불

불 U+BD88, 불 HANGUL SYLLABLE BUL Composition: ㅂ + ㅜ + ㄹ ← 붇 [U+BD87] Hangul Syllables 붉 → [U+BD89]

부북붂붃분붅붆 붇불붉붊붋붌붍 붎붏붐붑붒붓붔 붕붖붗붘붙붚붛
뵤 ←	→ 붜

Korean

Etymology 1

First attested in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사), 1103, as Late Old Korean 孛.

Possibly cognate with Old Japanese 火 (pi₂) (< Proto-Japonic *poy), as well as compounding form 火 (po) and eastern Old Japanese 火 (pu). Compare Middle Korean 븕다〮 (Yale: pùlk-tá, “to be red”, whence modern 붉다 (bukda)), which is believed to be derived from the word at some earlier stage of the language (Lee and Ramsey 2011, p. 180).

In the hangul script, first attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 블〮 (Yale: púl).

Pronunciation

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

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

Noun

불 • (bul)

1. (also figuratively) fire; flame
2. fire (as a disaster)

   Synonym: 화재(火災) (hwajae)

3. (electric) light

Derived terms

• 곁불 (gyeotbul)
• 난롯불 (nallotbul)
• 노란불 (noranbul)
• 담뱃불 (dambaetbul)
• 도깨비불 (dokkaebibul)
• 들불 (deulbul)
• 등댓불 (deungdaetbul)
• 등불 (deungbul)
• 등잔불 (deungjanbul)
• 모닥불 (modakbul)
• 반딧불 (banditbul)
• 번갯불 (beon'gaetbul)
• 벼락불 (byeorakbul)
• 부삽 (busap)
• 부손 (buson)
• 부싯불 (busitbul)
• 부저 (bujeo)
• 부젓가락 (bujeotgarak)
• 부집게 (bujipge)
• 불가마 (bulgama)
• 불같다 (bulgatda)
• 불고기 (bulgogi)
• 불구경 (bulgugyeong)
• 불구덩 (bulgudeong)
• 불구덩이 (bulgudeong'i)
• 불기둥 (bulgidung)
• 불기운 (bulgiun)
• 불길 (bulgil)
• 불김 (bulgim)
• 불꼬리 (bulkkori)
• 불꽃 (bulkkot)
• 불나다 (bullada)
• 불나무 (bullamu)
• 불난리 (bullalli)
• 불놀이 (bullori)
• 불단속 (buldansok)
• 불닭 (buldak)
• 불더미 (buldeomi)
• 불덩이 (buldeong'i)
• 불똥 (bulttong)
• 불바다 (bulbada)
• 불바람 (bulbaram)
• 불벌레 (bulbeolle)
• 불벼락 (bulbyeorak)
• 불붙다 (bulbutda)
• 불빛 (bulbit)
• 불사르다 (bulsareuda)
• 불세례 (bulserye)
• 불속 (bulsok)
• 불쏘시개 (bulssosigae)
• 불씨 (bulssi)
• 불장난 (buljangnan)
• 불지르다 (buljireuda)
• 불질 (buljil)
• 불집게 (buljipge)
• 불침 (bulchim)
• 불타다 (bultada)
• 불티 (bulti)
• 불판 (bulpan)
• 불현듯 (bulhyeondeut)
• 불화살 (bulhwasal)
• 빨간불 (ppalganbul)
• 산불 (sanbul)
• 숯불 (sutbul)
• 잉걸불 (inggeolbul)
• 잔불 (janbul)
• 장작불 (jangjakbul)
• 전깃불 (jeon'gitbul)
• 전등불 (jeondeungbul)
• 쥐불 (jwibul)
• 초롱불 (chorongbul)
• 촛불 (chotbul)
• 큰불 (keunbul)
• 파란불 (paranbul)
• 화롯불 (hwarotbul)
• 횃불 (hwaetbul)

 

Related terms

• 부엌 (bueok)
• 부시 (busi)

Prefix

불— • (bul-)

1. severe; intense

Derived terms

• 불가물 (bulgamul)
• 불깍쟁이 (bulkkakjaeng'i)
• 불더위 (buldeowi)
• 불망나니 (bulmangnani)
• 불볕 (bulbyeot)
• 불상놈 (bulsangnom)
• 불호령 (bulhoryeong)

 

Etymology 2

First attested in the Jeongsok eonhae (正俗諺解 / 정속언해 (of 李源周敎授本 / 이원주 교수본)), 1518, as Middle Korean 불 (Yale: pwul).

Pronunciation

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

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

Noun

불 • (bul) (colloquial, uncommon or fossilized)

1. genitalia
2. testicle

   Synonyms: 불알 (bural), (non-colloquial) 고환(睾丸) (gohwan)

Derived terms

• 부자지 (bujaji)
• 불거웃 (bulgeout)
• 불까다 (bulkkada)
• 불두덩 (buldudeong)
• 불알 (bural)
• 불줄 (buljul)
• 불줄기 (buljulgi)
• 불치다 (bulchida)

 

Etymology 3

Sino-Korean word from 佛.

Pronunciation

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

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

Proper noun

불 • (Bul) (hanja 佛)

1. Short for 불란서(佛蘭西) (Bullanseo, “France”).

   한·불 관계 ― Han·bul gwan'gye ― France-South Korea relations

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 佛 for Sino-Korean compounds of 불 (佛, bul).

Etymology 4

Sino-Korean word from 弗. Repurposed for its visual similarity to the dollar symbol $.

Pronunciation

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

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

Counter

불 • (bul) (hanja 弗)

1. dollar (of various countries)

   Synonym: 달러 (dalleo)

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 弗 for Sino-Korean compounds of 불 (弗, bul).

Etymology 5

Sino-Korean word from 不.

Pronunciation

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

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

Prefix

불— • (bul-) (hanja 不)

1. not; non-, un-, in-

   ‎불(不) (bul) + ‎가능(可能) (ganeung, “possibility”) → ‎불가능(不可能) (bulganeung, “impossibility”)

Alternative forms

• 부 (bu) (before ㄷ (d) and ㅈ (j))

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 不 for Sino-Korean compounds of 불 (不, bul).

Etymology 6

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Syllable

불 (bul)

More information

1. 不:

   (MC reading: 不 (MC pjut))

2. 佛:

   (MC reading: 佛 (MC bjut))

3. 拂:

   (MC reading: 拂 (MC phjut))

4. 彿:

   (MC reading: 彿 (MC phjut))

5. 弗:

   (MC reading: 弗 (MC pjut))

6. 岪:

   (MC reading: 岪)

7. 祓:

   (MC reading: 祓 (MC phjut))

8. 紱:

   (MC reading: 紱 (MC pjut))

9. 艴:

   (MC reading: 艴 (MC phjut))

10. 茀:

    (MC reading: 茀 (MC phjut))

11. 韍:

    (MC reading: 韍 (MC pjut))

12. 髴:

    (MC reading: 髴 (MC pjut|phjut))

13. 黻:

    (MC reading: 黻 (MC pjut))

14. 冹:

    (MC reading: 冹 (MC pjut))

15. 刜:

    (MC reading: 刜 (MC bjut|phjut))

16. 咈:

    (MC reading: 咈 (MC bjut))