말

말 U+B9D0, 말 HANGUL SYLLABLE MAL Composition: ㅁ + ㅏ + ㄹ ← 맏 [U+B9CF] Hangul Syllables 맑 → [U+B9D1]

마막맊맋만맍많 맏말맑맒맓맔맕 맖맗맘맙맚맛맜 망맞맟맠맡맢맣
리 ←	→ 매

Jeju

Etymology

From Middle Korean 말〯 (mǎl).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ma̠ɭ/

Noun

말 (mal)

1. word
2. speech
3. language

Derived terms

• 제주말 (jejumal)
• 한국말 (han'gungmal)
• 조선말 (joseonmal) (rare)

References

• “말” in Andrew Cheng; K. David Harrison, Jeju-eo Talking Dictionary, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, 2014.
• “말” in Jeju's culture and language, Digital museum.

Korean

Etymology 1

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 말〯 (Yale: mǎl). The rising pitch implies an earlier bisyllabic origin.

Pronunciation

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

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	mal
McCune–Reischauer?	mal
Yale Romanization?	māl

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes low pitch, and heightens the pitch of two subsequent suffixed syllables.

Noun

말 • (mal)

1. speech

   내 말을 주의하여 들어봐.

   Nae mareul juuihayeo deureobwa.

   Listen to me carefully.

2. (colloquial) language

   Synonym: (formal) 어(語) (eo)

   일본 말을 어디서 배웠어?

   Ilbon mareul eodiseo baewosseo?

   Where did you learn Japanese?

Derived terms

• 낱말 (nanmal, “word”)
• 말씀 (malsseum, “(honorific) word”)
• 말이 아니다 (mari anida, “to be unreasonable”)
• 말하다 (malhada, “to say, speak, talk”)
• 한국말 (han'gungmal, “the Korean language”)

 

See also

• 言(언) (eon, the hanja for "speech")
• 語(어) (eo, the hanja for "language")
• 이르다 (ireuda, “to say”)

 

Etymology 2

First attested in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사), 1103, as Late Old Korean 末.

In the hangul script, first attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean ᄆᆞᆯ (Yale: mòl).

Similar words are found across Eurasia. Compare Manchu ᠮᠣᡵᡳᠨ (morin, “horse”), Mongolian морь (morʹ, “horse”), Nivkh мурӈ (murŋ, “horse”), Old Chinese 馬 (*mraːʔ, “horse”), Japanese 馬(うま) (uma, “horse”), and Proto-Indo-European *márkos (“horse”); see the last link for more.

For the prefix, compare Chinese 馬／马 (mǎ, “horse; big, great”), from which it is perhaps calqued.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [말]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	mal
McCune–Reischauer?	mal
Yale Romanization?	mal

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word takes low pitch only before consonant-initial multisyllabic suffixes.

Noun

말 • (mal) (counter 마리)

1. horse
2. playing piece (in games)
3. sawhorse

Derived terms

• 망아지 (mang'aji, “pony”)
• 수말 (sumal, “male horse”)
• 암말 (ammal, “female horse, mare”)

 

Prefix

말— • (mal-)

1. (now unproductive) great; big

   말벌 ― malbeol ― great bee; wasp

   말개미 ― malgaemi ― king ant

   말잠자리 ― maljamjari ― type of dragonfly

Etymology 3

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 말〮 (Yale: mál).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [말]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	mal
McCune–Reischauer?	mal
Yale Romanization?	mal

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch and also heightens the next suffixed syllable.

Noun

말 • (mal)

1. (units of measure) a unit of volume equivalent to about 18 L or 10 되 (doe)

See also

• 되 (doe, “1/10 mal”)
• 작(勺) (jak, “1/1000 mal”)
• 홉 (hop, “1/100 mal”)

 

Etymology 4

From Middle Korean 맗 (malh). Short form of 말뚝 (malttuk).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [말]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	mal
McCune–Reischauer?	mal
Yale Romanization?	mal

Noun

말 • (mal)

1. wooden pile; stake

Etymology 5

First attested in the Hunmong jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527, as Middle Korean ᄆᆞᆯ〮 (Yale: mól).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [말]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	mal
McCune–Reischauer?	mal
Yale Romanization?	mal

Noun

말 • (mal)

1. an alga or other waterborne cryptogam
2. seaweed, specifically Potamogeton oxyphyllus.

Derived terms

• 말무리 (malmuri)
• 벌레먹이말 (beollemeogimal)

 

See also

• 해조(海藻) (haejo)

Etymology 6

Sino-Korean word from 末 (“end”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [말]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	mal
McCune–Reischauer?	mal
Yale Romanization?	mal

Noun

말 • (mal) (hanja 末)

1. end (of a period); late

   Antonym: 초(初) (cho, “beginning”)

   조선시대 말

   joseonsidae mal

   Late Joseon period

2. (baseball) bottom (of an inning)

   Coordinate term: 초(初) (cho, “top (of an inning)”)

   9회 말

   guhoe mal

   The bottom of the ninth inning

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 末 for Sino-Korean compounds of 말 (末, mal).

Etymology 7

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Syllable

말 (mal)

More information

1. 末:

   (MC reading: 末 (MC mat))

2. 茉:

   (MC reading: 茉 (MC mat))

3. 唜: end; tip

   (eumhun reading: 끝 말 (kkeut mal)))

4. 抹:

   (MC reading: 抹 (MC mat))

5. 沫:

   (MC reading: 沫 (MC mat))

6. 襪:

   (MC reading: 襪 (MC mjot))

7. 靺:

   (MC reading: 靺 (MC mat))

8. 帕:

   (MC reading: 帕 (MC maet))

9. 秣:

   (MC reading: 秣 (MC mat))

10. 妺:

    (MC reading: 妺 (MC mat))

11. 昩:

    (MC reading: 昩 (MC mat))

12. 瀎:

    (MC reading: 瀎 (MC mat))

13. 粖:

    (MC reading: 粖 (MC mat))

14. 袜:

    (MC reading: 袜 (MC mat))

15. 袹:

    (MC reading: 袹 (MC -))

16. 䬴:

    (MC reading: 䬴 (MC mat))

References

• Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (대한민국 대법원, Daehanmin'guk Daebeobwon) (2018). Table of hanja for personal names (인명용 한자표 / 人名用漢字表, Inmyeong-yong hanja-pyo), page 15. [1]
• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

Middle Korean

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “First attestation? Any Old Korean forms known?”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mǎl/

Noun

말〯 (mǎl)

1. word, speech, language

Descendants

• Korean: 말 (mal)

Etymology 2

Possibly cognate with Japanese 升 (masu), a similar unit of measure.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mál/

Noun

말〮 (mál)

1. measure (containing about 18 liters or 10 doe (되 (doe))
2. a unit of measure (about 18 liters)

Descendants

• Korean: 말 (mal)