불

See also: 불다

불 U+BD88, 불 HANGUL SYLLABLE BUL Composition: ㅂ + ㅜ + ㄹ Dubeolsik input: q-n-f ← 붇 [U+BD87] Hangul Syllables 붉 → [U+BD89]

부북붂붃분붅붆 붇불붉붊붋붌붍 붎붏붐붑붒붓붔 붕붖붗붘붙붚붛
뵤 ←	→ 붜

Korean

Etymology 1

First attested in the Yongbi eocheonga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 블 (Yale: pul).

Possibly cognate with Old Japanese 火 (pi₂) (< Proto-Japonic *poy).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puɭ]
• Phonetic hangeul: [불]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pul

Noun

불 • (bul)

1. fire, flame

   불 타는 금.

   Bul taneun geum.

   Burning gold. (Fire-burning gold.)

2. electric light

   스튜디오의 불이 켜진 때에는 내가 저녁 프로그램을 녹음하고 있다는 거야.

   Seutyudioui buri kyeojin ttaeeneun naega jeonyeok peurogeuraemeul nogeumhago itdaneun geoya.

   When the studio light is on, I am recording my evening show.

   Original English texts from 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

3. furnace, fireplace

Derived terms

• 부엌 (bueok, “kitchen”)
• 불길 (bulgil, “flame”)
• 불꽃 (bulkkot, “flame, flare”)
• 불똥 (bulttong, “spark”)
• 불리다 (bullida, “to harden (metal)”)
• 불바다 (bulbada, “widespread fire”)
• 불붙다 (bulbutda, “to catch on fire”)
• 불빛 (bulbit, “light, color of fire”)
• 불사르다 (bulsareuda, “to burn”)
• 불장난 (buljangnan, “playing with fire or love”)
• 불지르다 (buljireuda, “to set on fire”)
• 불쬐다 (buljjoeda, “to warm (oneself at the fire)”)
• 불켜다 (bulkyeoda, “to light (a candle or lamp)”)
• 불타다 (bultada, “to burn, blaze”)
• 불태우다 (bultae-uda, “to burn”)
• 불피우다 (bulpiuda, “to make a fire”)

 

Related terms

• 밝다 (bakda, “to be bright”)
• 부뚜막 (buttumak, “furnace top”)
• 부삽 (busap, “fire shovel”)
• 부시 (busi, “flint”)
• 부시다 (busida, “to be dazzling, glaring”)
• 부젓가락 (bujeotgarak, “fire tongs”)
• 부집게 (bujipge, “fire tongs”)
• 붉다 (bukda, “to be red”)
• 빨갛다 (ppalgata, “to be deep red”)

 

See also

• 검댕 (geomdaeng, “soot”)
• 굴뚝 (gulttuk, “chimney”)
• 굽다 (gupda, “to bake, roast”)
• 기름 (gireum, “oil”)
• 끓다 (kkeulta, “to boil, bubble (frequentative)”)
• 때다 (ttaeda, “to make a fire, burn, heat (the room)”)
• 땔감 (ttaelgam, “fuel”)
• 뜨겁다 (tteugeopda, “to be hot”)
• 물 (mul, “water (as a great antagonism)”)
• 부글부글 (bugeulbugeul, “bubbling”)
• 숯 (sut, “charcoal”)
• 아궁이 (agung-i, “fire hole, fireplace, furnace”)
• 연기 (yeon-gi, “smoke”)
• 이글거리다 (igeulgeorida, “to blaze, flare, glare”)
• 이글이글 (igeurigeul, “blazingly, glaringly”)
• 장작 (jangjak, “firewood”)
• 재 (jae, “ashes”)
• 풀무 (pulmu, “bellows, blower”)

 

Etymology 2

Of native Korean origin. Perhaps related to Japanese ほと (hoto, “genitalia”) and おはせ (ohase, “(archaic slang) penis”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puɭ]
• Phonetic hangeul: [불]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pul

Noun

불 • (bul)

1. genitalia (mainly of males), scrotum, testicle, testis
2. basin, bottom (as of a sieve)

Derived terms

• 개불 (gaebul, “Urechis unicinctus (fat innkeeper worm, penis worm), a species of the Echiura (spoon worms)”)
• 부룩소 (burukso, “bullock, young bull”)
• 불깐소 (bulkkanso, “bullock, ox”)
• 불알 (bural, “testicle, testis”)
• 불앗다 (buratda, “to castrate”)
• 불치다 (bulchida, “to castrate”)
• 악대소 (akdaeso, “bullock, ox”)
• 황소 (hwangso, “bull”)

 

Related terms

• 발 (bal, “foot”)
• 볏 (byeot, “cockscomb”)
• 보지 (boji, “(vulgar) vagina”)
• 뼈 (ppyeo, “bone”)
• 뽈 (ppol, “horn, antler”)
• 뿌리 (ppuri, “root”)
• 뿔 (ppul, “horn, antler”)
• 팔 (pal, “arm”)

 

Etymology 3

Sino-Korean word from 不

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puɭ]
• Phonetic hangeul: [불]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pul

Prefix

불— • (bul-)

1. a prefix meaning 'not'.

Derived terms

• 백문불여일견 (百聞不如一見, baengmunburyeoilgyeon)
• 불가결 (不可缺, bulgagyeol)
• 불가능 (不可能, bulganeung, “impossible”)
• 불가사의 (不可思議, bulgasaui)
• 불경 (不敬, bulgyeong)
• 불과 (不過, bulgwa)
• 불규칙 (不規則, bulgyuchik)
• 불균형 (不均衡, bulgyunhyeong)
• 불길 (不吉, bulgil)
• 불량 (不良, bullyang)
• 불안 (不安, buran)
• 불친절 (不親切, bulchinjeol)
• 불평 (不平, bulpyeong)
• 불허 (不許, bulheo)

 

Related terms

• 부 (不, bu)

Etymology 4

Of native Korean origin.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [pu(ː)ɭ]
• Phonetic hangeul: [불(ː)]
  • Though still prescriptive in Standard Korean, the great majority of speakers (in both Koreas) no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pūl

Prefix

불— • (bul-)

1. a prefix that is placed before nouns to indicate something severe.

Derived terms

• 불가물 (bulgamul, “a severe drought”)
• 불깍쟁이 (bulkkakjaeng-i, “a real stinker”)
• 불상놈 (bulsangnom, “a vulgar fellow”)
• 불쌍놈 (bulssangnom, “a very vulgar fellow”)

 

Etymology 5

Sino-Korean word from 弗. Adopted as representation of the dollar symbol $.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puɭ]
• Phonetic hangeul: [불]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pul

Noun

불 • (bul)

1. dollar

Etymology 6

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Syllable

불 (bul)

1. 不:

   (MC reading: 不 (MC pɨut̚))

2. 佛:

   (MC reading: 佛 (MC bɨut̚))

3. 拂:

   (MC reading: 拂 (MC pʰɨut̚))

4. 彿:

   (MC reading: 彿 (MC pʰɨut̚))

5. 弗:

   (MC reading: 弗 (MC pɨut̚))

6. 岪:

   (MC reading: 岪)

7. 祓:

   (MC reading: 祓 (MC pʰɨut̚))

8. 紱:

   (MC reading: 紱 (MC pɨut̚))

9. 艴:

   (MC reading: 艴 (MC pʰɨut̚))

10. 茀:

    (MC reading: 茀 (MC pʰɨut̚))

11. 韍:

    (MC reading: 韍 (MC pɨut̚))

12. 髴:

    (MC reading: 髴 (MC pɨut̚, pʰɨut̚))

13. 黻:

    (MC reading: 黻 (MC pɨut̚))

14. 冹:

    (MC reading: 冹 (MC pɨut̚))

15. 刜:

    (MC reading: 刜 (MC bɨut̚, pʰɨut̚))

16. 咈:

    (MC reading: 咈 (MC bɨut̚))

References

• Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (대한민국 대법원, Daehanmin-guk daebeobwon) (2018). Table of hanja for personal names (인명용 한자표 / 人名用漢字表, inmyeong-yonghanjapyo). [1]