살색

Korean

Etymology

Compound of 살 (sal, “skin”) +‎ 색(色) (saek, “color”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰa̠ɭs͈ɛk̚] ~ [sʰa̠ɭs͈e̞k̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [살쌕/살쎅]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	salsaek
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	salsaeg
McCune–Reischauer?	salssaek
Yale Romanization?	salqsayk

Noun

살색 • (salsaek)

1. skintone
2. (proscribed) apricot (color/colour)

   Synonyms: 살구색 (salgusaek), 연주황색 (yeonjuhwangsaek)

Usage notes

In the early 2000s, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea noted that the usage of this term as a color name is an example of racial discrimination and passed a motion to replace it. Today, many uses of this sense have been replaced with 살구색 (salgusaek) or, less commonly, 연주황색 (yeonjuhwangsaek), though this term continues to receive moderate use.