손아귀

Korean

Alternative forms

• (Gyeongnam) 손앙금 (sonanggeum), 손아구지 (sonaguji)
• (Jeonnam, Pyeongbuk) 손타구니 (sontaguni)
• (Jeju) 손아금 (sonageum)

Etymology

First attested in the Yeogeo yuhae (譯語類解 / 역어유해), 1690, as Early Modern Korean 손범아귀 (Yale: swon.pem.akwuy). By surface analysis, 손 (son, “hand”) +‎ 범 (beom, “tiger”) +‎ 아귀 (agwi, “mouth”). Possibly a calque of Chinese 手虎口; the word is first attested as a translation of the Chinese form.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰo̞na̠ɡɥi] ~ [sʰo̞na̠ɡy]
• Phonetic hangul: [소나귀]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	sonagwi
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	son'agwi
McCune–Reischauer?	sonagwi
Yale Romanization?	son.akwi

Noun

손아귀 • (sonagwi)

1. the space between the thumb and the other four fingers.
2. the grip strength
3. the extent of influence

Derived terms

• 손아귀힘재개 (sonagwihimjaegae, “dynamometer”) (North Korea)

See also

• 범아귀 (beomagwi): the space between the thumb and the forefinger.