등신

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 等 (“equate”) + 神 (“deity; spirit”), originally referring to a figurine of a spirit or goblin. The meaning appears to have changed because these figurines were perceived as being unable to do anything (Cho Hang-bum 2019, pp. 158—159).

Pronunciation
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈtɯ(ː)ŋɕʰin]
  • Phonetic hangul: [등(ː)신]
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?deungsin
Revised Romanization (translit.)?deungsin
McCune–Reischauer?tŭngsin
Yale Romanization?tūngsin

Noun

등신 • (deungsin) (hanja 等神)

  1. (slang) fool, idiot [since 1920s]
    Synonyms: 바보 (babo), 병신 (byeongsin, more vulgar)
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