겨울

Korean

Etymology

First attested in the Worin cheon'gangjigok (月印千江之曲 / 월인천강지곡), 1449, as Middle Korean 겨ᅀᅳᆶ〮 (Yale: kyèzúlh).

Compare dialect forms 겨욹 (gyeouk), 저슭 (jeoseuk), 저싥 (jeosik), 줅 (juk), 겨을 (gyeo'eul), 절 (jeol), 줄기 (julgi), 절기 (jeolgi), 저슬 (jeoseul), 저실 (jeosil), etc.).^[1]

James Marshall Unger (2001) asserts it is probably the source of Japanese 如月 (kisaragi, “the second month of the lunar calendar”).^[2] However this theory is problematic for the following reasons:

The 2nd month of the East Asian lunar calendar is when the vernal equinox occurs, or the middle month of spring, which is not considered winter.^[3]
The vowel ㅕ (Yale: ye) in Koreanic languages had been constantly transcribed as <e> in Japanese, until its pronunciation changed to [jʌ̹] in standard Korean (cf. 寺(てら) (tera, “temple”, (very likely) borrowed from a Koreanic language (likely Baekje), related to Middle Korean 뎔〮 (Yale: tyél; modern Korean 절 (jeol))), 嶋(セマ) (sema, transliteration of a(n archaic) Baekje/Koreanic word for "island", related to 셤〯 (Yale: syěm; modern Korean 섬 (seom))), 倍留(ぺる) (peru, transliteration of 별 (byeol, “star”) in the Wakan Sansai Zue, 1712^[4]).

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kjʌ̹uɭ]
Phonetic hangul: [겨울]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	gyeoul
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	gyeoul
McCune–Reischauer^?	kyŏul
Yale Romanization^?	kyewul

South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 겨울의 / 겨울에 / 겨울까지
Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the first syllable, and lowers the pitch of subsequent suffixes.

Noun

겨울 • (gyeoul)

winter
Synonym: (Jeonnam) 시한 (sihan)

Coordinate terms

Seasons in Korean · 사철 (四 철, sacheol), 사계 (四季, sagye, “four seasons”) (layout · text) · category
봄 (bom, “spring”)	여름 (yeoreum, “summer”)	가을 (ga'eul, “fall; autumn”)	겨울 (gyeoul, “winter”)

Derived terms

겨우내 (gyeounae, “all winter long”)
겨우살이 (gyeousari, “preparation for winter; wintering”)
겨울날 (gyeoullal, “winter day”)
겨울비 (gyeoulbi, “winter rain”)
겨울새 (gyeoulsae, “winter bird”)
겨울잠 (gyeouljam, “winter sleep, hibernation”)
겨울철 (gyeoulcheol, “winter season”)
겨울털 (gyeoulteol, “winter coat, fur coat”)

References

^ Rei Fukui (2017 March 28) 小倉進平『朝鮮語方言の研究』所載資料による言語地図とその解釈―第１集‎^[1], 東京大学人文社会系研究科韓国朝鮮文化研究室
^ Unger, J. Marshall (2001) “Layers of Words and Volcanic Ash in Japan and Korea”, in The Journal of Japanese Studies‎^[2], volume 27, page 104
^ Vovin, Alexander (2010) Koreo-Japonica: A Re-Evaluation of a Common Genetic Origin, University of Hawai’i Press, →ISBN, →JSTOR, pages 151-152
^ Yokoyama, Yasuko (2015) “‘Japan-consciousness’ in the Past, Present and Future : Myself, A User of Chinese Characters, Barbarians, Non-user of Chinese Characters”, in International Japanese Studies, →DOI

[1] Rei Fukui (2017 March 28) 小倉進平『朝鮮語方言の研究』所載資料による言語地図とその解釈―第１集‎^[1], 東京大学人文社会系研究科韓国朝鮮文化研究室

[2] Unger, J. Marshall (2001) “Layers of Words and Volcanic Ash in Japan and Korea”, in The Journal of Japanese Studies‎^[2], volume 27, page 104

[KoJa-3] Vovin, Alexander (2010) Koreo-Japonica: A Re-Evaluation of a Common Genetic Origin, University of Hawai’i Press, →ISBN, →JSTOR, pages 151-152

[wakan_sanzai_zue-4] Yokoyama, Yasuko (2015) “‘Japan-consciousness’ in the Past, Present and Future : Myself, A User of Chinese Characters, Barbarians, Non-user of Chinese Characters”, in International Japanese Studies, →DOI

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