Korean equivalent of Senior student
- Thread starter Azulx
- Start date
The term "yudanja" is used to collectively refer to students with Dan ranks. Beyond that, there are titles such as busabum and kyosa that basically translate as 'Assistant Instructor' and are commonly used. Sunbae would translate to 'senior student' but I am not aware of this being a commonly used term, at least in the US.
In my former TSD school, "sunbaenim" was commonly used when addressing a generic senior who did not hold an instructor rank. I believe "hoobay" is the counterpart of this for juniors, but at least in my school this term was rarely used.
"Nim" is an honorific, signifying respect. It's added when you're speaking to or about someone. It is not part of the title, and it's generally not something you'd use when speaking about yourself. So Sabum means "teacher", and Sabumnim means "respected teacher". I won't say you "have" to add nim to every title, but I'd certainly caution you to consider how it might come across if you omit it.
Seonbae is also represented in the line of Koryo Poomsae, it is the Chinese character representing Seonbae in Korean. Scholar, senior, elder, man of virtue, role model, person who has been there. The Seonbae character is formed out of + (symbolising ten) and - (symbolising one), Seonbae being representative of a scholar who knows from one to ten.
Senior students may be referred to as Seonbaenim but not really directly addressed as such.
Why do you ask Azulx? What is it you want to use the term for?
http://www.unitedtaekwondo.org/images/poomses-class_poom2.gif
Senior students may be referred to as Seonbaenim but not really directly addressed as such.
Why do you ask Azulx? What is it you want to use the term for?
http://www.unitedtaekwondo.org/images/poomses-class_poom2.gif
- Thread Starter
- #7
I ask out of curiosity, our school just uses the English term Senior Student or just Senior. I am asking what you would call someone who is a higher rank than you in Korean, because I have never heard a term for it before.The only term I have ever really heard is Sabumnim.
OK. The majority of my training time is spent in the company of Koreans, and the only two titles in regular use in a modern Kukki Taekwondo context are Sabom and Kwan Jang. Respect to others is demonstrated through behaviour rather than titles. It's interesting. I'll ask my GM if there's a different title that a lower grade would use for a higher one. I doubt it - more likely the relationship is reflected and expressed using one of the politeness forms inherent in the Korean language. Good question.
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Jaeimseu
3rd Black Belt
I find the same (I'm in Korea). Seonbae and hubae are used a lot for higher or lower grades at school, but I don't hear them in terms of TKD rank. To be honest, I can count on one hand the number of times someone asked me for my rank and I've been here ten years.
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- Thread Starter
- #10
I was asking more in regards to a colored belt referring to a higher colored belt Ex: Yellow belt referring to a Red belt.
Jaeimseu
3rd Black Belt
I can't recall hearing students use any particular term or title in a case like this. Actually, there are only ten months or so separating a yellow belt from a red belt, so maybe it isn't all that necessary. Both students would likely be 1 dan in about a year anyway.
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- Thread Starter
- #12
Our average time limits are slightly different than those, but yes you are right they would both be getting first dan within the next year and half to 2 years.
I can't say I've ever seen any titles used between geup ranked students. Our expectation is that everybody will be respectful, and that all adults are Mr/Mrs/Miss.
That's an unwarranted assumption... Time between belts varies an awful lot, and this is certainly untrue in our school. 9th geup to 3rd geup will be a difference of 2-3 years.
Jaeimseu
3rd Black Belt
I was only referring to time in Korea. Of course, other places will be different. In the US there is a lot of difference between schools and orgs.
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RTKDCMB
Senior Master
I can't speak for other schools but in Rhee Taekwondo color belt students are called jeja but we usually just call them students and Master Rhee at gradings calls them members. Junior black belts and 1st Dan black belts who are not instructors are called Yudanja. Instructors are called Sabum, assistant instructors are called Bu Sabum. Instructors who are teaching a class are called Sabum Nim, but only whist they are teaching a class. Regional instructors are called Kwan Jang Nim when teaching a class and just Kwan Jang in a class they are not teaching. Regional master instructors are called Chong Kwan Jang Nim.
- Thread Starter
- #16
I can see why people find it much easier just to say "Sensei", even though it is a Japanese term
- Thread Starter
- #17
In our school 9th geup is our lowest (white belt). Yellow belt would be 8th geup and the time difference between that and 2nd geup (Red Belt) assuming that hour requirements and time as belt have been reached would be 15 months. Although this may vary based on many things. We have a student who has been 5th geup (green belt/ blue stripe) for 7 months, so as you stated there are many variables that can change the time frame, but I was speaking assuming the students in question did everything right. We have also had students who exhibited a level of "skill" (determined by the Head Instructor) that warrants them the privilege to test earlier than the set time requirement.
As I said... lots of variation. Most TKD systems have 10 geup (colored belt) ranks, from 10 (white belt) to 1. I think the most common belt systems use solid color belts (white, yellow, green, blue, red) on even geup ranks, with stripes added for odd geup ranks. Ours uses white for 10th, but then the solid colors are the odd ranks (9th, 7th, 5th, etc) with stripes added on even numbered ranks.
1st Dan averages 6-8 years in our system.
- Thread Starter
- #19
I respect that, authentic old-school time frame, our school's time frame is more towards 2-3 years in average. On average what belt would someone be in your system at around 15 months of training?
Sounds like a good school.
BTW this is why I don't agree with those who insist that a black belt is a beginner. Certainly, a first degree black belt is no master and has a great deal to learn. And, perhaps, a new first degree would be wise to still think of himself humbly as such. Like a high school graduate who is now but a lowly freshman in college.
But in a system where it takes 6-8 years of honest, hard work to reach that level I would expect that you would have very solid fundamentals and be more than a "beginner" in the normal sense of the word ....otherwise there is something amiss in the training method.
