송편

Korean

송편.

Alternative forms

• 송병 (松餠, songbyeong)

Etymology

Attested in the Yeogeo yuhaebo (譯語類解補 / 역어유해보), 1775, as 숑편 (syongpyeon).

The first syllable is 송 (松, song, “pine”), in light of the fact that the rice cake is steamed over a layer of pine needles.

Etymology of the second element 편 (pyeon, “rice cake”) is not clear. Han (1990) regards this as a derivation from 편 (扁, pyeon, “flat”), whereas Kim (2001) postulates it is a corruption of 병 (餠, byeong, “cake”). It can also be found in 절편 (jeolpyeon, “a kind of small flat rice cake”) and the saying 편보다 떡이 낫다 (pyeonboda tteogi natda).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰo̞ŋpʰjʌ̹n]
• Phonetic hangul: [송편]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	songpyeon
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	songpyeon
McCune–Reischauer?	songp'yŏn
Yale Romanization?	songphyen

Noun

송편 • (songpyeon)

1. songpyeon (Korean food made of rice powder, traditionally consumed during the Chuseok festival)

Synonyms

• (dialectal) 살미떡 (salmitteok), 솔벤 (solben), 솔펜 (solpen), 싱핀 (singpin)

Derived terms

• 알송편 (—松—, alsongpyeon)
• 물송편 (—松—, mulsongpyeon)
• 돌송편 (—松—, dolsongpyeon)

References

• Han Jin-Geon (1990), 조선말의 어원을 찾아서 (Chosŏnmarŭi ŏwŏnŭl ch'ajasŏ), Yanbian People Publishing House. pp. 155–156.
• Kim In-ho (2001), 조선어어원편람 (Chosŏnŏ ŏwŏn p'yŏllam), Vol. 52–53 of 조선어학전서 (Chosŏnŏhak chŏnsŏ), pg. 90.