말

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 말. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 말, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 말 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 말 you have here. The definition of the word 말 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of말, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
말 U+B9D0, 말
HANGUL SYLLABLE MAL
Composition:ㅁ + ㅏ + ㄹ
← 맏
 		Hangul Syllables 맑 →
마막맊맋만맍많
맏말맑맒맓맔맕
맖맗맘맙맚맛맜
망맞맟맠맡맢맣
리 ←→ 매

Jeju

Etymology

From Middle Korean 말〯 (mǎl).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ma̠ɭ/

Noun

말 (mal)

  1. word
  2. speech
  3. language

Derived terms

References

  • “말” in Andrew Cheng; K. David Harrison, Jeju-eo Talking Dictionary, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, 2014.
  • “말” in Jeju's culture and language, Digital museum.

Korean

Etymology 1

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 말〯 (Yale: mǎl). The rising pitch implies an earlier bisyllabic origin.

Pronunciation

  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key):
  • Phonetic hangul:
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?mal
McCune–Reischauer?mal
Yale Romanization?māl
  • South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지

    Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes low pitch, and heightens the pitch of two subsequent suffixed syllables.

Noun

말 • (mal)

  1. speech
    내 말을 주의하여 들어봐.
    Nae mareul juuihayeo deureobwa.
    Listen to me carefully.
  2. (colloquial) language
    Synonym: (formal) 어(語) (eo)
    일본 말을 어디서 배웠어?
    Ilbon mareul eodiseo baewosseo?
    Where did you learn Japanese?
Derived terms
See also

Etymology 2

First attested in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사), 1103, as Late Old Korean 末, from Old Korean 馬 (*MAL).

In the Hangul script, first attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean ᄆᆞᆯ (Yale: mòl).

Similar words are found across Eurasia. Compare Manchu ᠮᠣᡵᡳᠨ (morin, “horse”), Mongolian морь (morʹ, “horse”), Nivkh мурӈ (murŋ, “horse”), Old Chinese 馬 (*mraːʔ, “horse”), Japanese 馬(うま) (uma, “horse”), and Proto-Indo-European *márkos (“horse”); see the last link for more.

For the prefix, compare Chinese 馬／马 (mǎ, “horse; big, great”), from which it is perhaps calqued.

Pronunciation

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?mal
McCune–Reischauer?mal
Yale Romanization?mal
  • South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지

    Syllables in red take high pitch. This word takes low pitch only before consonant-initial multisyllabic suffixes.

Noun

말 • (mal) (counter 마리)

  1. horse
  2. playing piece (in games)
  3. sawhorse
Derived terms

Prefix

말— • (mal-)

  1. (now unproductive) great; big
    말벌 ― malbeol ― great bee; wasp
    말개미 ― malgaemi ― king ant
    말잠자리 ― maljamjari ― type of dragonfly

Etymology 3

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 말〮 (Yale: mál).

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “What relation to the Japanese term 升 (masu, “unit of measure for volume, approx. 1.8L”)? Many KO hanja readings ending in -l correspond to JA kanji readings ending variously in -shi, -chi, -tsu, and -su (but no examples exist Chuterix (talk) 14:17, 21 June 2023 (UTC)), opening the possibility of a KO mal ↔ JA masu phonetic match. See also Talk:말#KO_mal_(unit_of_measure)_and_JA_masu_(unit_of_measure).”

Pronunciation

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?mal
McCune–Reischauer?mal
Yale Romanization?mal
  • South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지

    Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch and also heightens the next suffixed syllable.

Noun

말 • (mal)

  1. (units of measure) a unit of volume equivalent to about 18 L or 10 되 (doe)
See also
  • 되 (doe): 1/10 mal
  • 작 (勺, jak): 1/1000 mal
  • 홉 (hop): 1/100 mal

Etymology 4

From Middle Korean 맗 (malh). Short form of 말뚝 (malttuk).

Pronunciation

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?mal
McCune–Reischauer?mal
Yale Romanization?mal

Noun

말 • (mal)

  1. wooden pile; stake

Etymology 5

First attested in the Hunmong jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527, as Middle Korean ᄆᆞᆯ〮 (Yale: mól).

Pronunciation

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?mal
McCune–Reischauer?mal
Yale Romanization?mal

Noun

말 • (mal)

  1. an alga or other waterborne cryptogam
  2. seaweed, specifically Potamogeton oxyphyllus.
Derived terms
See also

Etymology 6

Sino-Korean word from 末 (“end”).

Pronunciation

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?mal
McCune–Reischauer?mal
Yale Romanization?mal

Noun

말 • (mal) (hanja 末)

  1. end (of a period); late
    Antonym: 초(初) (cho, “beginning”)
    조선시대 말
    joseonsidae mal
    Late Joseon period
  2. (baseball) bottom (of an inning)
    Coordinate term: 초(初) (cho, “top (of an inning)”)
    9회 말
    guhoe mal
    The bottom of the ninth inning
Derived terms

Etymology 7

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Syllable

말 (mal)

Extended content
  1. 末:
    (MC reading: 末 (MC mat))
  2. 茉:
    (MC reading: 茉 (MC mat))
  3. 唜: end; tip
    (eumhun reading: 끝 말 (kkeut mal)))
  4. 抹:
    (MC reading: 抹 (MC mat))
  5. 沫:
    (MC reading: 沫 (MC mat))
  6. 襪:
    (MC reading: 襪 (MC mjot))
  7. 靺:
    (MC reading: 靺 (MC mat))
  8. 帕:
    (MC reading: 帕 (MC maet))
  9. 秣:
    (MC reading: 秣 (MC mat))
  10. 妺:
    (MC reading: 妺 (MC mat))
  11. 昩:
    (MC reading: 昩 (MC mat))
  12. 瀎:
    (MC reading: 瀎 (MC mat))
  13. 粖:
    (MC reading: 粖 (MC mat))
  14. 袜:
    (MC reading: 袜 (MC mat))
  15. 袹:
    (MC reading: 袹 (MC -))
  16. 䬴:
    (MC reading: 䬴 (MC mat))

References

  • Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (대한민국 대법원, Daehanmin'guk Daebeobwon) (2018). Table of hanja for personal names (인명용 한자표 / 人名用漢字表, Inmyeong-yong hanja-pyo), page 15.
  • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Middle Korean

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “First attestation? Any Old Korean forms known?”)

Pronunciation

Noun

말〯 (mǎl)

  1. word, speech, language
Descendants
  • Korean: 말 (mal)

Etymology 2

Possibly cognate with Japanese 升 (masu), a similar unit of measure.

Pronunciation

Noun

말〮 (mál)

  1. measure (containing about 18 liters or 10 doe (되 (doe))
  2. a unit of measure (about 18 liters)
Descendants
  • Korean: 말 (mal)
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia