-이여

Korean

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ijʌ̹]
• Phonetic hangul: [이여]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	iyeo
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	iyeo
McCune–Reischauer?	iyŏ
Yale Romanization?	iye

Etymology 1

From Middle Korean 이〮여〮 (Yale: -í-yé), from Old Korean 亦 (*-ye), 也 (*-ye).

Note that there is no Old or Middle Korean evidence that the first syllable is supposed to be the copula 이다 (-ida); the honorific form 이시여 (-isiyeo), which would suggest such an origin, is first attested only in the twentieth century.

Particle

이여 • (-iyeo)

1. (literary) O; vocative particle with exclamatory nuances, attaching to nouns and nominalized verbs.

   서울이여 안녕! ― Seour-iyeo annyeong! ― Goodbye, O, Seoul!

   영원해라, 나의 이 행복이여. ― Yeong'won-haera, na-ui i haengbog-iyeo. ― May it be everlasting, o this happiness of mine.

Alternative forms

• 여 (-yeo) — after vowels

Derived terms

• 이시여 (-isiyeo)

Etymology 2

From Middle Korean 이〮여〮 (Yale: -í-yé).

Particle

이여 • (-iyeo)

1. (Chungcheong, Jeolla dialect) and; connective particle for enumerating nouns.

   Synonym: (Standard Seoul) 이랑 (-irang)

Alternative forms

• 여 (-yeo) — obligatory after vowels, optional after consonants
• 이야 (-iya), 야 (-ya) — variant