말

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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.

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)

More information
  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)
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