잔 | han-jan | one cup |
| 주다 | ju-da | to give |
| 주세요 | ju-se-yo | please give (formal) |
Another popular light-hearted tradition is to wear black-themed clothes on this day. Dressed in black, drinking black coffee, and eating black noodles is the right way to celebrate this day!
USEFUL VOCABULARY
👇 We should have you pretty well covered with the following vocabulary and phrases:
| Korean | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| 블렉데이 | blek-dei | Black Day |
| 짜장면 | jja-jiang-myeon | Black noodles |
| 먹다 | meok-da | To eat |
| 한그릇 | han geu-rut | A bowl (of food) |
| 주세요 | ju-se-yo | Please give (used when ordering) |
| 커피 | keo-pi | Coffee |
| 아이스 아메리카노 | a-i-seu a-me-ri-ka-no | Iced Americano |
| 싱글 | sing-geul | Single |
| 축하하다 | chuk-ha-ha-da | To celebrate |
| 친구 | chin-gu | Friend |
| 가족 | ga-jok | Family |
| 음식 | eum-sik | Food |
| 전통 | jeon-tong | Tradition |
| 기념일 | gi-nyeom-il | Anniversary (or special day) |
| 먹으러 | meo-geu-reo | To go eat |
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Black Day in Korea | FAQ
What is another favorite dish like 짜장면 (jja-jiang-myeon)?
짬뽕 (jjam-bbong) – Chinese-style Spicy Noodle Soup
This is also a dish that has been derived from Chinese food but adjusted to fit the Korean taste.
What is another favorite coffee drink in Korea?
카페라떼 (kka-pe-la-dde) – Caffè latte
This is another popular coffee drink Koreans love. And of course Koreans love it iced!
What other food do Koreans eat on Black Day?
다크 초콜릿 (da-ku cho-co-lit) – Dark Chocolate is another popular food to eat due to the color.
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