오라비

Korean

Etymology

First attested in the Worin seokbo (月印釋譜 / 월인석보), 1459, as Middle Korean 오〮라비〮 (Yale: wólàpí).

Beyond Middle Korean, the word is etymologically a compound of *올 (*wol, “brother”) + 아비 (api, “father; (by extension) man”). The original word is not attested in isolation but survives in the Middle Korean compound word 오〮누의〮 (Yale: wónwùúy, “brothers and sisters; siblings”), which is equivalent to *올 (*wol) + 누의 (nwuuy, “sister”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [o̞ɾa̠bi]
• Phonetic hangul: [오라비]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	orabi
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	olabi
McCune–Reischauer?	orabi
Yale Romanization?	olapi

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 오라비의 / 오라비에 / 오라비까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch on the first two syllables, and lowers the pitch of subsequent suffixes.

Noun

오라비 • (orabi)

1. (dated) brother of a female

   Hyponyms: 오빠 (oppa, “older brother”), 남동생 (namdongsaeng, “younger brother”)

Synonyms

Historical and regional synonyms of 오빠 (oppa, “older brother of a female”)
view map; edit data
Group	Region	Location	Words
Standardised forms	South Korean Standard Language		오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni) (hon.), 오라비 (orabi) (also y.)
	North Korean Cultured Language		오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni) (hon.), 오래비 (oraebi) (also y.)
Historical forms	Middle Korean		오〮라비〮 (wólàpí) (also y.)
	Early Modern Seoul Korean		오라비 (orabi) (also y.), 오래비 (oraebi) (also y.)
Central Korean	Gyeonggi	Modern colloquial Seoul	오빠 (oppa) (other traditional Seoul forms are not used)
		Traditional Seoul	오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni) (hon.), 오라비 (orabi) (also y.), 오래비 (oraebi) (also y.)
	Yeongdong	Samcheok	오빠 (óppà), 오라버니 (órábèonì), 오라바이 (órábàì)
		Jeongseon	오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni), 오라버이 (orabeoi)
	North Chungcheong	Cheongju	오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Goesan	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Boeun	오빠 (oppa), 오라버이 (orabeoi)
		Okcheon	오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Yeongdong	오빠 (oppa), 오라버니 (orabeoni)
	South Chungcheong	Cheonan	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Cheongyang	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Buyeo	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Seocheon	오빠 (oppa)
		Nonsan	오라버니 (orabeoni)
	South Hwanghae	Anak	오빠 (oppa)
	North Hwanghae	Pongsan	오라바이 (orabai)
Gyeongsang Korean	North Gyeongsang	Daegu	올배 (ólbè)
		Mungyeong	'오빠 ( oppa)
		Andong	오라배 (órábè)
		Pohang	'오'라바시 ( o rabasi)
	South Gyeongsang	Busan	오라배 (órábè), '오'라부이 ( o rabu'i) (hon.), 오래비 (órébì) (deprec.), '오'라바이 ( o rabai) (deprec.)
		Ulsan	오라배 (órábè)
		Geochang	오라배 (órábè), 오라버니 (órábèunì), '오'라바이 ( o rabai)
		Hamyang	'오'라바이 ( o rabai)
		Jinju	'오'라배 ( o rabae)
		Yangsan	오래배 (órébè)
		Goseong	'오'라배 ( o rabae)
		Geoje	오랍세 (órápsè)
Jeolla Korean	North Jeolla	Gunsan	오라바니 (orabani)
		Iksan	오라바니 (orabani)
		Wanju	오랍씨 (orapssi), 오라바니 (orabani) (hon.)
		Gimje	오라바니 (orabani)
		Jeongeup	오래비 (oraebi)
		Imsil	오래비 (oraebi), 오라바이 (orabai) (hon.), 오라바니 (orabani) (hon.)
	South Jeolla	Yeonggwang	오빠 (oppa), 오랍씨 (orapssi)
		Jangseong	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Gokseong	오빠 (oppa), 오라부니 (orabuni), 오라부지 (orabuji)
		Sinan	오랍씨 (orapssi), 오람 (oram)
		Muan	오빠 (oppa), 오라비 (orabi), 오라부 (orabu) (voc.), 오라부님 (orabunim) (voc.)
		Naju	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Hwasun	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Suncheon	오랍씨 (orapssi)
		Gwangyang	오랍씨 (orapssi), 오래비 (oraebi)
		Yeongam	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Jindo	오빠 (oppa), 오라부 (orabu), 오라부님 (orabunim), 오람씨 (oramssi)
		Haenam	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Gangjin	오라버니 (orabeoni)
		Wando	오랍씨 (orapssi), 오람 (oram)
		Boseong	오라부니 (orabuni)
		Goheung	오라비 (orabi)
		Yeosu	오랍쎄 (orapsse)
Pyongan Korean	South Pyongan	Ryonggang	오래비 (oraebi) (if unmarried), 오라바니 (orabani) (if married), 오라반 (oraban) (if married)
		Songchon	오래비 (oraebi)
		Mundok	오래비 (oraebi), 오라버니 (orabeoni) (if brother is over 50 years old), 오라버님 (orabeonim) (if brother is over 50 years old)
	North Pyongan	Ryongchon	오래비 (oraebi) (children use personal names to address older brothers)
	Diaspora	Dandong	오르바니 (oreubani)
Hamgyong Korean	South Hamgyong	Tanchon	'오래비 ( oraebi)
Yukjin Korean	Diaspora	Hunchun	오래비 (óràebì) (as children), 오라바니 (óràbànì) (as adults)
Jeju		Jeju City	오라방 (orabang) (also y.), 오라바님 (orabanim), 오라뱀 (orabaem)
		Seogwipo	오라방 (orabang) (also y.), 오라바님 (orabanim), 오라뱀 (orabaem)
hon.: honorific / deprec.: deprecatory / voc.: vocative also y.: refers to any brother of a female, regardless of relative age
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

• 오빠 (oppa)
• 오라버니 (orabeoni)
• 오라버님 (orabeonim)

Middle Korean

Etymology

From *올 (*wol, “brother”) + 아비 (api, “father; (by extension) man”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ó.là.pí/, [ó.ɾà.bí]

Noun

오〮라비〮 (wólàpí)

1. brother of a female

Descendants

• Korean: 오라비 (orabi)