Sino-Korean
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Template:Koreanname Sino-Korean or hanja-eo refers to Korean language vocabulary composed of hanja (Chinese characters used in Korea). Sino-Korean was traditionally written in hanja, although today it is written mostly in the native Korean script hangul.
Sino-Korean words are one of the three main types of vocabulary in Korean. The other two are native Korean words, and foreign words imported from English and other Western languages. Hanja were first introduced into the Korean Peninsula during the Chinese Han Dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE) and their introduction into Korea was closely tied to the spread of Buddhism.
Although Sino-Korean words today make up over 50% (and by some estimates up to 70%) of the Korean vocabulary, in practice many of them are too formal or archaic for ordinary speech, and many young people do not bother to learn the characters they are derived from. Some Koreans also wish to de-emphasize their use as an expression of national pride, while others wish to see the characters used more often.[1][2][3]
In North Korea, many words borrowed from Chinese have been replaced with "pure" Korean words. However, there are still a large number of Chinese-borrowed words in widespread usage in the North (although written in Hangul).
Sino-Korean vocabulary
Much like Japanese, a great deal of Sino-Korean vocabulary was directly borrowed from Chinese. However, a small number of Sino-Korean words were coined by the Koreans themselves. Furthermore, many academic and scientific terms were borrowed from Japanese. The Japanese translated numerous Western words (mainly English and German) into Sino-Japanese terms by coining or reusing words. Under the Japanese annexation, they were borrowed into Korean by systematically reading the characters with Korean pronunciations.
Although the meaning of most hanja-eo can be considered the same as that of their Chinese counterparts, there are cases where the Korean meaning is different from the Chinese. This is due to various causes, including divergence of Korean meanings from Chinese, Korean coinage of new words, or borrowing from Japanese. The table below contains some words that are different between Chinese and Korean, although speakers of either language might be able to guess at the meanings from the written form:
| English | Korean (in Hanja) | Chinese | Korean (in Hangul) |
|---|---|---|---|
| letter | 便紙, 片紙 | 信 | 편지 (pyeonji) |
| tissue | 休紙 | 草紙 | 휴지 (hyuji) |
| gift | 膳物 | 贈品 | 선물 (seonmul) |
| bill | 外上 | 賬單 | 외상 (oesang) |
| dining table | 食卓 | 餐桌 | 식탁 (siktak) |
| cheque | 手票 | 支票 | 수표 (supyo) |
| name card, business card | 名啣 | 名片 | 명함 (myeongham) |
| maid | 食母 | 女傭 | 식모 (singmo) |
| prohibit, cancel | 休止 | 取締 | 휴지 (hyuji) |
| study | 工夫 | 學習 | 공부 (gongbu) |
| extremely | 大端 | 非常 | 대단 (daedan) |
| prisoner | 囚徒 | 囚犯 | 수도 (sudo) |
| side room | 舍廊, 斜廊 | 側房 | 사랑 (sarang) |
Sometimes the Chinese and Korean words are composed of the same characters, but in reversed order.
| English | Korean (in Hanja) | Chinese | Korean (in Hangul) |
|---|---|---|---|
| noon* | 午正 | 正午 | 오정 (ojeong) |
| compass | 羅針盤 | 羅盤針 | 나침반 (nachimban) |
* Note, however, that the Chinese order of jeong-o is used frequently in modern Korean as well.
Some Sino-Korean words derive from Japanese Kunyomi words, i.e., native Japanese words written in Chinese characters. When borrowed into Korean, the characters are given Sino-Korean pronunciations. (Note that in Japanese, these words are not considered to belong to the Sino-Japanese part of the vocabulary as they are native Japanese words.)
| English | Japanese | Korean (in Hanja) | Korean (in Hangul) | Chinese term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| assemble | 組み立て | 組立 | 조립 | 組合 |
| ku.mi.ta.te | jo.rip | |||
| big sale | 大売出し | 大賣出 | 대매출 | 大特賣 |
| ō.uri.da.shi | dae.mae.chul | |||
| building | 建物 | 建物 | 건물 | 建築物 |
| tate.mono | geon.mul | |||
| estimate | 見積もり | 見積 | 견적 | 估計 |
| mi.tsu.mo.ri | gyeon.jeok | |||
| share of stock | 株式 | 株式 | 주식 | 股分 |
| kabu.shiki | ju.sik | |||
| match | 試合 | 試合 | 시합 | 比賽 |
| shi.ai | si.hap | |||
| procedure | 手続き | 手續 | 수속 | 程序 or 手續 |
| te.tsuzu.ki | su.sok | |||