우리

Jeju

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Korean 우〮리〮 (wúlí), from Old Korean 吾里 (*WUli).

Pronunciation

• (Morphophonemic) IPA^(key): ⫽uli⫽
• (Jeju City) IPA^(key): [uɾi]
• Phonetic hangul: [우리]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	uri
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	uli
Yale Romanization?	wuli

Pronoun

우리 (uri)

1. we, us
2. our
3. (when referring to one's own family members) my

References

• “우리” in Andrew Cheng; K. David Harrison, Jeju-eo Talking Dictionary, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, 2014.
• “우리” in Jeju's culture and language, Digital museum.

Korean

Etymology 1

First attested in the Hunmong jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527, as Middle Korean 우리〮 (Yale: wùlí).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [uɾi]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [우리]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	uri
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	uli
McCune–Reischauer?	uri
Yale Romanization?	wuli

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 우리의 / 우리에 / 우리까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the first syllable, and lowers the pitch of subsequent suffixes.

Noun

우리 • (uri)

1. cage, pen, coop, enclosure (a designated area or structure for confining animals)

   Synonyms: 권뢰 (gwolloe), 권함 (gwonham), 목사 (moksa), 외양간 (oeyanggan), 집 (jip), 축사 (chuksa)

   농장에서는 소들을 넓은 우리에 가두어 기른다.

   Nongjang'eseoneun sodeureul neolbeun urie gadueo gireunda.

   On the farm, cows are reared in a spacious pen.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [uɾi]
• Phonetic hangul: [우리]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	uri
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	uli
McCune–Reischauer?	uri
Yale Romanization?	wuli

Counter

우리 • (uri)

1. uri (counter for roof tiles)

   Synonym: 울 (ul)

   한 우리는 기와 이천 장이다.

   Han urineun giwa icheon jang'ida.

   One uri consists of 2,000 roof tiles.

Etymology 3

From Middle Korean 우〮리〮 (wúlí), from Old Korean 吾里 (*WUli), from Old Korean 又 (*wu) + unknown suffix *-li. The root is different from the singular first-person pronoun, 나 (na).

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

Alternative forms

• (contraction) 울 (ul)

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [uɾi]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [우리]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	uri
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	uli
McCune–Reischauer?	uri
Yale Romanization?	wuli

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 우리의 / 우리에 / 우리까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the second syllable, except before consonant-initial multisyllabic suffixes, when it takes full low pitch.

Pronoun

우리 • (uri)

1. we, us (refers to the speaker along with the listener(s), and possibly others, forming a collective “we”)

   Synonyms: 아등 (adeung), 아배 (abae), 여등 (yeodeung), 여배 (yeobae), 오등 (odeung), 오배 (obae), 오인 (oin)

   Antonym: 너희 (neohui)

   우리 모두 함께 새로운 도전을 맞이하자.

   Uri modu hamkke saeroun dojeoneul majihaja.

   Let us all face the new challenge.

2. we (refers to a group that includes the speaker and others of equal or lower status, but it explicitly excludes the person being addressed)

   Synonyms: 울 (ul), 저희 (jeohui)

   Antonym: 너희 (neohui)

   우리 선배들끼리는 이미 결정을 내렸으니 너는 그 의견을 따르라.

   Uri seonbaedeulkkirineun imi gyeoljeong'eul naeryeosseuni neoneun geu uigyeoneul ttareura.

   We, the seniors, have already made our decision, so you should follow that opinion.

3. (when referring to one's own family members) my, our (prefixed to a noun to indicate that the noun is intimately associated with or belongs to the speaker’s group)

   Synonyms: 울 (ul), 저희 (jeohui)

   Antonym: 너희 (neohui)

   우리 고향은 사계절이 뚜렷하다.

   Uri gohyang'eun sagyejeori tturyeothada.

   My hometown has distinct seasons.

Usage notes

우리 (uri) often translates best into English as “my”:

• 우리 집 (uri jip, “my house”, literally “our house”)
• 우리 남편 (uri nampyeon, “my husband”, literally “our husband”)

Derived terms

• 우리나라 (urinara)
• 우리말 (urimal)

Etymology 4

Sino-Korean word from 牛 (“ox”) + 李 (“plum”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [uɾi]
• Phonetic hangul: [우리]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	uri
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	uli
McCune–Reischauer?	uri
Yale Romanization?	wuli

Noun

우리 • (uri) (hanja 牛李)

1. (botany) Dahurian buckthorn (Rhamnus davurica Pall.)

   Synonyms: 갈매나무 (galmaenamu), 서리 (seori), 저리 (jeori)

   산 가운데 자라는 우리는 매년 봄마다 아름다운 꽃을 피워 경치를 빛낸다.

   San gaunde jaraneun urineun maenyeon bommada areumdaun kkocheul piwo gyeongchireul binnaenda.

   The Dahurian buckthorn growing in the mountains blooms beautiful flowers every spring, enhancing the landscape.

Middle Korean

Etymology 1

From Old Korean 吾里 (*WUli), from Old Korean 又 (*wu) + unknown suffix *-li.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ú.lí/, [ú.ɾí]

Pronoun

우〮리〮 (wúlí)

1. we; us
   • 1586, Widow of Yi Eung-tae, Letter excavated from the grave of Yi Eung-tae:

     ᄆᆡ야ᇰ자내ᄃᆞ려내닐오ᄃᆡᄒᆞᆫᄃᆡ누어셔이보소ᄂᆞᆷ도우리ᄀᆞ티서ᄅᆞ에엿ᄲᅵ녀겨ᄉᆞ라ᇰᄒᆞ리ᄂᆞᆷ도우리ᄀᆞᄐᆞᆫ가

     moyyang canay-tolye na-y nilwotoy hontoy nwuesye, "i pwoswo, nom-two wuli kothi selo eyyesspi nyekye solang-holi? nom-two wuli kothonka?"

     All the time, I used to say to you—while we were lying together—"Hey, do you think other [wives and husbands] look at each other as prettily and love each other as much as we do? Do you think they're like us too?"

Descendants

• Jeju: 우리 (uri)
• Korean: 우리 (uri)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ù.lí/, [ù.ɾí]

Noun

우리〮 (wùlí)

1. cage, pen, coop

Descendants

• Korean: 우리 (uri)