등신

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 等 (“equate”) + 神 (“deity; spirit”), originally referring to a figurine of a spirit or goblin. The meaning appears to have changed because these figurines were perceived as being unable to do anything (Cho Hang-bum 2019, pp. 158—159).

Pronunciation

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

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	deungsin
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	deungsin
McCune–Reischauer?	tŭngsin
Yale Romanization?	tūngsin

Noun

등신 • (deungsin) (hanja 等神)

1. (slang) fool, idiot [since 1920s]

   Synonyms: 바보 (babo), 병신 (byeongsin, more vulgar)