등신

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 等 (“equate”) + 神 (“deity; spirit”), originally referring to a figurine of a spirit or goblin. The meaning appears to have changed because these figurines were perceived as being unable to do anything (Cho Hang-bum 2019, pp. 158—159).

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈtɯ(ː)ŋɕʰin]
Phonetic hangul: [등(ː)신]
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	deungsin
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	deungsin
McCune–Reischauer^?	tŭngsin
Yale Romanization^?	tūngsin

Noun

등신 • (deungsin) (hanja 等神)

(slang) fool, idiot [since 1920s]
Synonyms: 바보 (babo), 병신 (byeongsin, more vulgar)