불

불 U+BD88, 불 HANGUL SYLLABLE BUL Composition: ㅂ + ㅜ + ㄹ ← 붇 [U+BD87] Hangul Syllables 붉 → [U+BD89]

부북붂붃분붅붆 붇불붉붊붋붌붍 붎붏붐붑붒붓붔 붕붖붗붘붙붚붛
뵤 ←	→ 붜

Korean

Etymology 1

First attested in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사), 1103, as Late Old Korean 孛.

Possibly cognate with Old Japanese 火 (pi₂) (< Proto-Japonic *poy), as well as compounding form 火 (po) and eastern Old Japanese 火 (pu). Compare Middle Korean 븕다〮 (Yale: pùlk-tá, “to be red”, whence modern 붉다 (bukda)), which is believed to be derived from the word at some earlier stage of the language (Lee and Ramsey 2011, p. 180). Displaced Sino-Korean 火 (“fire”), which was reworked to mean "rage" (화 (hwa)).

In the hangul script, first attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 블〮 (Yale: púl).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [불]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pul

Noun

불 • (bul)

1. (also figuratively) fire; flame
2. fire (as a disaster)

   Synonym: 화재(火災) (hwajae)

3. (electric) light

Derived terms

• 곁불 (gyeotbul)
• 난롯불 (nallotbul)
• 노란불 (noranbul)
• 담뱃불 (dambaetbul)
• 도깨비불 (dokkaebibul)
• 들불 (deulbul)
• 등댓불 (deungdaetbul)
• 등불 (deungbul)
• 등잔불 (deungjanbul)
• 모닥불 (modakbul)
• 반딧불 (banditbul)
• 번갯불 (beon'gaetbul)
• 벼락불 (byeorakbul)
• 부삽 (busap)
• 부손 (buson)
• 부싯불 (busitbul)
• 부저 (bujeo)
• 부젓가락 (bujeotgarak)
• 부집게 (bujipge)
• 불가마 (bulgama)
• 불같다 (bulgatda)
• 불고기 (bulgogi)
• 불구경 (bulgugyeong)
• 불구덩 (bulgudeong)
• 불구덩이 (bulgudeong'i)
• 불기둥 (bulgidung)
• 불기운 (bulgiun)
• 불길 (bulgil)
• 불김 (bulgim)
• 불꼬리 (bulkkori)
• 불꽃 (bulkkot)
• 불나다 (bullada)
• 불나무 (bullamu)
• 불난리 (bullalli)
• 불놀이 (bullori)
• 불단속 (buldansok)
• 불닭 (buldak)
• 불더미 (buldeomi)
• 불덩이 (buldeong'i)
• 불똥 (bulttong)
• 불바다 (bulbada)
• 불바람 (bulbaram)
• 불벌레 (bulbeolle)
• 불벼락 (bulbyeorak)
• 불붙다 (bulbutda)
• 불빛 (bulbit)
• 불사르다 (bulsareuda)
• 불세례 (bulserye)
• 불속 (bulsok)
• 불쏘시개 (bulssosigae)
• 불씨 (bulssi)
• 불장난 (buljangnan)
• 불지르다 (buljireuda)
• 불질 (buljil)
• 불집게 (buljipge)
• 불침 (bulchim)
• 불타다 (bultada)
• 불티 (bulti)
• 불판 (bulpan)
• 불현듯 (bulhyeondeut)
• 불화살 (bulhwasal)
• 빨간불 (ppalganbul)
• 산불 (sanbul)
• 숯불 (sutbul)
• 잉걸불 (inggeolbul)
• 잔불 (janbul)
• 장작불 (jangjakbul)
• 전깃불 (jeon'gitbul)
• 전등불 (jeondeungbul)
• 쥐불 (jwibul)
• 초록불 (chorokbul)
• 초롱불 (chorongbul)
• 촛불 (chotbul)
• 큰불 (keunbul)
• 파란불 (paranbul)
• 화롯불 (hwarotbul)
• 횃불 (hwaetbul)

Related terms

• 부엌 (bueok)
• 부시 (busi)

Prefix

불— • (bul-)

1. severe; intense

Derived terms

• 불가물 (bulgamul)
• 불깍쟁이 (bulkkakjaeng'i)
• 불더위 (buldeowi)
• 불망나니 (bulmangnani)
• 불볕 (bulbyeot)
• 불상놈 (bulsangnom)
• 불호령 (bulhoryeong)

Etymology 2

First attested in the Jeongsok eonhae (正俗諺解 / 정속언해 (of 李源周敎授本 / 이원주 교수본)), 1518, as Middle Korean 불 (Yale: pwul).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [불]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pul

Noun

불 • (bul) (colloquial, uncommon or fossilized)

1. genitalia
2. testicle

   Synonyms: 불알 (bural), (non-colloquial) 고환(睾丸) (gohwan)

Derived terms

• 부자지 (bujaji)
• 불거웃 (bulgeout)
• 불까다 (bulkkada)
• 불두덩 (buldudeong)
• 불알 (bural)
• 불줄 (buljul)
• 불줄기 (buljulgi)
• 불치다 (bulchida)

Etymology 3

Sino-Korean word from 佛.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [불]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pul

Proper noun

불 • (Bul) (hanja 佛)

1. Short for 불란서(佛蘭西) (Bullanseo, “France”).

   한·불 관계 ― Han·bul gwan'gye ― France-South Korea relations

Usage notes

• In news headlines, this is customarily written solely in the hanja form, even in contemporary Korean texts otherwise devoid of Chinese characters.

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 佛 for Sino-Korean compounds of 불 (佛, bul).

Etymology 4

Sino-Korean word from 弗. Repurposed for its visual similarity to the dollar symbol $.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [불]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pul

Counter

불 • (bul) (hanja 弗)

1. dollar (of various countries)

   Synonym: 달러 (dalleo)

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 弗 for Sino-Korean compounds of 불 (弗, bul).

Etymology 5

Sino-Korean word from 不.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [puɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [불]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	bul
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	bul
McCune–Reischauer?	pul
Yale Romanization?	pul

Prefix

불— • (bul-) (hanja 不)

1. not; non-, un-, in-

   ‎불(不) (bul) + ‎가능(可能) (ganeung, “possibility”) → ‎불가능(不可能) (bulganeung, “impossibility”)

Alternative forms

• 부 (bu) (before ㄷ (d) and ㅈ (j))

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 不 for Sino-Korean compounds of 불 (不, bul).

Etymology 6

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Syllable

불 • (bul)

More information

1. 不:

   (MC reading: 不 (MC pjut))

2. 佛:

   (MC reading: 佛 (MC bjut))

3. 拂:

   (MC reading: 拂 (MC phjut))

4. 彿:

   (MC reading: 彿 (MC phjut))

5. 弗:

   (MC reading: 弗 (MC pjut))

6. 岪:

   (MC reading: 岪)

7. 祓:

   (MC reading: 祓 (MC phjut))

8. 紱:

   (MC reading: 紱 (MC pjut))

9. 艴:

   (MC reading: 艴 (MC phjut))

10. 茀:

    (MC reading: 茀 (MC phjut))

11. 韍:

    (MC reading: 韍 (MC pjut))

12. 髴:

    (MC reading: 髴 (MC pjut|phjut))

13. 黻:

    (MC reading: 黻 (MC pjut))

14. 冹:

    (MC reading: 冹 (MC pjut))

15. 刜:

    (MC reading: 刜 (MC bjut|phjut))

16. 咈:

    (MC reading: 咈 (MC bjut))