ABOUT K-MANNER
Korean social context, made clearer.
K-MANNER is an educational set of tools for people who want to understand how Korean forms of address and speech choices change with social context.
Why K-MANNER exists
Direct translations rarely explain why one Korean expression sounds natural in one relationship but awkward in another. Age matters, but so do social role, closeness, setting, existing speech patterns, and the conventions of a workplace, school, family, or community. K-MANNER brings those signals together instead of treating a single rule as universal.
How the tools work
Each tool asks for the pieces of context that are relevant to its question. The Address Finder considers who is speaking, relative age, relationship, closeness, and setting. The Banmal Finder also considers current speech patterns and whether casual speech has been invited. The -ssi / -nim Finder considers role titles and local group conventions. The School & Workplace Title Finder focuses on organizational role, seniority, and the naming convention used by the group. The Speech Level Finder distinguishes the broader choice among banmal, everyday polite 해요체, formal 하십시오체, and context-dependent situations.
What a result means
A result is a practical starting point for the situation described, not a claim that every Korean speaker would make the same choice. Results explain the reasoning, provide an example, identify alternatives, and flag choices that are better avoided by default.
Editorial approach
K-MANNER is designed around contextual distinctions rather than simple age-based shortcuts. Guidance is written and reviewed as educational content, and the tools use explicit decision rules so similar situations can be handled consistently. As Korean usage varies by generation, organization, region, and individual preference, sensitive or unfamiliar situations should begin politely and adapt to the preference of the people involved.
Current tools
K-MANNER currently covers general forms of address, switching to banmal, choosing between -ssi and -nim, and school or workplace titles, and choosing an appropriate Korean speech level. Each tool focuses on a distinct social decision while sharing the same contextual approach. The focus is on making a small number of tools useful and explainable rather than publishing unfinished tools.