실

Korean

시식싞싟신싡싢 싣실싥싦싧싨싩 싪싫심십싮싯싰 싱싲싳싴싵싶싷
싀 ←	→ 싸

Etymology 1

First attested in the Hunminjeong'eum haerye (訓民正音解例 / 훈민정음해례), 1446, as Middle Korean 실 (Yale: sil).

Possibly from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Chinese 絲 (OC *slɯ, “silk”).

Pronunciation

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

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	sil
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	sil
McCune–Reischauer?	sil
Yale Romanization?	sīl

Noun

실 • (sil)

1. thread
2. (figurative) a narrow thing, a thin object

Derived terms

• 실밥 (silbap, “bits of thread”)
• 실바람 (silbaram, “wisp of wind, breeze”)
• 실반대 (silbandae, “coil of cotton”)
• 실뱀 (silbaem, “thin snake”)

Etymology 2

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ɕʰiɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [실]

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

Syllable

실 (sil)

1. 失:

   (MC reading: 失 (MC syit))

2. 室:

   (MC reading: 室 (MC syit))

3. 實:

   (MC reading: 實 (MC zyit))

References

• Martin, Samuel E., Yang Ha Lee, Sung-Un Chang (1975) A Korean-English Dictionary, New Haven: Yale University Press, page 1055.