First attested in the Joseon gwannyeogeo (朝鮮館驛語 / 조선관역어), 1403~1424, as Middle Korean 餒必 (Yale: *nwuWi). In the hangul script, first attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 누의 (Yale: nwùùy).
Ultimately appears to be from pre-Middle Korean */nup/ "sister" with the euphonic noun suffix 이 (-i) attached, as seen by the final vocalism in the Gyeongsang dialect form 누부 (nubu, “older sister of a male”) which is incompatible if the vowel -i was always part of the root. The phonologically conservative Gyeongsang and Yukjin dialects conserve the original /p~b/ in this word.
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | nu'i |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | nu'i |
| McCune–Reischauer? | nui |
| Yale Romanization? | nwui |
누이 • (nu'i)
| Historical and regional synonyms of 누나 (nuna, “older sister of a male”) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Group | Region | Location | Words |
| Standardised forms | South Korean Standard Language | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) (hon.) | |
| North Korean Cultured Language | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) (hon.) | ||
| Historical forms | Middle Korean | 누의 (nwùùy) (also y.) | |
| Early Modern Seoul Korean | 누의 (nuui) (also y.), 누위 (nuwi) (also y.) | ||
| Central Korean | Gyeonggi | Modern colloquial Seoul | 누나 (nuna), 누님 (nunim) (hon.) |
| Yeongdong | Gangneung | 누우 (nùú), 누 (nù) | |
| Jeongseon | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) (hon.) | ||
| South Chungcheong | Seosan | 뉘님 (nwīnim) | |
| Yesan | 뉘나 (nwīna) | ||
| Hongseong | 뉘님 (nwīnim) | ||
| Boryeong | 뉘나 (nwina) | ||
| Buyeo | 누님 (nunim), 누이 (nu'i) | ||
| Seocheon | 누님 (nunim), 눈님 (nunnim) | ||
| Gyeongsang Korean | North Gyeongsang | Daegu | 누'부 (nu bu) |
| Mungyeong | '누나 ( nuna), 누님 (núnìm) | ||
| Andong | 누 (nu), 누님 (núnìm) | ||
| Gumi | 누'우 (nu u) | ||
| Goryeong | 누'부 (nu bu) | ||
| South Gyeongsang | Busan | 누'부 (nu bu), 누임 (núìm) (hon.) | |
| Ulsan | 누'부 (nu bu), 누부 (nubu) | ||
| Changwon | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) | ||
| Geochang | 누'부 (nu bu), '누나 ( nuna), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) | ||
| Hapcheon | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u) | ||
| Changnyeong | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'비 (nu bi), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) | ||
| Miryang | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u), '누나 ( nuna), 누'우야 (nu uya) | ||
| Hamyang | 누'우 (nu u), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) | ||
| Sancheong | 누'우 (nu u), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.), 누우님 (nùúnìm) (hon), 눈님 (núnnìm) (hon.) | ||
| Uiryeong | 누'우 (nu u) | ||
| Hadong | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u), 누 (nu), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.), 누님 (núnìm) (hon.) | ||
| Jinju | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) | ||
| Haman | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) | ||
| Gimhae | 누'부 (nu bu) | ||
| Yangsan | 누'부 (nu bu), '누나 ( nuna) | ||
| Sacheon | 누'우 (nu u) | ||
| Goseong | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u) | ||
| Namhae | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u) | ||
| Geoje | 누'우 (nu u), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.), 엉가 (éunggà) | ||
| Ulju | 누'부 (nu bu), '누나 ( nuna) | ||
| Diaspora | Harbin | 눈님 (núnnìm) | |
| Jeolla Korean | North Jeolla | Gunsan | 누 (nu), 누님 (nunim) |
| Iksan | 누나 (nuna), 누님 (nunim) | ||
| Muju | 누지 (nūji), 누나 (nuna), 성 (seong), 형님 (hyeongnim) | ||
| South Jeolla | Yeonggwang | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) | |
| Gokseong | 누 (nu) | ||
| Hampyeong | 누임 (nūim) | ||
| Muan | 누 (nu), 뉘 (nwī), 매씨 (messi) (married) | ||
| Gwangyang | 누님 (nūnim) | ||
| Jindo | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) | ||
| Wando | 누나 (nūna), 누 (nu), 누님 (nūnim) (hon.), 뉨 (nwīm) (hon), 매씨 (messi) (married) | ||
| Goheung | 누님 (nūnim), 누나 (nūna) (voc.) | ||
| Yeosu | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) | ||
| Pyongan Korean | South Pyongan | Ryonggang | 누이 (nu'i) (unmarried, also y.), 누님 (nunim) (married) |
| Mundok | 누이 (nu'i) (unmarried, also y.), 누님 (nunim) (married) | ||
| North Pyongan | Sonchon | 뉘 (nwi) | |
| Ryongchon | 누이 (nu'i), 누님 (nunim) (hon.) | ||
| Chosan | 누이 (nu'i), 누님 (nunim) (married) | ||
| Diaspora | Shenyang | 누야 (nuya) (also y.) | |
| Hamgyong Korean | North Hamgyong | Samsu | 누'어미 (nu eomi) |
| Yukjin Korean | Yukjin | Kyongwon | 누비 (nùbì), 누배 (nùbàe) |
| Diaspora | Hunchun | 느비 (nèubì), 느베 (nèubè) | |
| Longjing | 누애 (nùàe), 누얘 (nùyàe), 누이님 (nùìním) (married) | ||
| Jeju | Jeju City | 누님 (nunim) | |
| Daejeong | 누님 (nunim) | ||
| Gujwa | 누님 (nunim) | ||
| Seogwipo | 누님 (nunim) | ||
| hon.: honorific / voc.: vocative / chil.: childish (exact age range may differ) also y.: refers to any sister of a male, regardless of relative age | |||
| This table is an amalgamation of surveys of speakers mostly born before 1950 and may not reflect the language of younger speakers, which has lexically converged towards the standard Seoul dialect in both North and South Koreas. | |||