송편

Korean

송편.

Alternative forms

송병 (松餠, songbyeong)

Etymology

Attested in the Yeogeo yuhaebo (譯語類解補 / 역어유해보), 1775, as 숑편 (syongpyeon).

The first syllable is 송 (松, song, “pine”), in light of the fact that the rice cake is steamed over a layer of pine needles.

Etymology of the second element 편 (pyeon, “rice cake”) is not clear. Han (1990) regards this as a derivation from 편 (扁, pyeon, “flat”), whereas Kim (2001) postulates it is a corruption of 병 (餠, byeong, “cake”). It can also be found in 절편 (jeolpyeon, “a kind of small flat rice cake”) and the saying 편보다 떡이 낫다 (pyeonboda tteogi natda).

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰo̞ŋpʰjʌ̹n]
Phonetic hangul: [송편]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	songpyeon
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	songpyeon
McCune–Reischauer^?	songp'yŏn
Yale Romanization^?	songphyen

Noun

송편 • (songpyeon)

songpyeon (Korean food made of rice powder, traditionally consumed during the Chuseok festival)

Synonyms

(dialectal) 살미떡 (salmitteok), 솔벤 (solben), 솔펜 (solpen), 싱핀 (singpin)

Derived terms

알송편 (—松—, alsongpyeon)
물송편 (—松—, mulsongpyeon)
돌송편 (—松—, dolsongpyeon)

References

Han Jin-Geon (1990), 조선말의 어원을 찾아서 (Chosŏnmarŭi ŏwŏnŭl ch'ajasŏ), Yanbian People Publishing House. pp. 155–156.
Kim In-ho (2001), 조선어어원편람 (Chosŏnŏ ŏwŏn p'yŏllam), Vol. 52–53 of 조선어학전서 (Chosŏnŏhak chŏnsŏ), pg. 90.