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제(第): Turning One, Two Three into First, Second, Third
제X회: Recurring Events
제X차: Rounds or Phases
Legal Documents
Vocabulary
Nouns:
총칙 = general rules, provisions
근로 = labor
남북 = north and south
이차 = second round
혁명 = revolution
대전 = major war
헌법 = constitution
균형 = balance
용어 = terminology
영화제 = film festival
문학상 = literature award
전시회 = exhibition
전염병 = infectious disease
대유행 = something widely spread, fad
사업장 = workplace, place of business
Verbs
꾀하다 = to attempt, to try to do
미치다 = to have an impact
토론하다 = to debate
회담하다 = to have a conversation
향상하다 = to improve
Adverbs and Other Words:
회 = counter for competitions, festivals, ceremonies
차 = counter for historical events
조 = counter for articles in documents
항 = counter for clauses in documents
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn how to name recurring events, historical events and parts within legal documents. We’ll explore the counters 회 and 차, and how they work with 제. Let’s get started.
제(第): Turning One, Two Three into First, Second, Third
제 is a Korean character that is of Chinese origin. It therefore has a Hanja equivalent, 第. Its meaning as a character is literally “turning numbers into words that denote order.” You can find it in some common words, for example the word “제일” uses the Hanja character 第.
When used as a prefix it can turn numbers like one, two and three into first, second, third. For example:
제1 = the first
제2 = the second
제3 = the third
These constructions are not typically used on their own. Rather, they are followed by some sort of a counter to count events. Let’s look at the types of counters it can be used with, taking a closer look at two common ones.
제X회: Recurring Events
회 (回) is a counter in Korean that is used to represent events like competitions, festivals, ceremonies or award shows. 回 is introduced in Hanja Lesson 21. By placing 제1 before 회, you can indicate that it is the first rendition a certain event is occurring. 회 is typically used for events that are planned and repeated. So, the following can be used:
제1회 = the first time an event is held
제2회 = the second time an event is held
제3회 = the third time an event is held
The above constructions are then put behind the name of some sort of recurring competition or festival. Here are some examples that you might see:
제1회 한국문학상 = 1st Korean Literature Award
제1회 사진전시회 = 1st Photography Exhibition
제1회 전국체육대회 = 1st National Sports Festival
제1회 서울국제영화제 = The 1st Seoul International Film Festival
제1회 청소년 토론대회 = 1st Youth Debate Contest
제1회 한국어 말하기 대회 = 1st Korean Speech Contest
Let’s look at how another counter is used with 제.
제X차: Rounds or Phases
차 (次) is a counter in Korean that is used, when combined with 제 and a number, to represent the order of historical periods or global events like wars.
이차 (二次), which uses the character 次 is a cultural thing in Korea. Korean people love to eat. Sometimes when Korean people are with friends or doing a company dinner, they’ll go for a 이차. This refers to a second dinner. My goodness, gracious! I’ve been on some company dinners, and I get completely full, and then they want to go for a second round!
By placing 제1 before 차, you can indicate that it is the first rendition historical period or global event. 차 is not usually used for planned events, but it can be used for repeated events that were not initially intended to recur. For example, to refer to Word War 1, you can use 제1차 세계 대전. This event was global, and it wasn’t planned. However, there happened to be a second rendition of it, so it is possible for them to repeat in that sense.
Below are some examples that you might see:
제1차 회담 = First round of negotiations
제1차 공격 = First strike/attack (in military or sports)
제1차 조사 = First investigation
제1차 투표 = First voting round, in an election with multiple rounds
제1차 산업혁명 = The First Industrial Revolution
제1차 세계 대전 = World War I
제1차 전염병 대유행 = First wave of pandemic outbreak
제1차 남북 정상회담 = First Inter-Korean summit
Legal Documents
장 (章) is a counter in Korean that is used, when combined with 제 and a number, to represent the order of chapters in legal documents.
조 (條) is a counter in Korean that is used, when combined with 제 and a number, to represent the order of articles in legal documents.
항 (項) is a counter in Korean that is used, when combined with 제 and a number, to represent the order of clauses (which are a subdivision of articles) in legal documents.
Together, they are used to refer to specific parts of legal documents like contracts and laws.
Let’s use a real example. Korea has a Labor Standards Act that’s purpose is to improve the standards and rights of workers in Korea. The act in Korean is called 근로기준법.
You are free to peruse the Labor Standards Act. Let’s do it here as well. The Act is divided into large sections called chapters. The three are titled:
제1장 총칙 = Chapter 1, General Rules
제2장 근로계약 = Chapter 2, Labor Contract
제3장 임금 = Chapter 3, Wages
Let’s focus on Chapter 1, General Rules. Within Chapter 1, there are several articles. Some articles have clauses. Below is the text from the start of the first chapter, the first two articles and one clause from the second article:
제1장 총칙
- 제1조(목적) 이 법은 헌법에 따라 근로조건의 기준을 정함으로써 근로자의 기본적 생활을 보장, 향상시키며 균형 있는 국민경제의 발전을 꾀하는 것을 목적으로 한다.
- 제2조(정의) (1) 이 법에서 사용하는 용어의 뜻은 다음과 같다.
- 1. “근로자”란 직업의 종류와 관계없이 임금을 목적으로 사업이나 사업장에 근로를 제공하는 사람을 말한다.
You can find the translation below:
Chapter 1: General Provisions
- Article 1 (Purpose) The purpose of this Act is to establish the standards for terms and conditions of employment in conformity with the Constitution, thereby securing and improving the fundamental living standards of employees and achieving a well-balanced development of the national economy.
- Article 2 (Definitions) (1) The terms used in this Act are defined as follows:
- 1. The term “employee” means a person, regardless of the kind of occupation, who offers labor to business or a workplace for the purpose of earning wages;
—
I went the whole lesson without any example sentences. Here are a few!
제1차 세계 대전은 유럽을 중심으로 시작되었지만 전 세계에 영향을 미쳤다
= The First World War began mainly in Europe, but it had an impact across the globe
저는 고등학교 2학년 때 제1회 청소년 토론대회에 참가해서 결승전까지 올라갔어요
= When I was in 11th grade, I participated in the first Youth Debate Competition and made it to the finals
제1장 제2조 제1항에 따라 근로자는 단순히 일하는 사람을 의미하는 게 아니라 임금을 받고 일하는 사람을 법적으로 그렇게 부른다고 한다.
= According to Chapter 1, Article 2, Paragraph 1, a “worker” doesn’t just mean someone who works — it legally refers to someone who works in exchange for wages.
That’s it for this lesson!