우

From Middle Korean 웋 (wùh), from Old Korean 上只 (*WUk). Cognate with Korean 위 (wi).

• (Morphophonemic) IPA^(key): ⫽u⫽
• (Jeju City) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

우 (u)

1. above, upper, upside, top

   Antonym: 알레 (alle)

   우ᄁᆞ장 ― u-kkawjang ― to the top

   우로 ― u-ro ― toward the top

   우부떠 ― u-butteo ― from the top

   우의 ― u-ui ― on the top

   고넹이를 의ᄌᆞ 우이서 봔.

   Goneng'i-reul uijaw u-iseo bwan.

   I saw the cat on top of the chair.

   • 2011 January 18, 양전형 [yangjeonhyeong], “곱음재기 허멍 놈의 집 눌덜 다 멜라불곡 담 헤싸블곡 (2011년1월15일자) [gobeumjaegi heomeong nomui jip nuldeol da mellabulgok dam hessabeulgok (2011nyeon1wol15ilja)]”, in 제주어보전회 [jejueobojeonhoe, Jeju Preservation Society]‎:

     바지는 너믜 컨 튿어그네 잘 줄여 입곡, 우의 옷은 커도 그냥 걸쳐 입언 뎅겻주기.

     Baji-neun neomui keon teudeogeune jal juryeo ipgok, u-ui os-eun keodo geunyang geolcheo ibeon denggyeotjugi.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2017, 양창용 [yangchang'yong, Yang Changyong], 윌리암 오그레디 [william ogeuredi, William O'Grady], 양세종 [yangsejong, Yang Sejung], 제주어 1 [jejueo 1, Jeju 1], 퍼플 [peopeul], →ISBN, page 36:

     돔베, 어듸 잇우과? — 살레 우틔 싯저.

     Dombe, eodui isugwa? — Salle u-tui sitjeo.

     The cutting board, where is it? — It's above the cupboard.

   • 2020, Changyong Yang, Sejung Yang, William O'Grady, Jejueo : the language of Korea’s Jeju Island, Honolulu, USA: University of Hawai‘i Press, →DOI, →ISBN, →JSTOR, page 260:

     만수가 ᄀᆞ세 ᄎᆞᆽ(이)쿠데, 벡장 우의 보렌 헷저.

     Mansu-ga gawse chawt(i)kude, bekjang u-ui boren hetjeo.

     Since Mansu was looking for the scissors, I told (him) to look at the top of the closet.

• 우착 (uchak)

From Middle Korean 웋 (wùh), from Old Korean 上只 (*WUk).

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

우 • (u)

1. Alternative form of 위 (wi, “top, above”).
   • 2004 October 10, “구름우에 솟은 《왕》들의 집13개의 분교 [The House of "Kings", Soaring Above the Clouds]”, in KCNA‎, archived from the original on 23 June 2009:

     이곳에서 내려다보면 마치 구름 우에 분교와 마을이 둥둥 떠있는 것만 같다.

     Igos-eseo naeryeodabomyeon machi gureum u-e bun'gyo-wa ma'eur-i dungdung tteo-inneun geon-man gatda.

     Looking down from here, it looks just like the schoolhouse and the village are floating on top of the clouds.

• This form is considered standard in North Korea and dialectal in South Korea, despite being common in South Korean dialects as well. The opposite is true for 위 (wi).

Sino-Korean word from 右 (“right-side”).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

우 • (u)

1. (formal) right side

   Synonyms: 우측(右側) (ucheuk), 오른쪽 (oreunjjok)

   Antonym: 좌(左) (jwa, “left side”)

2. (politics) right wing

   Synonyms: 우파(右派) (upa), 우익(右翼) (u'ik)

   Antonym: 좌(左) (jwa, “political left”)

• Commonly written in hanja in news headlines, even in contemporary text otherwise devoid of Chinese characters.

• See the hanja entry at 右 for Sino-Korean compounds of 우 (右, u).

Sino-Korean word from 愚 (“foolish”).

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

우 • (u) (hanja 愚)

1. foolish mistake

   우를 범하고 말았습니다. ― U-reul beom-hago maratseumnida. ― I ended up committing a foolish error.

• See the hanja entry at 愚 for Sino-Korean compounds of 우 (愚, u).

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

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

우 • (u)

1. Conveys forceful collective movement, e.g. of crowds or gusts.

   분노한 시위대들이 대통령궁으로 우 몰려들었다.

   Bunno-han siwidae-deur-i daetongnyeonggung-euro u mollyeo-deureotda.

   The outraged protesters stormed into the presidential palace.

Sino-Korean word from 優 (“excellent”).

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

우 • (u) (hanja 優)

1. The second-highest score in the five-point grading system in South Korean schools, ultimately abolished in 2012; equivalent to B in the Roman alphabet grading scheme.

   Coordinate terms: 수(秀) (su), 미(美) (mi), 양(良) (yang), 가(可) (ga)

• See the hanja entry at 優 for Sino-Korean compounds of 우 (優, u).

Sino-Korean word from 又.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

우 • (u) (hanja 又)

1. (archaic Literary Chinese-style Korean) or; and

• See the hanja entry at 又 for Sino-Korean compounds of 우 (又, u).

Sino-Korean word from 羽 (“fifth note in the pentatonic scale”).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

우 • (u) (hanja 羽)

1. (music) the fifth note in the pentatonic scale of East Asian classical music, equivalent to la

• See the hanja entry at 羽 for Sino-Korean compounds of 우 (羽, u).

Modern Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

우 (u)