기린

Korean

Etymology

A giraffe brought from Somalia in the 1414.

Sino-Korean word derived from the Hanja word 麒麟. The archaic sense of legendary animal is attested in the two-millenia old Confucianist Classic of Rites that reads bonghwang-girin (鳳凰麒麟). Since Admiral Zheng He took the giraffe from Somalia to China in 1414, this Hanja word was equated with Somali geri or the like meaning "giraffe" then (See Citations:기린), which on the other hand may have influenced the etymology of Italian giraffa (since Medici giraffe in 1486) and its European derivatives via Arabic زرافة (zarāfa, zurāfa).

Noun

Symbology	Romanized	Hangul	Hanja
Orthography	girin	기린	麒麟
Orthoepy, etc	girin	기린	麒 麟

기린 (girin)

1. a giraffe
2. a fabulous beast as a good omen such that a sage will come to rule the people

Synonyms

• 지라프 (jirapeu, “giraffe”) (rarely used)

Derived terms

• 기린아 (girin-a, 麒麟兒)

See also

• 기린 (girin, “horse par excellence”, 驥驎)
• 길이 (giri, “length”)
• 기르다 (gireuda, “to grow”)
• 봉황 (bonghwang, “fabulous male and female birds”, 鳳凰)