인간

Korean

Etymology

First attested in the Beonyeok Bak Tongsa (飜譯朴通事 / 번역박통사), before 1517, as Middle Korean ᅀᅵᆫ간 (Yale: zinkan).

The modern meaning is from Japanese 人間 (human), which is from the Chinese Buddhist term 人間界 (human world), compound of 人間 (among humans) and 界 (world).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [inɡa̠n]
• Phonetic hangul: [인간]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	in'gan
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	ingan
McCune–Reischauer?	in'gan
Yale Romanization?	inkan

Noun

인간 • (in'gan) (hanja 人間)

1. people, humanity
   • 모든 인간은 언젠가 반드시 죽는다.

     modeun in'ganeun eonjen'ga bandeusi jungneunda.

     Every human being is bound to die one day.

   • 인간의 학술명은 호모 사피엔스다.

     in'ganui haksulmyeong'eun homo sapienseuda.

     The binomial name for human is homo sapiens.

Derived terms

• 인간적 (in'ganjeok, “human”)
• 인간성 (人間性, in'ganseong, “quality of being human”)

Synonyms

• 사람 (saram)