디대

Korean

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [tidɛ] ~ [tide̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [디대/디데]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	didae
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	didae
McCune–Reischauer?	tidae
Yale Romanization?	titay

Etymology 1

Probably a dialectal borrowing into North Korea's Seoul-based standard.

Plausibly a Sino-Korean word in the local Pyongan dialect, which preserves the Sino-Korean reading 디 (di) rather than palatalizing it to 지 (ji). The compound 地臺 (“earthen platform”), Seoul reading 지대 (jidae), is indeed attested in the early twentieth century with the reading 디대 (didae).

Alternatively, perhaps connected to the native verb 딛다 (ditda, “to tread”). Compare 딛개 (ditgae, “something one treads on”).

Noun

South Korean Standard Language	계단(階段) (gyedan)
North Korean Standard Language	디대 (didae)

디대 • (didae)

1. (North Korea) stairs, staircase

Etymology 2

Unclear, may be related to the definition mentioned above. As it is only attested by North Korean defectors from the southern city of Kaesong, it is likely a very local term. The word 사람 (saram, “person”) is often attached if not referring to the region.

Noun

디대 • (didae)

1. (North Korea, Kaesong, colloquial, somewhat derogatory) a northerner, especially a local of the historical Pyongan and Hamgyong regions.
2. (North Korea, Kaesong, colloquial) what is historically the regions of Pyongan and Hamgyeong in North Korea (Regions north of Kaesong).

Derived terms

• 디대사람 (didaesaram)