Korean edit

Etymology 1 edit

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 니맣〮 (Yale: nìmáh), from pre-Middle Korean *nìmák. Beyond Middle Korean, the second syllable in Jeolla dialect 대망 (daemang, forehead) and Jeju 대맹이 (daemaeng'i, head) may suggest that *-mak was originally a separate morpheme; these two words seem to share the same first morpheme as 대가리 (daegari, head), which is widely recognized as a compound. *nìmák may then originally have been multimorphemic. However, it is also possible that 대망 (daemang, forehead) is simply unrelated and has no bearing on the etymology of 이마 (ima).

Alternative forms edit

  • 니마 (nima)Early Modern

Pronunciation edit

 
이마 (ima, forehead)
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?ima
Revised Romanization (translit.)?ima
McCune–Reischauer?ima
Yale Romanization?ima

Noun edit

이마 (ima)

  1. forehead, brow
    Synonyms: 이마빡 (imappak), (both vulgar) 마빡 (mappak)
Synonyms edit
Historical and regional synonyms of 이마 (ima, forehead (non-vulgar))
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GroupRegionLocationWords
Standardised formsSouth Korean Standard Language이마 (ima)
North Korean Cultured Language이마 (ima)
Historical formsMiddle Korean니맣〮 (nìmáh)
Early Modern Seoul Korean니맣 (nima), 니마 (nima), 이마 (ima) (from 19th c.)
Central KoreanGyeonggiModern colloquial Seoul이마 (ima)
Ganghwa이마 (ima)
Yangpyeong이마 (ima)
Icheon이마 (ima)
YeongseoChuncheon이마 (ima)
Wonju이마 (ima)
Inje이마 (ima)
Hongcheon이마 (ima), 이매 (imae)
Hoengseong이마 (ima)
YeongdongGangneung이마 (ímà)
Kowon이망 (imang)
Tongchon이망 (imang)
Kosong이망 (imang)
Yangyang이마 (ima), 이망 (imang)
Samcheok이마 (ímà)
Pyeongchang이마 (ima), 이망 (imang)
Yeongwol이마 (ímà)
Jeongseon이마 (ima)
North ChungcheongCheongju이마 (ima)
Chungju이마 (ima)
Jecheon이마 (ima), 이매 (imae)
Danyang이마 (ima)
Goesan이마 (ima)
Boeun이마 (ima)
Okcheon이마 (ima)
Yeongdong이마 (ima)
South ChungcheongSeosan이마 (ima)
Cheonan이마 (ima)
Yesan이마 (īma)
Gongju이마 (ima)
Seocheon이마 (ima)
Nonsan이마 (ima)
Geumsan이마 (ima)
Gyeongsang KoreanNorth GyeongsangDaegu'이마 ( ima), 이매 (ímè)
Yeongju'이마 ( ima), 이막 (ímàk)
Bonghwa'이마 ( ima), 이막 (ímàk)
Uljin이매 (ímè)
Mungyeong'이마 ( ima), 이매 (ímè)
Andong'이마 ( ima)
Sangju'이마 ( ima), 이매 (ímè)
Uiseong'이마 ( ima)
Cheongsong'이마 ( ima), 이매 (ímè)
Yeongdeok이매 (ímè)
Gimcheon'이마 ( ima), 이매 (ímè)
Pohang이매 (ímè)
Seongju이매 (ímè)
Yeongcheon이매 (ímè)
Goryeong이망 (ímàng)
Cheongdo이망 (ímàng)
Gyeongju이매 (ímè), 이망 (ímàng)
Ulleung이매 (ímè)
South GyeongsangBusan이망 (ímàng)
Ulsan이망 (ímàng), 이막 (ímàk), 이매 (ímè)
Changwon이망 (ímàng)
Geochang이망 (ímàng)
Hapcheon이망 (ímàng)
Changnyeong이망 (ímàng), 이막 (ímàk)
Miryang이망 (ímàng)
Hamyang이망 (ímàng), 이막 (ímàk)
Sancheong이망 (ímàng)
Hadong이망 (ímàng), 이막 (ímàk)
Jinju이망 (ímàng)
Haman이망 (ímàng)
Gimhae이망 (ímàng)
Yangsan이망 (ímàng)
Goseong이망 (ímàng)
Namhae이망 (ímàng)
Tongyeong이망 (ímàng)
Geoje이망 (ímàng)
DiasporaYanbian (in general)'이마 ( ima)
Harbin이매 (ímè)
Jeolla KoreanNorth JeollaGunsan이마 (ima), 이매 (imae)
Iksan이마 (ima), 이매 (imae)
Wanju이마 (ima)
Jinan이마 (ima)
Muju이마 (ima), 이매 (imae)
Jeongeup이마 (ima), 이매 (imae)
Imsil이마 (ima), 이매 (imae)
Jangsu이매 (imae), 이망 (imang)
Gochang이마 (ima), 이매 (ime)
Sunchang이마 (ima), 이망 (imang)
Namwon이마 (ima), 이매 (imae)
South JeollaYeonggwang이매 (ime)
Jangseong이매 (ime)
Gurye이망 (imang)
Mokpo이망 (imang), 대망 (demang)
Hwasun이매 (ime)
Suncheon이망 (imang), 대망 (demang)
Gwangyang이매 (imae), 이망 (imang), 대망 (demang), 되멩이 (doemeng'i)
Yeongam이매 (ime)
Haenam이마 (ima)
Jangheung이망 (imang)
Boseong이망 (imang), 야망 (yamang)
Goheung이망 (imang), 대망 (demang)
Yeosu이망 (imang), 대망 (demang)
Pyongan KoreanNorth PyonganUiju니망 (nimang)
DiasporaShenyang니마 (nima) (general Liaoning Korean, no region specified)
Hamgyong KoreanDiasporaYanbian (in general)이'매 (i mae)
Yukjin KoreanYukjinKyonghung니매 (nìmáe)
DiasporaHunchun니매 (nìmáe)
JejuJeju City이멩이 (imeng'i), 이멍 (imeong)
Daejeong이멩이 (imeng'i), 이멍 (imeong)
Gujwa이멩이 (imeng'i), 이멍 (imeong), 임뎅이 (imdeng'i)
Seogwipo이멩이 (imeng'i), 이멍 (imeong), 임뎅이 (imdeng'i)
Note: Korean varieties also have vulgar 이마빡 and variants; the extent to which the vulgar form is acceptable in conversation, or even colloquially preferred, will vary according to dialect.
This table is an amalgamation of surveys of speakers mostly born before 1950 and may not reflect the language of younger speakers, which has lexically converged towards the standard Seoul dialect in both North and South Koreas.

Etymology 2 edit

Sino-Korean word from (manage) + (horse).

Pronunciation edit

  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈi(ː)ma̠]
  • Phonetic hangul: [(ː)]
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?ima
Revised Romanization (translit.)?ima
McCune–Reischauer?ima
Yale Romanization?īma

Noun edit

South Korean
Standard Language
이마(理馬) (ima)
North Korean
Standard Language
리마(理馬) (rima)

이마 (ima) (hanja 理馬)

  1. (historical) a steward of the royal stable between 1401 and the nineteenth century