알

알 U+C54C, 알 HANGUL SYLLABLE AL Composition: ㅇ + ㅏ + ㄹ ← 앋 [U+C54B] Hangul Syllables 앍 → [U+C54D]

아악앆앇안앉않 앋알앍앎앏앐앑 앒앓암압앖앗았 앙앚앛앜앝앞앟
씨 ←	→ 애

Jeju

Etymology

Cognate with Korean 아래 (arae).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a̠ɭ/

Noun

알 (al)

1. below, bottom

Korean

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [a̠ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [알]

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

Noun

알 • (al)

1. egg, roe (of fish)
2. grain (of cereals)
3. (chiefly as a suffix) ball (small round object)

Usage notes

• 알 (al) means "an egg of some animal that lays eggs", e.g., 새알 (saeal, “a bird's egg”), 메추리알 (mechurial, “a quail egg”), 개구리의 알 (gaeguriui al, “a frog's egg”).
  • To mean a hen's egg (as in "boiled eggs"), 달걀 (dalgyal), or equivalently, 계란 (gyeran) is used.
  • To mean an egg cell or ovum, 난자 (nanja) is used.

Derived terms

(egg):

Derived terms

• 달걀 (dalgyal, “hen's egg”)
• 새알 (saeal, “bird's egg”)
• 오리알 (orial, “duck's egg”)
• 알까기 (alkkagi, “hatching, incubation”)
• 알껍질 (alkkeopjil, “eggshell”)
• 물고기알 (mulgogial, “roe”) (North Korea)

(grain):

Derived terms

• 밀알 (miral, “grain of wheat”)
• 쌀알 (ssaral, “grain of rice”)
• 콩알 (kong'al, “bean”)
• 씨알 (ssial, “seed”)
• 알갱이 (algaeng'i, “grain”)

(ball):

Derived terms

• 눈알 (nunal, “eyeball”)
• 밤알 (bamal, “chestnut”)
• 불알 (bural, “testicle, testis”)
• 총알 (chong'al, “bullet”)
• 알맹이 (almaeng'i, “core, essence”)
• 알몸 (almom, “naked body”)

Related terms

• 아들 (adeul, “son”)
• 얼 (eol, “soul, spirit”)
• 얼굴 (eolgul, “face”)
• 딸 (ttal, “daughter”)
• 씨앗 (ssiat, “seed, grain”)

See also

• 배다 (baeda, “to bear eggs”)
• 낳다 (nata, “to lay eggs”)
• 품다 (pumda, “incubate”)
• 까다 (kkada, “to hatch eggs”)
• 노른자위 (noreunjawi, “yolk”)
• 흰자위 (huinjawi, “albumen, egg white”)
• 병아리 (byeong'ari, “chick, chicken”)
• 계란(鷄卵) (gyeran, “hen's egg”)
• 부화(孵化) (buhwa, “incubation, hatching”)
• 곤이(鯤鮞) (goni, “hard roe”)
• 캐비어 (kaebieo, “caviar”)
• 캐비아 (kaebia, “caviar”)

Etymology 2

Verb

알 • (al)

1. future determiner of 알다 (alda, “to know”)