Korean

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Etymology

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First attested as Late Old Korean 孫命 in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사)[1], 1103.

(son) +‎ -님 (-nim, honorific particle).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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손님 (sonnim)

  1. (honorific) guest, visitor
  2. (honorific) customer, client
    Synonym: 고객(顧客)님 (gogaengnim)
  3. (honorific) passenger
    Synonym: 승객(乘客) (seunggaek)
  4. (euphemistic, historical) smallpox

Derived terms

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  • 손님네 (sonnimne, “deities of epidemic”)