노처녀

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 老處女, from 老 (“old”) + 處女 (“maiden, virgin”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈno̞(ː)t͡ɕʰʌ̹ɲʌ̹]
• Phonetic hangul: [노(ː)처녀]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	nocheonyeo
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	nocheonyeo
McCune–Reischauer?	noch'ŏnyŏ
Yale Romanization?	nō.chenye

Noun

South Korean Standard Language	노처녀(老處女) (nocheonyeo)
North Korean Standard Language	로처녀(老處女) (rocheonyeo)

노처녀 • (nocheonyeo) (hanja 老處女)

1. spinster, old maid (unmarried woman)

Synonyms

• 올드 미스 (oldeu miseu, “old miss”)