처녀림
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Korean[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Sino-Korean word from 處女林, from 處女 (“virgin girl”) + 林 (“forest”), ultimately a calque of English virgin forest.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈt͡ɕʰɘ(ː)ɲʌ̹ɾim]
- Phonetic hangul: [처(ː)녀림]
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | cheonyeorim |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | cheonyeolim |
| McCune–Reischauer? | ch'ŏnyŏrim |
| Yale Romanization? | chēnyelim |
Noun[edit]
처녀림 • (cheonyeorim) (hanja 處女林)
- (less common) virgin forest
- Synonym: 원시림(原始林) (wonsirim)
Usage notes[edit]
This term is often criticized, partly because such an attributive use of 처녀(處女) (cheonyeo, “virgin girl”) is highly foreign to the Korean language, and partly because of potential misogynistic interpretations.