History Characters / KimsConvenience

* WomenAreWiser: She's much more grounded than Appa is, despite helicoptering over Janet.

-->'''Played By:''' Paul Sun-Hyung Lee

-->'''Played By:''' Andrew Phung

* AsianSpeekeeEngrish: Primarily speaks in broken English, which is understandable since she immigrated to Canada as an adult. This is done in a more realistic manner than most examples, and she and everyone still communicate with each other fine.

* AgeLift: 32 years old in the play, but is 24 years old at the start of the TV show.

* AgeLift: A 30 year old graduate and professional photographer in the play, but initially 20 years old and still studying photography in college in the TV show.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: He and everyone uses his nickname Kimchee, to the point that his name sign in his office even says "Kimchee Han". His coworkers are confused when they find out it's not his actual name. He insists on using the nickname because it's one of the few memories of his father.

** "Sneak attack" [[note]]Use when someone, often his wife, when they do something he wasn't expecting.[[/note]]

* DisappearedDad: Kimchee's dad abandoned his family at some point in his childhood. Kimchee's only memory of him is the two of them eating kimchi together and the name Kimchee itself (which his dad came up with), which is why he's very protective of his InSeriesNickname. In the series finale he goes GeneHunting for his father. [[spoiler:It turns out the guy he tracked down was a different guy [[NamesTheSame with the same name]].]]

-->'''Kimchee:''' Careful. He'll destroy everything you love. [later on over the loudspeaker at work] ''Everything you love.''

* AlcoholInducedIdiocy: Making a mess of himself due to too much alcohol seemed to be something Jung did when he was younger. The reason his ex-girlfriend Grace broke up with him as teens was because he turned up to her family dinner drunk and threw up on what he thought was a tree (it was her uncle) and punched what also thought was a tree (also her uncle).

* AmbiguouslyBi: In Season 5, her female friend Tamson visits, and Mr. Kim catches the two of them kissing. Janet plays it off as a prank (since she and her father are in the middle of an EscalatingWar of pranks), but later on has a heartfelt conversation with Tamson. She later tries to come out to her father, but he just thinks she's trying to prank him again.

-->'''Played By:''' Ben Beauchemin

* BrutalHonesty: Will say what's on her mind even if it can be hurtful. This includes her having enough of Nayoung's TastesLikeDiabetes behaviour and when she and Gerald initially struggle to put up with each other's bad habits at their new home.[[invoked]]

* TastesLikeDiabetes: Nayoung's hyperactive and sweet personality combined with her {{Kawaiiko}} ways really puts off Janet at first and she eventually snaps at her because of it. [[invoked]]

* DisappearedDad: Kimchee's dad abandoned his family at some point in his childhood. Kimchee's only memory of him is the two of them eating kimchi together and the name Kimchee itself (which his dad came up with), which is why he's very protective of his InSeriesNickname.

** (Slightly) PlayedForLaughs, he's super protective of Jung... the cardboard standee (which Mrs. Kim brought home), and angrily chases after two teenage boys when they wreck and attempt to steal said Jung standee.

* CovertPervet: Jung's explaining ddongjeem as the cultural equivalent of a wedgie leaves her confused but also ''very'' curious.

* {{Cuckold}}: Chelsea makes her willingness to chase other guys very clear at times, which doesn't do well for Gerald's confidence.

* YourCheatingHeart: Starting in Season 3, a defining trait of Chelsea's is that she not-so-subtly wants to sleep around with just about everyone, while still dating Gerald.

** "What you talking?" (Umma says this occasionally as well.)

* DefrostingIceQueen: In regards to Jung. The two refuse to so much as talk about each other let alone see each other after Jung leaves home; after their small reunion at the hospital near the end of Season 1 (where the drugged Appa doesn't register he was actually talking to Jung until after he leaves) they slowly begin to talk to each other again whenever they do cross paths, and Appa starts to miss Jung. The two have a proper reconciliation towards the end of Season 2, although the Season 2 finale and Season 3 show that the two still have some rough patches.

* LastNameBasis: Almost always called Mr. Kim by people other than his children, and he returns the favour for many of his non-white friends and customers. Discussed and PlayedForLaughs when he and Mr. Mehta realize they call each other this way because they don't remember each other's first names to begin with.

* UnnamedParent: He is always called Mr. Kim (by non-family) or Appa (by family). His given name is only revealed in an offhand reference in "Handyman" (1x11) and seen briefly on screen in "Resting Place" (2x06) and "Birds of a Feather" (4x11), but it is never used otherwise. PlayedForLaughs when it's revealed Mr. Mehta doesn't even remember his name and had always assumed ''Yeobo'' or ''Appa'' was his name.

* LastNameBasis: Almost always called Mrs. Kim by people other than her children, and she returns the favour for many of her non-white friends and customers.

* MyBelovedSmother: Obsesses over Janet and Jung's lives much more than they would like her to. This includes panicking over Janet moving away, trying to pair her up with cool Christian Korean boys, and setting Jung up with an ex-girlfriend (as a joint effort with her mother). (This trait was less prominent in the original play.)
* ParentalSubstitute: Kimchee sees her as the closest family he's got in town (his mother is in Calgary and it's implied he's disconnected from his dad's side) and he also tends to get pampered by her whenever she visits Jung at their home. He even makes her his emergency contact, leading to a paramedic to mistake Mrs. Kim for his own mother.
* UnnamedParent: She is always called Mrs. Kim (by non-family) or Umma (by family). Her given name is only revealed in an offhand reference in "Handyman" (1x11), and when she introduces herself to her scuba teacher in "Bon Voyage" (4x13), but it is never used otherwise.

* MySisterIsOffLimits: Becomes a minor focus when his friend Alex starts dating Janet in one episode. Jung genuinely wants to support them but feels icked out by their public displays of affection and eventually speaks up about his discomfort.

* AerithAndBob: The only member of her family to have an English first name instead of Korean (although apparently her parents had each wanted to give her a Korean name but couldn't agree to which one). Her father justifies it by saying he wanted to give her a safe English name to avoid her getting bullied like Jung. Annoyed by how common of a name Janet Kim is in the photography business, she briefly attempts to give herself a professional Korean name Eui Kyung.

* GratuitousForeignLanguage: Despite being of Korean heritage, Janet does not appear to be at all fluent in the language. Her attempt to communicate with a Korean waiter (to prove she's just as Korean as her cousin Nayoung) fails miserably when she butchers the pronunciation very badly, and Nayoung has to step in to help.

* TheUnfavorite: Janet feels unsupported by her parents, even after Jung was kicked out of the house. This becomes a plot point at the end of season 2 when she gets frustrated by them celebrating Jung's GED instead of her graduation and tries to act out by riding around in her motorcycle.

* ChildhoodFriends: Been friends with Jung and Janet since childhood.
* DoNotCallMePaul: Implied when Shannon is angry at Kimchee and refers to him as [[spoiler:Arnold]] while at the office, to which Kimchee replies, "Stooping to my legal name. Cold." His preferred nickname is always used, even when signing his coworkers' paychecks, since it's his only memory left of his father who abandoned him.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Mild as he isn't quite a jerk (except to [[ButtMonkey Terrence]]) and is instead just sometimes inconsiderate towards others or puts himself first instead of doing the right thing, like making a sexual harassment complaint about Jung at work (over a ''ddong chim'' prank) just because he got annoyed that Jung told him off for slacking. Nevertheless, he's easy to get along with, polite to elders, and is also the one who took Jung in and got him work when he was kicked out of home and struggling on his own.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Other than his surname Han, on the show he's only been called by the nickname Kimchee. His name sign in his office even says "Kimchee Han". His coworkers are confused when they find out it's not his actual name.

* {{Adorkable}}: Awkward but endearing in her attempts to be cool and relatable to people at work and when she lets loose, like when Jung catches her singing over the speakers when closing up the workplace.

The new associate pastor at the Kims' church, introduced in "Service" (1x08).

* BewareTheNiceOnes: PlayedForLaughs when the usually nice and respectful Pastor Nina loudly announces the silent auction is finished while raising the signed bat, making it look like she's threatening everyone with it. She occasionally loses her temper if the situation gets too hectic or she's in a bad mood, like scolding the couples during couples counselling or yelling at Jimmy for his sexist remarks.

Janet and Jung's cousin, introduced in "Frank and Nayoung" (1x04) when she visits from Korea. As of her second appearance in "Cardboard Jung" (2x04) she has moved to Canada to study at the University of Waterloo.

* {{Kawaiiko}}: A Korean variant (although she appears to be heavily influenced by Japanese kawaiiko fashion too), Nayoung loves dressing in a very cute and gaudy way, and also talks and acts very sweetly. She also has an obsession with cute trends such as hand/arm hearts and selfies. She first appears wearing cat ears, making Janet wonder if she's dressing up (which Nayoung laughs off, thinking she's joking). She is 18 in her debut appearance, which Janet initially thinks is too old to be acting this way.

* TenMinuteRetirement: At the end of Season 2 he voluntarily leaves his job at Handy Car Rental because he assumes he's guaranteed a new job at their rival company. Unfortunately said company rejects him in the end due to his delinquent past. [[spoiler:Too stubborn to go back, he tries to find other work at the beginning of Season 3 (while pretending to be working at his new job because he's too ashamed to tell the truth); after no success, he eventually asks Shannon to let him come back, which she reluctantly agrees to (on the condition that they forget about the kiss they shared).]]

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Jung is very suspicious when Kimchee makes an effort to clean up their place and buy a lot of things despite usually being a bit sloppy. He eventually finds out that this is due to Kimchee making decent money off of an Uber-equivalent business.

* SexyPriest: A pastor at the Kims' church who's also very attractive (even though she's always seen in modest clothing including outside of work), something that Mr. Kim appreciates very much. He and Mrs. Kim ponder about her dating life at one point (especially when they find condoms in Janet's bedroom and think they're Nina's), but otherwise nothing is known about her love life other than an ex-husband.

* TenMinuteRetirement: At the end of Season 2 he voluntarily leaves his job at Handy Car Rental because he assumes he's guaranteed a new job at their rival company. Unfortunately said company rejects him in the end due to his delinquent past. [[spoiler:Too stubborn to go back, he tries to find other work at the beginning of Season 3 (while pretending to be working at his new job because he's too ashamed to tell the truth); after no success, he eventually asks Shannon to let him come back, which she reluctantly agrees to (on the condition that they forget about the kiss they shared).]]

The characters of ''Series/KimsConvenience''. '''Any major spoilers before Season 3 are unmarked.'''

* AgeLift: 32 years old in the play, but 24 years old in the TV show.

* AccidentalMisnaming: Janet ''herself'' mispronounces and misspells her brief {{stage name|s}} Eui Kyung since she's not used to it nor has very good Korean pronunciation. She keeps saying the ''eui'' part as "oi" instead of "ui" despite her father correcting her multiple times, and she incorrectly spells it in two different ways on the business cards and her poster (which is seen to be Eiu Kyung) during her student exhibition. This ends up confusing the other people at the exhibition (none of them Korean), and they make it worse by debating how it's pronounced.

* AgeLift: A 30 year old graduate and professional photographer in the play, but 20 years old and still studying photography in college in the TV show.

* BrutalHonesty: Will say what's on her mind even if it can be hurtful. This includes her having enough of Nayoung's TastesLikeDiabetes behaviour and when she and Gerald initially struggle to put up with each other's bad habits at their new home.

* DeadGuyJunior: When feeling down about her boring her name apparently is, Janet is informed by her mother of its significance -- [[spoiler:she shares the same name as the deceased elderly woman that helped the newly-arrived Mrs. Kim with her English and looked after Jung (and brought them banana bread)]].

* NoSocialSkills: Downplayed, as she socialises fine with her friends and family fine but is very awkward at expressing herself to other people. Her initial efforts to make small talk with Dree are painful, she finds it difficult to confront people and has a terrible case of DiggingYourselfDeeper. This trait is less present in the play, in which her interaction with non-family is more limited.

* PlatonicLifePartners: Close friends with Gerald whom she otherwise has no romantic interest in whatsoever. The two frequently hang out together and still buy a place together even after their third friend bails out.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Mild as he isn't quite a jerk (except to [[ButtMonkey Terrence]]) and is instead just sometimes inconsiderate towards others or puts himself first instead of doing the right thing, like making a sexual harassment complaint about Jung at work (over a ''ddong chim'' prank) just because he got annoyed that Jung told him off for slacking off. Nevertheless, he's easy to get along with, polite to elders, and is also the one who took Jung in and got him work when he was kicked out of home and struggling on his own.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Other than his surname Han, on the show he's only been called by Kimchee, which is (probably) his nickname. His name sign in his office even says "Kimchee Han".

* InnocentlyInsensitive: She has prejudices toward people raised in the city as being more aggressive, but this is based on being from Cape Breton than any actual malice.
* TokenWhite: The only white member of the main cast. She is amicable and respectful of cultures other than her own and is very mad when she sees Jung be a victim of petty racist remarks.

* CannotKeepASecret: Doesn't seem to realize (or care) when he casually reveals Janet's secret birthday plans for their friend Semira.
* {{Cuckold}}: Often comes across this way with Chelsea, especially after she adopted YourCheatingHeart tendencies.

* PlatonicLifePartners: Close friends with Janet whom he otherwise has no romantic interest in whatsoever. The two frequently hang out together and still buy a place together even after their third friend bails out.

* CannotKeepASecret: Repeatedly lets slip that the Parks are seeing her for marriage counselling.

* AmbiguouslyBi: Introduced as Gerald's girlfriend, and it's not known if she's also attracted to girls or not. She does however suddenly kiss Janet during a girls' night at home when getting "caught up in the moment". Other than teasing that this can be their "little secret thing", nothing comes out of it.

* UnnamedParent: She is always called Mrs. Kim (by non-family) or Umma (by family). Her given name is only revealed in an offhand reference in "Handyman" (1x11), but it is never used otherwise.

* UnnamedParent: He is always called Mr. Kim (by non-family) or Appa (by family). His given name is only revealed in an offhand reference in "Handyman" (1x11) and seen briefly on screen in "Resting Place" (2x06), but it is never used otherwise. PlayedForLaughs when it's revealed Mr. Mehta doesn't even remember his name and had always assumed ''Yeobo'' or ''Appa'' was his name.

-->'''Played By:''' Simu Liu

* AsianSpeekeeEngrish: Primarily speaks in broken English, which is understandable since he immigrated to Canada as an adult. This is done in a more realistic manner than most examples. There are PlayedForLaughs instances of him misunderstanding certain English phrases (especially modern trendy ones) but he and everyone still understand each other fine.
** When some commenters said that Paul Sun-Hyung Lee's portrayal of the accent was stereotypical or even racist, Lee responded that he based Appa's way of speaking on his own Korean immigrant father.

* DefrostingIceQueen: In regards to Jung. The two refuse to so much as talk about each other let alone see each other after Jung leaves home; after their small reunion at the hospital near the end of Season 1 (where the drugged Appa doesn't register he was actually talking to Jung until after he leaves) they slowly begin to talk to each other again whenever they do cross paths, and Appa starts to miss Jung. The two have a proper reconciliation towards the end of Season 2, though they have another big argument that slightly sours things again.

* HotForPreacher: Mild case when Pastor Nina first becomes a part of the church the Kims go to and Mr. Kim becomes lot more enthusiastic around this new attractive pastor than Pastor Choi (and church in general), and goes as far as to let her get things from his store for free. They remain amicable after her debut episode but this trope otherwise wears off.

** On a (slightly) funnier note, he's super protective of Jung... the cardboard standee (which Mrs. Kim brought home), and angrily chases after two teenage boys when they wreck and attempt to steal said Jung standee.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Goes out of his way to please his mother when she visits him in Season 3. He even pretends to have nothing to do with Jung since she doesn't like him and considers him a bad influence--turns out whenever his mum caught him with bad stuff in his youth, he lied and blamed it on Jung.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: PlayedForLaughs when the usually nice and respectful Pastor Nina loudly announces the silent auction is finished while raising the signed bat, making it look like she's threatening everyone with it. She occasionally loses her temper if the situation gets too hectic, like scolding the couples during couples counselling when they refuse to cooperate with her.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Usually good at being the reasonable person in the room but occasionally gives in to temptation and whatnot, like fighting over the signed bat with Mr. Kim and ending the silent auction early after he backs off so no one else can claim it.

* ObliviousToHisOwnDescription: When Gerald complains about Jung sleeping at their place, Janet snarks to him about the time he let someone stay over and they never left, obviously hinting at Chelsea. Chelsea doesn't realize this and wholeheartedly agrees with, "God, those people are the worst!"