알

Korean

Etymology 1

아악앆앇안앉않 앋알앍앎앏앐앑 앒앓암압앖앗았 앙앚앛앜앝앞앟
씨 ←	→ 애

Syllable

(deprecated template usage) 알 • (al)

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

Etymology 2

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

Noun

알 • (al)

1. egg, roe (of fish)
2. grain (of cereals)
3. (chiefly as a suffix) ball (small round object)

Usage notes

• 알 (al) means "an egg of some animal that lays eggs", e.g., 새알 (saeal, “a bird's egg”), 메추리알 (mechurial, “a quail egg”), 개구리의 알 (gaeguriui al, “a frog's egg”).
  • To mean a hen's egg (as in "boiled eggs"), 달걀 (dalgyal), or equivalently, 계란 (gyeran) is used.
  • To mean an egg cell or ovum, 난자 (nanja) is used.

Derived terms

(egg):

• 달걀 (dalgyal) hen's egg
• 새알 (saeal) bird's egg
• 오리알 (orial) duck's egg
• 알까기 (alkkagi) hatching, incubation
• 알껍질 (alkkeopjil) egg shell
• 물고기알 (mulgogial)

(grain):

• 밀알 (miral) grain of wheat
• 쌀알 (ssaral) grain of rice
• 콩알 (kong'al) grain of bean
• 씨알 (ssial) grain of seed
• 알갱이 (algaeng'i) grain

(ball):

• 눈알 (nunal) eyeball
• 밤알 (bamal)
• 불알 (bural) testicle, testis
• 총알 (chong'al) bullet
• 알맹이 (almaeng'i) core
• 알몸 (almom) naked

Related terms

• 아들 (adeul) son
• 얼 (eol) soul, spirit
• 얼굴 (eolgul) face
• 딸 (ttal) daughter
• 씨앗 (ssiat) seed, grain

See also

• 배다 (baeda) to bear (eggs)
• 낳다 (nata) to lay (eggs)
• 품다 (pumda) to incubate (literally, "to sit on", eggs)
• 까다 (kkada) to hatch (eggs)
• 노른자위 (noreunjawi) yolk
• 흰자위 (huinjawi) albumen, egg white
• 병아리 (byeong'ari) chick, chicken
• 계란 (鷄卵, gyeran) hen's egg
• 부화 (孵化, buhwa) incubation, hatching
• 곤이 (鯤鮞, goni)
• 캐비어 (kaebieo)
• 캐비아 (kaebia)