북

북 U+BD81, 북 HANGUL SYLLABLE BUG Composition: ㅂ + ㅜ + ㄱ ← 부 [U+BD80] Hangul Syllables 붂 → [U+BD82]

부북붂붃분붅붆 붇불붉붊붋붌붍 붎붏붐붑붒붓붔 붕붖붗붘붙붚붛
뵤 ←	→ 붜

Jeju

Etymology

Cognate with Korean 북 (buk).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /puk̚/

Noun

북 (buk)

1. a generic term meaning drum
2. a traditional Korean double-headed barrel-shaped drum, played with one hand and one stick, and used in Korean folk music

Korean

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puk̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [북]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	buk
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bug
McCune–Reischauer?	puk
Yale Romanization?	puk

Etymology 1

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 붚〮 (Yale: pwúph), likely cognate with 부풀다 (bupulda, “to fluff, popple, bubble, bulge”).

Noun

북 • (buk)

1. a generic term meaning drum
2. a traditional Korean double-headed barrel-shaped drum, played with one hand and one stick, and used in Korean folk music

Etymology 2

First attested in the Hunmong jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527, as Middle Korean 북 (Yale: pwùk).

Noun

북 • (buk)

1. a shuttle (used in weaving and sewing machines)

Etymology 3

Uncertain. Perhaps cognate with the above Etymology 1 and 2 in the sense of bulge.

Noun

북 • (buk)

1. soil heap (around roots)

Etymology 4

Sino-Korean word from 北.

Noun

북 • (buk) (hanja 北)

1. north

Coordinate terms

• (compass points)

서북(西北) (seobuk) 북서(北西) (bukseo)	북(北) (buk)	동북(東北) (dongbuk) 북동(北東) (bukdong)
서(西) (seo)		동(東) (dong)
서남(西南) (seonam) 남서(南西) (namseo)	남(南) (nam)	동남(東南) (dongnam) 남동(南東) (namdong)

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 北 for Sino-Korean compounds of 북 (北, buk).

Proper noun

북 • (Buk) (hanja 北)

1. Short for 북한(北韓) (Bukhan, “(South Korea) North Korea”).

Usage notes

• In news headlines, this is customarily written solely in the hanja form, even in contemporary Korean texts otherwise devoid of Chinese characters.