올빼미

First attested in the Bullyu dugongbu si eonhae (分類杜工部詩諺解 / 분류두공부시언해), 1481, as Middle Korean 옫〮바〮미〮 (Yale: wótpámí). Middle Korean 옷바미 (Yale: wospami) is also attested, though late in the sixteenth century and probably an early reflection of the merger of coda /-t/ and /-s/.

Jeju 옥밤 (okbam, “owl”) shows that the word is etymologically equivalent to *옫밤 (*wotpam) + nominal suffix 이 (-i) , but the meaning of the root is not clear. Speculatively connected to 울— (ul-, “to cry, to growl”) and 밤 (bam, “night”), i.e. "the thing that cries at night".

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

올빼미 • (olppaemi)

1. owl (without ear tufts)
2. The tawny owl (Strix aluco).

• 가면올빼미 (假面‒, gamyeonolppaemi, “barn owl”)
• 금눈쇠올빼미 (geumnunsoe'olppaemi, “little owl”)
• 흰올빼미 (huinolppaemi, “snowy owl”)

• 부엉이 (bueong'i, “great horned owl, long eared owl”)
• 소쩍새 (sojjeoksae, “long eared owl (often mistaken for 두견새 (dugyeonsae)”)