Korean han and Portuguese saudade are both forms of grief that have been elevated into cultural values — forms of sadness that are also forms of beauty. This article examines what they share, where they diverge, and what the comparison reveals about the different ways cultures relate to loss.
What Is Saudade?
What Is Han?
What They Share: Grief as Cultural Value
Where They Diverge: Injustice vs. Impermanence
Saudade and Fado, Han and Pansori
What the Comparison Reveals About Grief and Culture
Read the Book
This article is based on themes explored in depth in Han by Kim Jungseo, part of The Korean Wisdom Series.