바다

Korean

Etymology

First attested in the Worin seokbo (月印釋譜 / 월인석보), 1459, as Middle Korean 바닿〮 (Yale: pàtáh), from pre-Middle Korean *바닥〮 (Yale: *pàták), a form still preserved directly in certain southern dialects. An Old Korean phrase attested in a tenth-century poem, 海惡中 (“in the sea”), has sometimes been segmented as 海惡中 (*PATak-kuy, “in the sea”), which would provide direct attestation of *pàták. However, this is conventionally understood as 海惡中 (*PATOL-a-kuy, “in the sea”), with 惡中 a spelling variant of the fused locative 良中 (*a-kuy).

The */-k/ may be the remnant of an archaic place suffix (see Appendix:Middle Korean h-final nouns), which leaves *바다〮 (Yale: *pàtá) as the etymological root; this notion is further supported by the existence of the alternative Middle Korean form 바ᄅᆞᆯ〮 (Yale: pàlól), representing intervocalic lenition of /t/ to [ɾ] (phonemically /l/) from Old Korean 海等 (*PAtol), a form presumably related to *pàták but with different suffixation. Despite being both the only attested Old Korean form and the more common Middle Korean form, the variant with coda /l/ is now lost in most dialects.

The word may speculatively be related to 바닥 (badak, “floor; flat surface”), according to Kim 2008. Beyond Korean, the word is believed to be related to Japanese 海(わた) (wata, “sea”), perhaps via ancient borrowing from Korean to Japanese, given the apparent lack of derivatives in Japonic languages, compared to the established Japonic root *omi (“sea, ocean”) with many derived terms.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [pa̠da̠]
• Phonetic hangul: [바다]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bada
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bada
McCune–Reischauer?	pada
Yale Romanization?	pata

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 바다의 / 바다에 / 바다까지

  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

바다 • (bada)

1. sea, ocean

   Synonyms: 해양(海洋) (haeyang, “ocean”), 대양(大洋) (daeyang, “ocean”)

   Antonyms: 땅 (ttang, “land”), 육지(陸地) (yukji, “land, mainland”), 뭍 (mut, “land, mainland”)

   바다와 하늘 모두 얼마나 푸르렀는지, 수평선 따위는 누군가 지어낸 이야기일 뿐이라고 나는 확신했다.

   Bada-wa haneul modu eolmana pureureonneunji, supyeongseon ttawi-neun nugun'ga jieonaen iyagi-il ppun-irago na-neun hwaksin-haetda.

   The sea and the sky were both so blue that I was certain that the horizon was but a story someone had made up.

   • 1617, 東國新續三綱行實圖／동국신속삼강행실도 [New Edition of the Korean Illustrated Conduct of the Three Bonds]:

     하ᄂᆞᆯ히 길고 바다히 너ᄅᆞ니 ᄒᆞᆫ이 ᄀᆞ이 업도다

     hanol-hi kilkwo pata-hi neloni hon-i ko-i eptwota

     The skies are long and the seas are wide; how endless therefore is my grief.

   • c. 1790, 樂學拾零 (Akhak Seumnyeong) [Tidbits of the Musical Sciences]:

     바다 ᄒᆞᆫ 가온ᄃᆡ ᄲᅮ리 업슨 남기 나셔 가지ᄂᆞᆫ 열둘이오 닙흔 삼ᄇᆡᆨ 예순이라 그 남게 여름이 열니되 다만 둘이 열녓더라

     pata hon kawontoy spwuli epsun namki nasye kaci-non yeltwul-iwo nip-hun sampoyk yeyswun-ila ku nam-key yelum-i yelnitwoy taman twul-i yelnyestela

     In the middle of the ocean grows a tree with no roots, whose branches number twelve and whose leaves are three hundred sixty. Fruits grow on that tree−but no more than two fruits.

   • 1955 (posthumous), 윤동주／尹東柱<t:Yun Dong-ju>, “黃(황)昏(혼)이 바다가 되어”, in 하늘과 바람과 별과 詩(시) [Sky, Wind, and Stars]:

     黃(황)昏(혼)이 바다가 되어
     오늘도 數(수)많은 배가
     나와 함께 이 물결에 잠겼을게오.

     The twilight becomes the ocean; today too, countless boats will have sunk in these waves with me.

   • 2021 February 5, “2월 6일 토요일, 곳곳에 강한 바람, 출조에 주의 [2wol 6il toyoil, gotgose ganghan baram, chuljo'e juui, Saturday February 6, strong winds in many places, take caution if fishing]”, in ytn.co.kr‎^[1], Yonhap News Agency:

     성산포 바다 상황 나쁘지 않아 낚시 즐기실 수 있겠고요.

     Seongsan-po bada sanghwang nappeuji ana naksi jeulgisil su itgetgo-yo.

     The [weather] situation in the seas [off] Seongsan-po won't be bad, so you'll be able to enjoy your fishing.

Synonyms

Historical and regional synonyms of 바다 (bada, “sea”)
view map; edit data
Group	Region	Location	Words
Standardised forms	South Korean Standard Language		바다 (bada)
	North Korean Cultured Language		바다 (bada)
Historical forms	Old Korean		海等 (*PAtol)
	Middle Korean		바닿〮 (pàtáh), 바ᄅᆞᆯ〮 (pàlól)
	Early Modern Seoul Korean		바다 (bada), 바닿 (bada)
Central Korean	Gyeonggi	Modern colloquial Seoul	바다 (bada)
		Kaesong	바다 (bada)
		Changpung	바다 (bada)
		Yeoncheon	바다 (bada)
		Yongin	바대 (badae)
	Yeongseo	Kosan	바다 (bada)
	Yeongdong	Gangneung	바다 (bàdà)
		Wonsan	바다 (bada)
		Kumya	바다 (bada)
		Munchon	바다 (bada)
		Anbyeon	바다 (bada)
		Yangyang	바다 (bada)
		Samcheok	바다 (bádà)
	North Chungcheong	Cheongju	바다 (bada)
		Chungju	바다 (bada)
		Danyang	바다 (bada)
		Boeun	바다 (bada)
		Yeongdong	바다 (bada)
	South Chungcheong	Cheonan	바다 (bada)
		Hongseong	바다 (bada)
		Gongju	바다 (bada)
		Seocheon	바다 (bada)
		Nonsan	바다 (bada), 바대 (badae)
	South Hwanghae	Haeju	바다 (bada)
		Ongjin	바다 (bada)
		Yonan	바다 (bada)
		Taetan	바다 (bada)
		Chaeryong	바다 (bada)
		Changyon	바다 (bada)
		Unnyul	바다 (bada)
	North Hwanghae	Hwangju	바다 (bada)
		Sohung	바다 (bada)
		Kumchon	바다 (bada)
		Singye	바다 (bada)
		Suan	바다 (bada)
		Yonsan	바다 (bada)
Gyeongsang Korean	North Gyeongsang	Daegu	'바다 ( bada)
		Uljin	'바다 ( bada), '바닥 ( badak)
		Yecheon	'바다 ( bada)
		Andong	'바다 ( bada)
		Uiseong	'바다 ( bada)
		Cheongsong	'바다 ( bada)
		Yeongdeok	'바다 ( bada), '바닥 ( badak)
		Gimcheon	'바다 ( bada)
		Pohang	'바다 ( bada)
		Yeongcheon	'바다 ( bada)
		Goryeong	'바다 ( bada)
	South Gyeongsang	Busan	'바다 ( bada), 바당 (bádàng)
		Ulsan	'바다 ( bada)
		Changwon	'바다 ( bada), '바당 ( badang)
		Geochang	'바다 ( bada), 바닥 (bádàk)
		Hapcheon	'바다 ( bada)
		Changnyeong	'바대 ( badae), 바당 (bádàng)
		Hamyang	'바다 ( bada)
		Hadong	바닥 (bádàk)
		Jinju	'바다 ( bada), '바당 ( badang), 바닥 (bádàk)
		Haman	바닥 (bádàk)
		Gimhae	'바다 ( bada)
		Yangsan	'바다 ( bada)
		Sacheon	바닥 (bádàk)
		Goseong	바닥 (bádàk)
		Namhae	'바다 ( bada), 바닥 (bádàk)
		Tongyeong	'바다 ( bada), 바당 (bádàng), 바닥 (bádàk)
		Geoje	바당 (bádàng), 바닥 (bádàk)
Jeolla Korean	North Jeolla	Jeonju	바대 (badae)
		Jinan	바대 (badae)
		Muju	바대 (badae)
		Gimje	바대 (badae)
		Jeongeup	바대 (badae)
		Imsil	바대 (badae)
		Jangsu	바대 (badae)
		Sunchang	바대 (badae)
		Namwon	바대 (badae)
	South Jeolla	Gwangju	바다 (bada)
		Yeonggwang	바대 (bade)
		Jangseong	바대 (bade)
		Damyang	바대 (bade)
		Gokseong	바대 (bade)
		Gurye	바대 (badae)
		Hampyeong	바대 (bade)
		Sinan	바닥 (badak)
		Mokpo	바닥 (badak)
		Naju	바대 (bade), 바다 (bada)
		Suncheon	바다 (bada)
		Gwangyang	바대 (badae)
		Yeongam	바대 (bade)
		Jindo	바닥 (badak)
		Haenam	바대 (bade), 바닥 (badak)
		Gangjin	바대 (bade)
		Wando	바닥 (badak), 바탕 (batang) (less common)
		Jangheung	바대 (bade)
		Boseong	바대 (badae)
		Goheung	바닥 (badak)
		Yeosu	바닥 (badak), 바당 (badang)
Pyongan Korean	South Pyongan	Pyongyang	바다 (bada)
	North Pyongan	Pakchon	바다 (bada)
		Nyongbyon	바다 (bada)
		Kusong	바다 (bada)
		Huichon	바다 (bada)
		Kanggye	바다 (bada)
		Chasong	바다 (bada)
Hamgyong Korean	South Hamgyong	Hamhung	바'다 (ba da)
		Chongpyong	바'다 (ba da)
		Yonggwang	바'다 (ba da)
		Sinhung	바'다 (ba da)
		Hongwon	바'다 (ba da)
		Pukchong	바'다 (ba da)
		Tanchon	바'당 (ba dang)
	North Hamgyong	Chongjin	바'다 (ba da)
		Kimchaek	바'다 (ba da)
		Kilju	바'당 (ba dang)
		Myongchon	바'다 (ba da)
		Kyongsong	바'다 (ba da)
		Puryong	바'다 (ba da)
		Musan	바'당 (ba dang)
		Hyesan	바'다 (ba da)
		Kapsan	바'다 (ba da)
		Pungso	바'다 (ba da)
		Kimhyongjik	바'다 (ba da)
Yukjin Korean	Yukjin	Kyonghung	바다 (bàdá)
		Hoeryong	바당 (bàdáng)
		Onsong	바다 (bàdá)
		Kyongwon	바당 (bàdáng)
	Diaspora	Hunchun	바다 (bàdá)
Jeju		Jeju City	바당 (badang), 와당 (wadang)
		Daejeong	바당 (badang), 와당 (wadang), 바릇 (bareut)
		Gujwa	바당 (badang), 와당 (wadang)
		Seogwipo	바당 (badang), 와당 (wadang), 바릇 (bareut)
Note: Jeolla and Gyeongsang speakers may prefer to use words for 'beach' or 'seashore' in contexts where Seoul speakers would use 바다.
This table is an amalgamation of surveys of speakers mostly born before 1950 and may not reflect the language of younger speakers, which has lexically converged towards the standard Seoul dialect in both North and South Koreas.

Derived terms

• 바다뱀 (badabaem, “seasnake”)
• 바다사자 (badasaja, “sealion”)
• 바다색 (badasaek, “sea color”)
• 바다코끼리 (badakokkiri, “walrus”)
• 바다포도 (badapodo, “sea grape”)
• 바닷가 (badatga, “seaside”)
• 바닷물 (badanmul, “seawater”)
• 바닷물고기 (badanmulgogi, “marine fish”)

See also

• 海 (hae), the hanja for "sea"

References

• 김영일 [gimyeong'il] (2008) “한국어 어휘 비교의 재인식 [han'gugeo eohwi bigyoui jaeinsik, A new approach to Korean lexical comparisons]”, in Hangeul, volume 279, page 153−176
• Alexander Vovin (2010) Koreo-Japonica: A Re-evaluation of a Genetic Origin, University of Hawaii Press, →ISBN.
• Vovin, Alexander (2015) “On The Etymology of Middle Korean psʌr 'rice'”, in Türk Dilleri Araştırmaları‎^[2], number 25.2, pages 229-238
• 박석문 (Park Seok-mun), 서장국 (Seo Jang-guk) (2015) “국어 어말음 ‘ㄱ’의 교체와 변화에 대하여 [gugeo eomareum ‘g’ui gyochewa byeonhwa'e daehayeo, On the alternation and change of the Korean coda consonant *-k]”, in Ban'gyo Eomun Yeon'gu, volume 41, pages 315–334

Middle Korean

Noun

바다〮 (pàtá)

1. Isolated form spelling of 바닿〮 (pàtáh, “sea; ocean”)