기역

Korean

기역 (giyeok)

Etymology

Coined as 基役 in Hunmongjahoe (訓蒙字會, Introductions of the Letters for Youth), written by Choe Sejin in 1527. Each hanja is used only for showing Korean pronunciation (similar to Japanese ateji, as Sino-Korean 基 has the initial ㄱ in its pronunciation, and 役 has the final ㄱ).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kijʌ̹k̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [기역]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	giyeok
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	giyeog
McCune–Reischauer?	kiyŏk
Yale Romanization?	kiyek

Noun

기역 • (giyeok)

1. giyeok - the name of the first jamo, ㄱ (g) in hangul

Usage notes

In contemporary Korean, when ㄱ (g) is placed on the side, it curves as in the examples of 김 (gim), 안경 (an'gyeong), 경찰 (gyeongchal), 건강 (geon'gang), 건물 (geonmul), 게임 (geim), 개 (gae), etc. However, when ㄱ (g) is placed on top or bottom, it retains its original look, as in the examples of 고려 (goryeo), 관심 (gwansim), 공부 (gongbu), 구상 (gusang), 권력 (gwollyeok), 박다 (bakda), 먹다 (meokda), 죽다 (jukda), etc. This was done in the modern era to make the character look more balanced. This rule is also applied to ㅋ (k).

Synonyms

• 기윽 (gieuk)
• 그 (geu)

See also

• 쌍기역 (ssanggiyeok)
• 이응 (ieung)
• 키읔 (kieuk)