# 누이
## Korean
### Etymology

First attested in the Joseon gwannyeogeo (朝鮮館驛語 / 조선관역어), 1403~1424, as Middle Korean 餒必 (Yale: *nwuWi). In the hangul script, first attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 누의 (Yale: nwùùy).
Ultimately appears to be from pre-Middle Korean */nup/ "sister" with the euphonic noun suffix 이 (-i) attached, as seen by the final vocalism in the Gyeongsang dialect form 누부 (nubu, “older sister of a male”) which is incompatible if the vowel -i was always part of the root. The phonologically conservative Gyeongsang and Yukjin dialects conserve the original /p~b/ in this word.

### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [nui]
* Phonetic hangul: [누이]

### Noun

누이 • (nu'i)
* (dated) sister
* (Pyongan) older sister of a male
    Synonym: 누나 (nuna)

#### Synonyms

Historical and regional synonyms of 누나 (nuna, “older sister of a male”) :
| view map; ||||
| Group | Region | Location | Words |
| Standardised forms | South Korean Standard Language | South Korean Standard Language | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) (hon.) |
| Standardised forms | North Korean Cultured Language | North Korean Cultured Language | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) (hon.) |
| Historical forms | Middle Korean | Middle Korean | 누의 (nwùùy) (also y.) |
| Historical forms | Early Modern Seoul Korean | Early Modern Seoul Korean | 누의 (nuui) (also y.), 누위 (nuwi) (also y.) |
| Central Korean | Gyeonggi | Modern colloquial Seoul | 누나 (nuna), 누님 (nunim) (hon.) |
| Central Korean | Yeongdong | Gangneung | 누우 (nùú), 누 (nù) |
| Central Korean | Yeongdong | Jeongseon | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) (hon.) |
| Central Korean | South Chungcheong | Seosan | 뉘님 (nwīnim) |
| Central Korean | South Chungcheong | Yesan | 뉘나 (nwīna) |
| Central Korean | South Chungcheong | Hongseong | 뉘님 (nwīnim) |
| Central Korean | South Chungcheong | Boryeong | 뉘나 (nwina) |
| Central Korean | South Chungcheong | Buyeo | 누님 (nunim), 누이 (nu'i) |
| Central Korean | South Chungcheong | Seocheon | 누님 (nunim), 눈님 (nunnim) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | North Gyeongsang | Daegu | 누'부 (nu bu) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | North Gyeongsang | Mungyeong | '누나 ( nuna), 누님 (núnìm) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | North Gyeongsang | Andong | 누 (nu), 누님 (núnìm) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | North Gyeongsang | Gumi | 누'우 (nu u) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | North Gyeongsang | Goryeong | 누'부 (nu bu) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Busan | 누'부 (nu bu), 누임 (núìm) (hon.) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Ulsan | 누'부 (nu bu), 누부 (nubu) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Changwon | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Geochang | 누'부 (nu bu), '누나 ( nuna), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Hapcheon | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Changnyeong | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'비 (nu bi), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Miryang | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u), '누나 ( nuna), 누'우야 (nu uya) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Hamyang | 누'우 (nu u), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Sancheong | 누'우 (nu u), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.), 누우님 (nùúnìm) (hon), 눈님 (núnnìm) (hon.) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Uiryeong | 누'우 (nu u) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Hadong | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u), 누 (nu), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.), 누님 (núnìm) (hon.) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Jinju | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Haman | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Gimhae | 누'부 (nu bu) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Yangsan | 누'부 (nu bu), '누나 ( nuna) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Sacheon | 누'우 (nu u) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Goseong | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Namhae | 누'부 (nu bu), 누'우 (nu u) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Geoje | 누'우 (nu u), 누'야 (nu ya) (chil.), 엉가 (éunggà) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | South Gyeongsang | Ulju | 누'부 (nu bu), '누나 ( nuna) |
| Gyeongsang Korean | Diaspora | Harbin | 눈님 (núnnìm) |
| Jeolla Korean | North Jeolla | Gunsan | 누 (nu), 누님 (nunim) |
| Jeolla Korean | North Jeolla | Iksan | 누나 (nuna), 누님 (nunim) |
| Jeolla Korean | North Jeolla | Muju | 누지 (nūji), 누나 (nuna), 성 (seong), 형님 (hyeongnim) |
| Jeolla Korean | South Jeolla | Yeonggwang | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) |
| Jeolla Korean | South Jeolla | Gokseong | 누 (nu) |
| Jeolla Korean | South Jeolla | Hampyeong | 누임 (nūim) |
| Jeolla Korean | South Jeolla | Muan | 누 (nu), 뉘 (nwī), 매씨 (messi) (married) |
| Jeolla Korean | South Jeolla | Gwangyang | 누님 (nūnim) |
| Jeolla Korean | South Jeolla | Jindo | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) |
| Jeolla Korean | South Jeolla | Wando | 누나 (nūna), 누 (nu), 누님 (nūnim) (hon.), 뉨 (nwīm) (hon), 매씨 (messi) (married) |
| Jeolla Korean | South Jeolla | Goheung | 누님 (nūnim), 누나 (nūna) (voc.) |
| Jeolla Korean | South Jeolla | Yeosu | 누나 (nūna), 누님 (nūnim) |
| Pyongan Korean | South Pyongan | Ryonggang | 누이 (nu'i) (unmarried, also y.), 누님 (nunim) (married) |
| Pyongan Korean | South Pyongan | Mundok | 누이 (nu'i) (unmarried, also y.), 누님 (nunim) (married) |
| Pyongan Korean | North Pyongan | Sonchon | 뉘 (nwi) |
| Pyongan Korean | North Pyongan | Ryongchon | 누이 (nu'i), 누님 (nunim) (hon.) |
| Pyongan Korean | North Pyongan | Chosan | 누이 (nu'i), 누님 (nunim) (married) |
| Pyongan Korean | Diaspora | Shenyang | 누야 (nuya) (also y.) |
| Hamgyong Korean | North Hamgyong | Samsu | 누'어미 (nu eomi) |
| Yukjin Korean | Yukjin | Kyongwon | 누비 (nùbì), 누배 (nùbàe) |
| Yukjin Korean | Diaspora | Hunchun | 느비 (nèubì), 느베 (nèubè) |
| Yukjin Korean | Diaspora | Longjing | 누애 (nùàe), 누얘 (nùyàe), 누이님 (nùìním) (married) |
| Jeju | Jeju | Jeju City | 누님 (nunim) |
| Jeju | Jeju | Daejeong | 누님 (nunim) |
| Jeju | Jeju | Gujwa | 누님 (nunim) |
| Jeju | Jeju | Seogwipo | 누님 (nunim) |
| hon.: honorific / voc.: vocative / chil.: childish (exact age range may differ) also y.: refers to any sister of a male, regardless of relative age ||||
| This table is an amalgamation of surveys of speakers mostly born before 1950 and may not reflect the language of younger speakers, which has lexically converged towards the standard Seoul dialect in both North and South Koreas. ||||

### See also

* 동생 (dongsaeng, “younger sibling”)
* 오라비 (orabi, “brother of a female”)
* 형 (hyeong, “older same-sex sibling”)