어리다

Korean

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

Etymology 1

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 어리〮다〮 (Yale: èlí-tá). Originally meant only "to be foolish"; the "to be young" sense developed in the sixteenth century, because children are foolish and immature, and eventually became the main sense of the word. It partly displaced the original word for "to be young", 젊다 (jeomda), which now specifically means "to be youthful", i.e. people in their teens and twenties. The "to be foolish" sense was largely replaced by 어리석다 (eoriseokda), originally a derived term.

Adjective

어리다 • (eorida) (infinitive 어려 or 어리어, sequential 어리니)

1. to be young, to be little, to be a child; when used for people, usually younger than mid-teens unless used in a comparison

   내 어린 시절 ― nae eorin sijeol ― my childhood

   어릴 때에는 누구나 순수하다.

   Eoril ttae-e-neun nugu-na sunsuhada.

   Everyone is innocent when they are young.

   나는 열일곱 살이니 언니보다 세 살 어리다.

   Na-neun yeor-ilgop sar-ini eonni-boda se sal eorida.

   Since I am seventeen, I am three years younger than my sister.

2. to be naïve; to be immature

   대학생인데 너무 생각이 어리다.

   Daehaksaeng-inde neomu saenggag-i eorida.

   They're university students, but they think too naively.

   행동을 보니 아직 어리다.

   Haengdong-eul boni ajik eorida.

   Looking at his behavior, he is still childish.

3. (humble) to be ignorant; to be foolish

   Synonym: 어리석다 (eoriseokda)

   제 어린 생각 ― je eorin saenggak ― my humble opinion

Conjugation

Derived terms

Etymology 2

First attested in the Bullyu dugongbu si eonhae (分類杜工部詩諺解 / 분류두공부시언해), 1481, as Middle Korean 우리〮다〮 (Yale: wùlí-tá), although this is probably a related term instead of a direct ancestor given the incompatible initial vowel.

Verb

어리다 • (eorida) (infinitive 어려 or 어리어, sequential 어리니)

1. (literary, of light, an image, etc.) to appear faintly

   Synonym: 서리다 (seorida)

   길 위에 나무들의 그림자가 어렸다.

   Gil wi-e namudeur-ui geurimja-ga eoryeotda.

   The road was tinged with the shadow of the trees.

2. (of emotions, expressions, memories, etc) to appear faintly; to be tinged with

   Synonyms: 서리다 (seorida), 깃들다 (gitdeulda)

   미소가 어린 표정 ― miso-ga eorin pyojeong ― an expression tinged with a smile

   슬픔이 어린 눈빛 ― seulpeum-i eorin nunbit ― a stare tinged with sadness

   연인의 얼굴이 눈에 어렸다.

   Yeonin-ui eolgur-i nun-e eoryeotda.

   The face of his lover appeared faintly before his eyes.

3. (literary, of tears) to come to the eyes

   눈에 눈물이 어리다 ― nun-e nunmur-i eorida ― tears came to my eyes

4. (literary, of clouds, smoke) to fog; to congeal, making things faint to see

   Synonym: 서리다 (seorida)

   산에 남기가 가득했고 안개가 어렸다.

   San-e namgi-ga gadeukhaetgo an'gae-ga eoryeotda.

   The mountain was thick with sunset mist, and the fog had gathered.

Conjugation

Further reading

• “Human rights implications of a Korean word for "child"” by Victor Mair (2022-05-05), from Language Log