# 불

| 불 | U+BD88, &#48520; 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 (pi$_2$) (< 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: [puɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [불]

#### Noun

불 • (bul)
* (also figuratively) fire; flame
* fire (as a disaster)
    Synonym: 화재(火災) (hwajae)
* (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-)
* 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: [puɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [불]

#### Noun

불 • (bul) (colloquial, uncommon or fossilized)
* genitalia
* 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: [puɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [불]

#### Proper noun

불 • (Bul) (hanja 佛)
* 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: [puɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [불]

#### Counter

불 • (bul) (hanja 弗)
* 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: [puɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [불]

#### Prefix

불— • (bul-) (hanja 不)
* 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)
* 不:
    (MC reading: 不 (MC pjut))
* 佛:
    (MC reading: 佛 (MC bjut))
* 拂:
    (MC reading: 拂 (MC phjut))
* 彿:
    (MC reading: 彿 (MC phjut))
* 弗:
    (MC reading: 弗 (MC pjut))
* 岪:
    (MC reading: 岪)
* 祓:
    (MC reading: 祓 (MC phjut))
* 紱:
    (MC reading: 紱 (MC pjut))
* 艴:
    (MC reading: 艴 (MC phjut))
* 茀:
    (MC reading: 茀 (MC phjut))
* 韍:
    (MC reading: 韍 (MC pjut))
* 髴:
    (MC reading: 髴 (MC pjut|phjut))
* 黻:
    (MC reading: 黻 (MC pjut))
* 冹:
    (MC reading: 冹 (MC pjut))
* 刜:
    (MC reading: 刜 (MC bjut|phjut))
* 咈:
    (MC reading: 咈 (MC bjut))