Sino-Korean word from 妹氏, from 妹 (“sister”) + 氏 (“family suffix”).
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | maessi |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | mae'ssi |
| McCune–Reischauer? | maessi |
| Yale Romanization? | may.ssi |
In the southwestern varieties of the Jeolla dialect, this term is traditionally used by men to politely refer to married older sisters (but not unmarried older sisters, or any younger sisters). It is not used colloquially in any other dialect, although it is still seen in writing.
| Historical and regional synonyms of 누나 (nuna, “older sister of a male”) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| view map; edit data | |||
| 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. | |||