Korean

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Etymology

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From unattested Middle Korean *터ᄫᅳᆯ (*theWul), from pre-Middle Korean *thepul; compare Gyeongsang Korean 터불 (teobul, age gap between siblings).

Pronunciation

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Romanizations
Revised Romanization?teoul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?teoul
McCune–Reischauer?t'ŏul
Yale Romanization?thewul

Noun

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터울 (teoul)

  1. age difference between siblings
    언니 터울니다. (spoken by a woman)
    Eonni-wa jeo-neun se sal teour-imnida.
    There is a three-year age gap between me and my older sister.
  2. (sometimes proscribed) any age difference between two people
    Synonyms: 나이차 (naicha), 나이 차이 (nai chai)
    • 2007, “"15살 터울 부부가 자식 가장 많이 낳는다" ["15sal teoul bubuga jasik gajang mani nanneunda"]”, in The Hankyoreh[1]:
      15 터울 부부 자식 가장 많이 낳는다
      yeoldaseotsal teoul bubu-ga jasik gajang mani nanneunda
      A couple with a fifteen-year age difference have the largest number of children.

Usage notes

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Only used with the native counter (sal, year of age) and the native numeral set.

Derived terms

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