Allirang · Korean Word Origins

Where Korean words come from

One word at a time, taken apart. Korean voice with English subtitles, then the same story in English. Two shelves: words that are Korean all the way down, and words built from Chinese characters.

Native words

Native Korean — no Chinese characters behind them.

아리랑
Why is "Arirang" called Arirang?
Everyone sings it. Almost no one asks what it means.
▶ video · 15 lines

Sino-Korean

Sino-Korean — each syllable is a character with a meaning.

사랑思量
"Sarang" once meant "to think"
Five hundred years ago, the Korean word for love meant something else.
문해력文解力
What "munhaeryeok" is made of
Korean adults say this word a lot lately. Take it apart, character by character.

Made from allirang.com — a Korean literacy app for Korean kids, one word a day. Same cards, in Korean.