말

말	U+B9D0, 말 HANGUL SYLLABLE MAL

Composition:

ㅁ + ㅏ + ㄹ

← 맏
[U+B9CF]

Hangul Syllables

맑 →
[U+B9D1]

리 ←	→ 매
마 막 맊 맋 만 맍 많 맏말맑 맒 맓 맔 맕 맖 맗 맘 맙 맚 맛 맜 망 맞 맟 맠 맡 맢 맣

Jeju[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle Korean 말〯 (mǎl).

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /ma̠ɭ/

Noun[edit]

말 (mal)

Derived terms[edit]

제주말 (jejumal)
한국말 (han'gungmal)
조선말 (joseonmal) (rare)

References[edit]

“말” in Andrew Cheng; K. David Harrison, Jeju-eo Talking Dictionary, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, 2014.
“말” in Jeju's culture and language, Digital museum.

Korean[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 말〯 (Yale: mǎl). The rising pitch implies an earlier bisyllabic origin.

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	mal
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	mal
McCune–Reischauer^?	mal
Yale Romanization^?	māl

South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지
Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes low pitch, and heightens the pitch of two subsequent suffixed syllables.

Noun[edit]

말 • (mal)

speech
내 말을 주의하여 들어 봐.
Nae mareul juuihayeo deureobwa.
Listen to me carefully.
(colloquial) language
Synonym: (formal) 어(語) (eo)

일본 말을 어디 서 배웠어?
Ilbon mareul eodiseo baewosseo?
Where did you learn Japanese?

Derived terms[edit]

낱말 (nanmal, “word”)
말씀 (malsseum, “(honorific) word”)
말이 아니다 (mari anida, “to be unreasonable”)
말하다 (malhada, “to say, speak, talk”)
한국말 (han'gungmal, “the Korean language”)

Etymology 2[edit]

First attested in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사), 1103, as Late Old Korean 末, from Old Korean 馬 (*MAL).

In the Hangul script, first attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean ᄆᆞᆯ (Yale: mòl).

Similar words are found across Eurasia. Compare Manchu ᠮᠣᡵᡳᠨ (morin, “horse”), Mongolian морь (morʹ, “horse”), Nivkh мурӈ (murŋ, “horse”), Old Chinese 馬 (*mraːʔ, “horse”), Japanese 馬(うま) (uma, “horse”), and Proto-Indo-European *márkos (“horse”); see the last link for more.

For the prefix, compare Chinese 馬／马 (mǎ, “horse; big, great”), from which it is perhaps calqued.

Pronunciation[edit]

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
Phonetic hangul: [말]

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

South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지
Syllables in red take high pitch. This word takes low pitch only before consonant-initial multisyllabic suffixes.

Noun[edit]

말 • (mal) (counter 마리)

Derived terms[edit]

망아지 (mang'aji, “pony”)
수말 (sumal, “male horse”)
암말 (ammal, “female horse, mare”)

Prefix[edit]

말— • (mal-)

(now unproductive) great; big
말벌 ― malbeol ― great bee; wasp

말개미 ― malgaemi ― king ant

말잠자리 ― maljamjari ― type of dragonfly

Etymology 3[edit]

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

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “What relation to the Japanese term 升 (masu, “unit of measure for volume, approx. 1.8L”)? Many KO hanja readings ending in -l correspond to JA kanji readings ending variously in -shi, -chi, -tsu, and -su (but no examples exist Chuterix (talk) 14:17, 21 June 2023 (UTC)), opening the possibility of a KO mal ↔ JA masu phonetic match. See also Talk:말#KO_mal_(unit_of_measure)_and_JA_masu_(unit_of_measure).”

Pronunciation[edit]

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
Phonetic hangul: [말]

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

South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지
Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch and also heightens the next suffixed syllable.

Noun[edit]

말 • (mal)

(units of measure) a unit of volume equivalent to about 18 L or 10 되 (doe)

Etymology 4[edit]

From Middle Korean 맗 (malh). Short form of 말뚝 (malttuk).

Pronunciation[edit]

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
Phonetic hangul: [말]

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

Noun[edit]

말 • (mal)

wooden pile; stake

Etymology 5[edit]

First attested in the Hunmong jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527, as Middle Korean ᄆᆞᆯ〮 (Yale: mól).

Pronunciation[edit]

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
Phonetic hangul: [말]

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

Noun[edit]

말 • (mal)

an alga or other waterborne cryptogam
seaweed, specifically Potamogeton oxyphyllus.

Derived terms[edit]

말무리 (malmuri)
벌레먹이말 (beollemeogimal)

Etymology 6[edit]

Sino-Korean word from 末 (“end”).

Pronunciation[edit]

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ma̠ɭ]
Phonetic hangul: [말]

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

Noun[edit]

말 • (mal) (hanja 末)

end (of a period); late
Antonym: 초(初) (cho, “beginning”)

조선시대 말
joseonsidae mal
Late Joseon period
(baseball) bottom (of an inning)
Coordinate term: 초(初) (cho, “top (of an inning)”)

9 회 말
guhoe mal
The bottom of the ninth inning

Derived terms[edit]

See the hanja entry at 末 for Sino-Korean compounds of 말 (末, mal).

Etymology 7[edit]

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Syllable[edit]

말 (mal)

Extended content

末:
(MC reading: 末 (MC mat))
茉:
(MC reading: 茉 (MC mat))
唜: end; tip
(eumhun reading: 끝 말 (kkeut mal)))
抹:
(MC reading: 抹 (MC mat))
沫:
(MC reading: 沫 (MC mat))
襪:
(MC reading: 襪 (MC mjot))
靺:
(MC reading: 靺 (MC mat))
帕:
(MC reading: 帕 (MC maet))
秣:
(MC reading: 秣 (MC mat))
妺:
(MC reading: 妺 (MC mat))
昩:
(MC reading: 昩 (MC mat))
瀎:
(MC reading: 瀎 (MC mat))
粖:
(MC reading: 粖 (MC mat))
袜:
(MC reading: 袜 (MC mat))
袹:
(MC reading: 袹 (MC -))
䬴:
(MC reading: 䬴 (MC mat))

References[edit]

Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (대한민국 대법원, Daehanmin'guk Daebeobwon) (2018). Table of hanja for personal names (인명용 한자표 / 人名用漢字表, Inmyeong-yong hanja-pyo), page 15. [1]
국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

Middle Korean[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “First attestation? Any Old Korean forms known?”)

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /mǎl/

Noun[edit]

말〯 (mǎl)

word, speech, language

Descendants[edit]

Korean: 말 (mal)

Etymology 2[edit]

Possibly cognate with Japanese 升 (masu), a similar unit of measure.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /mál/

Noun[edit]

말〮 (mál)

measure (containing about 18 liters or 10 doe (되 (doe))
a unit of measure (about 18 liters)

Descendants[edit]

Korean: 말 (mal)

말

Jeju[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Korean[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Prefix[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

See also[edit]

Etymology 4[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Etymology 5[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

See also[edit]

Etymology 6[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 7[edit]

Syllable[edit]

References[edit]

Middle Korean[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

Descendants[edit]

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