대원수

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 大元帥

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈtɛ(ː)wʌ̹nsʰu] ~ [ˈte̞(ː)wʌ̹nsʰu]
• Phonetic hangul: [대(ː)원수/데(ː)원수]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	daewonsu
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	daewonsu
McCune–Reischauer?	taewŏnsu
Yale Romanization?	tāywenswu

Noun

대원수 • (daewonsu) (hanja 大元帥)

1. (military) generalissimo, grand marshall

Usage notes

As the highest possible rank in the Korean People's Army (the North Korean military), it is intended to be an honourific title for the leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

Related terms

• 원수 (wonsu)

Descendants

• → English: taewonsu