하느님

Korean

Etymology

First attested in the 太平詞 / 태평사, 1598, as Early Modern Korean 하ᄂᆞ님 (Yale: hanonim), in a Confucian context. Equivalent to 하늘 (haneul, “heaven”) + 님 (nim, “lord”).

Rare in traditional Korean folk religion, where heaven-worship is not a major religious belief. The Catholic usage is perhaps a calque of Chinese 天主 (“Lord of Heaven; God”).

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ha̠nɯnim]
Phonetic hangul: [하느님]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	Haneunim
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	Haneunim
McCune–Reischauer^?	Hanŭnim
Yale Romanization^?	hanunim

Proper noun

하느님 • (Haneunim)

God, heaven
- 1598, 박인로/朴仁老, 태평사/太平詞 [Poem for Great Peace]:
  天(천)運(운)循(순)環(환)을 아옵게다 하ᄂᆞ님아
  cheonunsunhwaneul aopgeda haneunima
  O Heaven, I have understood the circulation of destiny
- 1896, Yun Chi-ho (lyrics), “애국가(愛國歌) (Aegukga) [National Anthem of the republic of Korea]”:
  하느님이 보우하사 우리나라 만세
  haneunim-i bouhasa urinara manse
  May God preserve our country for ten thousand years
(Catholicism, Orthodoxy) God, creator
- Korean Catholic Bible, Changsegi (創世記 / 창세기) (Genesis) 1:1
  한처음에 하느님께서 하늘과 땅을 창조하셨다.
  Hancheo'eum-e Haneunim-kkeseo haneul-gwa ttang-eul changjohasyeotda.
  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Related terms

천주 (天主, Cheonju, “the Lord of Heaven, God”)
하나님 (Hananim, “God, creator”)