First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 기춤〮 (Yale: kìchwúm), from 깇 (kìch, “to cough”) + 우〮 (-wú-, modulator suffix) + ㅁ (m, nominalizer). Cognate with Jeju 지침 (jichim).
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | gichim |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | gichim |
| McCune–Reischauer? | kich'im |
| Yale Romanization? | ki.chim |
Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the first syllable, and lowers the pitch of subsequent suffixes.
기침 • (gichim)
In Modern South Korean, the original verb 깇다〮 (kìchtá) has been lost, and 기침 (gichim) functions as a single morpheme. The original verb survives in North Korea, but cannot appear in isolation and must always take the object 기침 (gichim).