최근

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 最近, from 最 (“most”) + 近 (“closeness”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈt͡ɕʰwe̞(ː)ɡɯn] ~ [ˈt͡ɕʰø̞(ː)ɡɯn]

  • (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [췌(ː)근/최(ː)근]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	choegeun
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	choegeun
McCune–Reischauer?	ch'oegŭn
Yale Romanization?	chōykun

Noun

최근 • (choegeun) (hanja 最近)

1. the latest, the most recent

   최근 이 주 동안에

   choegeun i ju dong'ane

   for the last two weeks

2. (rare) a close distance