편지
Korean
Etymology
Sino-Korean word from 片紙. First attested in a Korean text in the Samgang haengsildo (三綱行實圖 / 삼강행실도), 1511, in hanja form and with the meaning of "small piece of paper".
In the Hangul script, first attested in the 順天金氏墓出土簡札 / 순천김씨 묘 출토 간찰 ("Letters excavated from the grave of Lady Suncheon Kim"), c. 1585, as Middle Korean 편지 (Yale: phyenci). This is also the first attestation of the "letter" sense.
The hanja form 便紙 is unetymological and first appears in Korean Classical Chinese sources in the eighteenth century.
Pronunciation
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈpʰjɘ(ː)ɲd͡ʑi]
- Phonetic hangul: [편(ː)지]
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | pyeonji |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | pyeonji |
| McCune–Reischauer? | p'yŏnji |
| Yale Romanization? | phyēn.ci |
Noun
편지 • (pyeonji) (hanja 便紙/片紙)
- letter (written message)
- 부모님께 편지를 얼마나 자주 씁니까?
- bumonim-kke pyeonji-reul eolmana jaju sseumnikka?
- How often do you write letters to your parents?
Middle Korean
Etymology
From Middle Chinese 片紙 (MC pʰenH t͡ɕiᴇX).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pʰjə̌n.t͡sǐ/
Noun
편지 (phyenci) (hanja 片紙)
- small piece of paper
- letter
Descendants
- Korean: 편지 (pyeonji)