섬

섬 U+C12C, 섬 HANGUL SYLLABLE SEOM Composition: ㅅ + ㅓ + ㅁ ← 섫 [U+C12B] Hangul Syllables 섭 → [U+C12D]

서석섞섟선섡섢 섣설섥섦섧섨섩 섪섫섬섭섮섯섰 성섲섳섴섵섶섷
섀 ←	→ 세

Jeju

Etymology

Cognate with Korean 섬 (seom).

Pronunciation

• (Morphophonemic) IPA^(key): ⫽səm⫽
• (Jeju City) IPA^(key): [sʰəm]
• Phonetic hangul: [섬]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	seom
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	seom
Yale Romanization?	sem

Noun

섬 (seom)

1. island

References

• “섬” in Andrew Cheng; K. David Harrison, Jeju-eo Talking Dictionary, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, 2014.

Korean

Etymology 1

First attested in the Hunminjeong'eum haerye (訓民正音解例 / 훈민정음해례), 1446, as Middle Korean 셤〯 (Yale: syěm).

Possibly related to Baekje 斯麻 (*syema, “island”) and Japanese 島 (shima, “island”).^[1]

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɘ(ː)m]
• Phonetic hangul: [섬(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	seom
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	seom
McCune–Reischauer?	sŏm
Yale Romanization?	sēm

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 섬의 / 섬에 / 섬까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes low pitch, and heightens the pitch of two subsequent suffixed syllables.

Noun

섬 • (seom)

1. island, islet or insular

Derived terms

• 돌섬 (dolseom)
• 모래섬 (moraeseom)
• 바위섬 (bawiseom)
• 섬나라 (seomnara)
• 섬마을 (seomma'eul)
• 섬참새 (seomchamsae)
• 섬촉새 (seomchoksae)

 

Etymology 2

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 셤〮 (Yale: syém).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰʌ̹m]
• Phonetic hangul: [섬]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	seom
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	seom
McCune–Reischauer?	sŏm
Yale Romanization?	sem

Noun

섬 • (seom)

1. straw bag / sack (used to hold grain)

Derived terms

• 겻섬 (gyeotseom)
• 볏섬 (byeotseom)
• 섬거적 (seomgeojeok)
• 섬밥 (seombap)
• 섬벼 (seombyeo)
• 섬통 (seomtong)
• 숯섬 (sutseom)
• 쌀섬 (ssalseom)

 

Counter

섬 • (seom)

1. a seom, a traditional Korean unit of volume equal to approximately 180 litres; mostly used when measuring grain such as rice

   Synonym: 석(石) (seok)

Etymology 3

First attested in the Worin seokbo (月印釋譜 / 월인석보), 1459, as Middle Korean 섬〮 (Yale: sém).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰʌ̹m]
• Phonetic hangul: [섬]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	seom
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	seom
McCune–Reischauer?	sŏm
Yale Romanization?	sem

Noun

섬 • (seom)

1. (uncommon in isolation) stone stairsteps (in traditional houses)

Derived terms

• 섬돌 (seomdol)

Etymology 4

Sino-Korean word from 銛.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰʌ̹m]
• Phonetic hangul: [섬]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	seom
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	seom
McCune–Reischauer?	sŏm
Yale Romanization?	sem

Noun

섬 • (seom) (hanja 銛)

1. (rare) Synonym of 작살 (jaksal, “(fishing) harpoon”)

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 銛 for Sino-Korean compounds of 섬 (銛, seom).

Etymology 5

See the main entry.

Verb

섬 • (seom)

1. verbal noun of 서다 (seoda, “to stand”)

Etymology 6

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Syllable

섬 (seom)

More information

1. 纖:

   (MC reading: 纖 (MC sjem))

2. 殲: annihilation

   (eumhun reading: 다죽일 섬 (dajugil seom))
   (MC reading: 殲 (MC tsjem))

3. 閃: flash

   (eumhun reading: 번쩍일 섬 (beonjjeogil seom))
   (MC reading: 閃 (MC syemX|syemH))

4. 蟾:

   (MC reading: 蟾 (MC tsyem|dzyem))

5. 暹:

   (MC reading: 暹 (MC sjem))

6. 贍:

   (MC reading: 贍 (MC dzyemH))

7. 剡:

   (MC reading: 剡 (MC yemX|dzyemX))

8. 陝:

   (MC reading: 陝 (MC syemX))

9. 孅:

   (MC reading: 孅 (MC sjem))

10. 憸:

    (MC reading: 憸 (MC sjem|tshjem|xjemX|tshjemX))

11. 摻:

    (MC reading: 摻 (MC sream|sreamX))

12. 睒:

    (MC reading: 睒 (MC syemX|thamH))

13. 譫:

    (MC reading: 譫 (MC dap|tsyap))

14. 銛:

    (MC reading: 銛 (MC sjem|themX|kwat))

15. 韱:

    (MC reading: 韱 (MC sjem))

References

1. Vovin, Alexander (2013) “From Koguryo to T'amna”, in Korean Linguistics‎, volume 15, number 2 (PDF), John Benjamins Publishing Company, →DOI, pages 222-240.

Middle Korean

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sə́m/

Noun

섬〮 (sém)

1. stairstep
   • 1459, 月印釋譜 / 월인석보 [Worin Seokbo], page 2:27a:

     階(갱)砌(촁〮)ᄂᆞᆫ〮 서〮미라〮

     KÀY.CHYÉY-nón sém-ìlá

     [The Chinese word] 階砌 means, "step."

Descendants

• Korean: 섬 (seom)