“What words do you depend on in life?”

Exploring the “buttress words” that tirelessly circle our lives and ensure our footing.

“Before passing away, my grandmother often called me to say, ‘Kiju, come over in the weekend if you have time. I’ll prepare your favorite dishes.’ Her warm voice from the other end of the phone still resonates in my ears like a lingering echo.”

- Author’s note

Dearly missing someone who is beyond reach prompts us to search for the traces they’ve left behind: their spoken words and their writings. In the voice that flowed from their lips and the letters formed from the tips of their fingers, live that person’s thoughts, emotions, and the breath of life.

An individual’s identity is intricately linked with the words they often use. Perhaps one’s emotions and thought patterns are shaped by these very words. This isn’t surprising, as a word spoken plainly to a loved one exposes the true state of the heart. Sometimes, the highs and lows of life are etched into short phrases posted on social media; sometimes, unfamiliar words scribbled in the corners of a diary serve as guides in life. There are no meaningless words. All the words we frequently read, write, speak, or recall inevitably reflect our lives respectively.

The countless words that extend into the world through our mouths and hands do not simply vanish into the passage of time. Initially born within us, some of them accumulate in our hearts and imprint themselves in our minds, intertwining with our lives. Then, one day, like magic, they resurface, becoming a protective shield that guards us from the chaotic world.

Lee Kiju, renowned author of The Temperature of Language and The Dignity of Words, that together have sold more than 2.5 million copies, unveils his latest book.

Within its pages, readers are led on a journey by the author, to uncover the very foundations that sustain their lives.

As we navigate life, there are times when something new or foreign sweeps over our routine day, as if a layer of soil has descended upon it. Then there are other days when we witness the familiar elements of our lives relentlessly eroding away with the passage of time. Both novelty and familiarity can enrich our lives, yet it’s often the latter that truly sustains our day-to-day. While novelty can spark excitement, finding solace in something unfamiliar to us can prove challenging. When life gets tough, the familiar things around us give us strength to get up again, such as the ordinary words we use habitually every day—these words may be the steady support propping up our lives.

In this new book, Lee Kiju—whose previous works including the million-seller The Warmth of Language and humanities steady seller The Dignity of Words, have collectively surpassed 2.5 million copies in sales—attempts to explore life using ordinary words as the subject. The author delicately unfolds various implications and questions inherent in the universal words we unconsciously use, presenting them to the readers with refined and elegant sentences.

Lee expresses, "A single book may be a forest comprised of tens of thousands of characters. I encourage readers to leisurely explore the forest of Ordinary Words, much like a serene morning walk in the park, rather than rushing through it hastily. Upon closing this book, I hope readers will reflect on the words shaping their lives, along with the embedded meanings and values. This reflection will empower them to pose significant questions about the people and the world around them. I trust these questions will serve as the fuel propelling individuals through life. With warmth, I extend this book to all those persisting in the pursuit of profound happiness and enduring daily challenges.”