천조국

Korean

Etymology

Originally a Sino-Korean word from 天朝 (“Celestial Empire”) + 國 (“country”), with the implied criticism that South Korea is a self-deprecating vassal state of America in the same way that dynastic Korea used to revere China as the Empire of Heaven.

Now generally reinterpreted as a Sino-Korean word from 千兆 (“quadrillion”) + 國 (“country”), satirizing the fact that the United States military budget, when rounded up, is equivalent to a quadrillion South Korean won.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʰʌ̹ɲd͡ʑo̞ɡuk̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [천조국]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	Cheonjoguk
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	Cheonjogug
McCune–Reischauer?	Ch'ŏnjoguk
Yale Romanization?	chen.cokwuk

Proper noun

천조국 • (Cheonjoguk) (hanja 千兆國)

1. (slang, humorous) synonym of 미국(美國) (Miguk, “America, United States of America (a country in North America)”)