들

Korean

Etymology 1

드득듞듟든듡듢 듣들듥듦듧듨듩 듪듫듬듭듮듯듰 등듲듳듴듵듶듷
듀 ←	→ 듸

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [tɯɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [들]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	deul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	deul
McCune–Reischauer?	tŭl
Yale Romanization?	tul

Syllable

(deprecated template usage) 들 • (deul)

1. (deprecated template usage) A Hangul syllabic block made up of ㄷ, ㅡ, and ㄹ.

Etymology 2

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 듫 (Yale: tulh), a contracted form of Middle Korean 드릏 (tuluh).

Pronunciation

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

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	deul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	deul
McCune–Reischauer?	tŭl
Yale Romanization?	tūl

Noun

들 • (deul)

1. meadow

Etymology 3

First attested in the Worin seokbo (月印釋譜 / 월인석보), 1459, as Middle Korean —ᄃᆞᆶ (Yale: -tolh).

Sometimes regarded as a nativized form of Middle Chinese 達 (MC dat), but this is unlikely, since Middle Korean has a final cluster which is difficult to explain phonetically as a result of borrowing. However, it may be cognate with Japanese 達 (たち, tachi), which is also a pluralizer.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [tɯɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [들]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	deul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	deul
McCune–Reischauer?	tŭl
Yale Romanization?	tul

Particle

들 • (deul)

1. -s (indicating the plural of a noun)

   사람들 ― saramdeul ― people, persons

   기억들 ― gieokdeul ― memories

Usage notes

• Korean does not grammatically distinguish between singular and plural nouns. Thus, while 사람들 (saramdeul) means "people", 사람 (saram) can mean either "person" or "people", depending on context.
• 들 (deul) is rarely used with nouns denoting inanimate objects. It is more often used with nouns denoting animate objects (people and animals), but then only when it is semantically necessary to make a distinction between singular and plural, or to emphasize plurality.

Etymology 4

Of native Korean origin.

Verb

들 • (deul) (future determiner of 들다)

1. which will spend
2. which will enter