부인

Korean

Etymology 1

Sino-Korean word from 夫人, from 夫 (“husband”) + 人 (“person”)

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puin]
• Phonetic hangul: [부인]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bu'in
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bu'in
McCune–Reischauer?	puin
Yale Romanization?	puin

Noun

부인 • (bu'in) (hanja 夫人)

1. (honorific) (another person's) wife
2. (historical) Lady (honorary title bestowed on ladies of the high aristocracy in the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties)

Usage notes

• It is considered impolite to refer to one’s own wife as 부인.

Synonyms

• 아내 (anae) (humble)
• 집사람 (jipsaram) (humble)
• 마누라 (manura) (humble)
• 와이프 (waipeu) (humble)
• 처 (妻, cheo)

Etymology 2

From Japanese 否認 (ひにん, hinin).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈpu(ː)in]
• Phonetic hangul: [부(ː)인]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bu'in
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bu'in
McCune–Reischauer?	puin
Yale Romanization?	pūin

Noun

부인 • (bu'in) (hanja 否認)

1. denial; disaffirmation

Derived terms

• 부인되다 (bu'indoeda, “to be denied”)
• 부인하다 (bu'inhada, “to deny or disavow”)