최고

Korean

Etymology 1

Sino-Korean word from 最高, from 最 (“most”) + 高 (“high”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈt͡ɕʰwe̞(ː)ɡo̞] ~ [ˈt͡ɕʰø̞(ː)ɡo̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [췌(ː)고/최(ː)고]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	choego
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	choego
McCune–Reischauer?	ch'oego
Yale Romanization?	chōyko

Noun

최고 • (choego) (hanja 最高)

1. the peak, the pinnacle, the topmost point

   Antonym: 최저(最低) (choejeo)

2. the best

   18세의 그 여자는 이번 여름 바르셀로나 올림픽의 메달을 획득할 만한, 영국 최고의 기대주 중의 한 명입니다.

   Sip'pal-se-ui geu yeoja-neun ibeon yeoreum Bareusellona ollimpig-ui medar-eul hoekdeuk-hal man-han, Yeongguk choego-ui gidaeju jung-ui han myeong-imnida.

   At 18, she is one of Britain's best prospects for an Olympic medal in Barcelona this summer.

Derived terms

• 최고가(最高價) (choegoga)
• 최고권(最高權) (choegogwon)
• 최고봉(最高峯) (choegobong)
• 최고액(最高額) (choegoaek)
• 최고점(最高點) (choegojeom)
• 최고치(最高値) (choegochi)
• 최고형(最高刑) (choegohyeong)

Descendants

• → Chinese: 脆骨 (cuìgǔ)

Etymology 2

Sino-Korean word from 最古, from 最 (“most”) + 古 (“old”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈt͡ɕʰwe̞(ː)ɡo̞] ~ [ˈt͡ɕʰø̞(ː)ɡo̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [췌(ː)고/최(ː)고]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	choego
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	choego
McCune–Reischauer?	ch'oego
Yale Romanization?	chōyko

Noun

최고 • (choego) (hanja 最古)

1. the oldest

   Antonym: 최신(最新) (choesin)

Etymology 3

Sino-Korean word from 催告, from 催 (“urge”) + 告 (“inform”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʰwe̞ɡo̞] ~ [t͡ɕʰø̞ɡo̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [췌고/최고]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	choego
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	choego
McCune–Reischauer?	ch'oego
Yale Romanization?	choyko

Noun

Derived verbs

Active	최고하다

최고 • (choego) (hanja 催告)

1. (law) notice