기침

Korean

Etymology

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 기춤〮 (Yale: kìchwúm), from 깇 (kìch, “to cough”) +‎ 우〮 (-wú-, modulator suffix) +‎ ㅁ (m, nominalizer). Cognate with Jeju 지침 (jichim).

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kit͡ɕʰim]
Phonetic hangul: [기침]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	gichim
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	gichim
McCune–Reischauer^?	kich'im
Yale Romanization^?	ki.chim

South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 기침의 / 기침에 / 기침까지
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

기침 • (gichim)

cough
- 2000 December 31, 태조 왕건／太祖王建 [Emperor Wang Gun], episode 80, spoken by Gung Ye (Kim Yeong-cheol):
  누구 인 가? 지금 누가 기침 소리 를 내었어? 누가 기침 소리 를 내었 는가 말 이야!
  nugu'in'ga? jigeum nuga gichim sori-reul naeeosseo? nuga gichim sori-reul naeeon-neun'ga mar-iya!
  Who was it? Who was it that just coughed? Will anybody tell me who coughed!

Usage notes

In Modern South Korean, the original verb 깇다〮 (kìchtá) has been lost, and 기침 (gichim) functions as a single morpheme. The original verb survives in North Korea, but cannot appear in isolation and must always take the object 기침 (gichim).

Derived terms

기침하다 (gichimhada, “to cough”)