MEANINGS OF THE NAMES OF KOREAN RESTAURANTS IN CHON BURI

Abstract

This research article aims to study the meanings of the names of Korean restaurants in Chonburi Province. It is an exploratory study. The sample group consists of 150 names of Korean restaurants that appear on the main page of the restaurant's page. The sample was purposively selected. Each restaurant name was segmented into lexical units, and the meaning of each name in each of these units was analyzed. Data were collected from the google.com website. The statistics used in the research include frequency and percentage. The research findings reveal that the meanings of the names of Korean restaurants in Chonburi Province can be categorized into 17 groups, listed in order from most to least frequent: 1) food and food ingredients, 2) location, 3) nationality of the food, 4) cooking method, 5) positive feelings,           6) persons, 7) consumption style, 8) invitation, greeting, and hospitality, 9) kinship, 10) nature, 11) behavior, 12) multiple meanings, 13) Korean royalty, 14) numbers related to the restaurant's history, 15) Korean entertainment media, 16) animals, and 17) specific meanings. Most Korean restaurant names refer to food and ingredients, including food types, meat, and seasonings. They also refer to locations, including features of the restaurant, its location, places in the Republic of Korea, and other places, as well as the nationality of Korean food. Interestingly, the meanings of most restaurant names express Korean identity both directly and indirectly. They incorporate the unique aspects of Korean food, places, entertainment media, royalty, and language into the names, reflecting the influence of Korean soft power on the thoughts, feelings, and language preferences of entrepreneurs in Chonburi Province, a culturally diverse area.