박쥐

Korean

Etymology

Of native Korean origin. Shift from earlier 밝쥐 (bakjwi), itself a compound of 밝 (bak-, “bright”, probably implying “bright-eyed”) +‎ 쥐 (jwi, “rat”). In the past, Korean people thought bats had bright eyes because they did not know that they could fly in dark caves using ultrasound.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [pa̠k̚t͡ɕ͈ɥi] ~ [pa̠k̚t͡ɕ͈y]
• Phonetic hangul: [박쮜]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bakjwi
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bagjwi
McCune–Reischauer?	pakchwi
Yale Romanization?	pakcwi

Noun

박쥐 • (bakjwi) (counter 마리)

1. bat

Alternative forms

• 밝쥐 (bakjwi) (archaic; literally "bright (eyed) rat")

Synonyms

• 편복 (蝙蝠, pyeonbok)

Antonyms

• 두더지 (dudeoji, “mole”)

Derived terms

• 박쥐구실 (bakjwigusil, “opportunism”)
• 박쥐우산 (박쥐雨傘, bakjwiusan, “umbrella (made of cloth)”)
• 박쥐족 (박쥐族, bakjwijok, “nocturnal”)

Related terms

• 밝다 (bakda, “to be bright”)
• 쥐 (jwi, “rat”)

See also

• 날짐승 (naljimseung): winged animal, literally "flying animal"
• 낮잠 (natjam): nap, literally, "daytime sleep"
• 메아리 (meari): echo
• 밤나들이 (bamnadeuri): night tour, literally, "night going out and coming in"
• 밤눈 (bamnun): night vision, literally, "night eye"