세계

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 世界 (“world”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈsʰe̞(ː)ɡje̞] ~ [ˈsʰe̞(ː)ɡe̞]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [세(ː)계/세(ː)게]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	segye
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	segye
McCune–Reischauer?	segye
Yale Romanization?	sēykyey

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 세계의 / 세계에 / 세계까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the second syllable, and also heightens the subsequent suffixed syllable.

Noun

세계 • (segye) (hanja 世界)

1. the world, the Earth

   세계에서 제일 큰 나무 ― segyeeseo jeil keun namu ― the biggest tree in the world

2. (tarot) The World (Tarot card)

Usage notes

세상(世上) (sesang) is "world" in the figurative sense of that word, while 세계(世界) (segye) is "world" in the more literal sense of the Earth.

Derived terms

• 세계관(世界觀) (segyegwan, “worldview”)

Further reading

• 세계 in dictionaries at daum.net