트와이스
Teuwaiseu
The English word "twice" can be translated into Korean as 두 번 (two times) or as the phonetic transliteration 트와이스 (Teuwaiseu).
When you want to express the adverbial meaning of "twice" (two times), use 두 번. For example, to say "twice a day," you would say 하루에 두 번. However, if you are referring to the K-pop girl group, you should use the proper noun 트와이스.
Meaning: two times (adv)
Which one should you use?
두 번 is the actual Korean phrase for the adverb "twice," whereas 트와이스 is a phonetic transliteration of the English word "twice" used specifically to refer to the K-pop group TWICE.
How do you pronounce it?
Teuwaiseu
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use the phonetic transliteration 트와이스 when you actually mean the number of times an action occurs. Instead, use 두 번 to say "two times."
Did you know?
- The group 트와이스 chose their name because they want to touch their fans' hearts 'once' through the eyes and 'twice' through the ears.
- If you want to say 'twice as much', instead of just adding 'twice', Korean often uses the structure 두 배 (du bae), where 배 means 'times' or 'fold'.
- The word 번 in 두 번 literally means 'turn' or 'time' and is also used to refer to a number assigned to a person in a sequence, such as a student's roll number.
Examples in context
- 한 달에 두 번 운동을 합니다.I exercise twice a month.
- 저는 주말에 두 번 씻습니다.I take a shower twice on weekends.
- 그 일을 두번이나 했어요!I did that work twice!
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Min-jun are talking about their gym routine.
- 지은 Ji-eun민준 씨는 일주일에 몇 번 운동해요?Minjun ssineun ilju-ire myeot beon undonghaeyo?Min-jun, how many times a week do you work out?
- 민준 Min-jun저는 보통 트와이스 가요.jeoneun botong teuwaiseu gayo.I usually go twice.
- 지은 Ji-eun정말 부지런하시네요!jeongmal bujireonhasineyo!You are really diligent!
- 민준 Min-jun지은 씨는요?Ji-eun ssineun-yo?How about you, Ji-eun?
