고양이

Korean

고양이 (goyang'i, “cat”)

Etymology

From older 괴 (goe) (pronounced as 고이 (Yale: kwoi) in the 15c) + obsolete suffix —앙이 (-ang'i, “small things”). First recorded in 1690, and became popular in the late 19th century.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ko̞ja̠ŋi]
• Phonetic hangul: [고양이]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	goyang'i
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	goyang'i
McCune–Reischauer?	koyangi
Yale Romanization?	ko.yangi

Noun

고양이 • (goyang'i) (counter 마리)

1. cat

   조용한 고양이가 쥐를 잡는다.

   joyonghan goyang'i-ga jwi-reul jamneunda.

   The quiet cat catches the mouse. (proverb)

Synonyms

• 나비 (nabi)
• 괭이 (gwaeng'i)
• 고냉이 (gonaeng'i) (dialectal, Gangwon, Gyeongbuk, Hamgyeong, Pyeongbuk)

Derived terms

• 고양이고래 (goyang'igorae, “melon-headed whale”)
• 도둑고양이 (dodukgoyang'i, “stray cat”)
• 도적고양이 (盜賊—, dojeokgoyang'i)
• 사향고양이 (sahyanggoyang'i, “civet”)
• 수코양이 (sukoyang'i, “male cat”)
• 암코양이 (amkoyang'i, “female cat”)

 

Related terms

• 길냥이 (gillyang'i, “stray cat”) (neologism)

See also

• 묘 (貓, myo) (Sino-Korean affix)

Further reading

• 고양이 in dictionaries at daum.net