편지

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 片紙. First attested in a Korean text in the Samgang haengsildo (三綱行實圖 / 삼강행실도), 1511, in hanja form and with the meaning of "small piece of paper".

In the Hangul script, first attested in the 順天金氏墓出土簡札 / 순천김씨 묘 출토 간찰 ("Letters excavated from the grave of Lady Suncheon Kim"), c. 1585, as Middle Korean 편지 (Yale: phyenci). This is also the first attestation of the "letter" sense.

The hanja form 便紙 is unetymological and first appears in Korean Classical Chinese sources in the eighteenth century.

Pronunciation
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈpʰjɘ(ː)ɲd͡ʑi]
  • Phonetic hangul: [편(ː)지]
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?pyeonji
Revised Romanization (translit.)?pyeonji
McCune–Reischauer?p'yŏnji
Yale Romanization?phyēn.ci

Noun

편지 • (pyeonji) (hanja 便紙/片紙)

  1. letter (written message)
    부모님께 편지를 얼마나 자주 씁니까?
    Bumonim-kke pyeonji-reul eolmana jaju sseumnikka?
    How often do you write letters to your parents?

Middle Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 片紙 (MC phenH tsyeX).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /pʰjə̌n.t͡sǐ/

Noun

편지 (phyenci) (hanja 片紙)

  1. small piece of paper
  2. letter

Descendants
  • Korean: 편지 (pyeonji)
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