기린

Korean

A giraffe brought from Somalia in 1414.

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 麒麟. The archaic sense of legendary animal is attested in the two-millennia old Confucianist Classic of Rites that reads bonghwang-girin (鳳凰麒麟). Since Admiral Zheng He brought a 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 زَرَافَة (zarāfa).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kiɾin]
• Phonetic hangul: [기린]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	girin
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	gilin
McCune–Reischauer?	kirin
Yale Romanization?	kilin

Noun

기린 • (girin) (counter 마리, hanja 麒麟)

1. a giraffe (mammal)
2. (Chinese mythology) a qilin

Derived terms

• 기린아 (麒麟兒, girina)
• 기린영양 (麒麟羚羊, girinyeong'yang, “gerenuk”)

See also

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