# 말

| 말 | U+B9D0, &#47568; HANGUL SYLLABLE MAL |
| Composition: | ㅁ + ㅏ + ㄹ |
| ← 맏 [U+B9CF] | Hangul Syllables | 맑 → [U+B9D1] |
마막맊맋만맍많 맏말맑맒맓맔맕 맖맗맘맙맚맛맜 망맞맟맠맡맢맣 :
| 리 ← | → 매 |

## Jeju
### Etymology

From Middle Korean 말〯 (mǎl).

### Pronunciation

* (Morphophonemic) IPA: ⫽mal⫽
* (Jeju City) IPA: [ma̠ɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [말]

### Noun

말 (mal)
* word
* speech
* language

#### Derived terms

* 제주말 (jejumal)
* 한국말 (han'gungmal)
* 조선말 (joseonmal) (rare)

### References

* “말” in Andrew Cheng; K. David Harrison, Jeju-eo Talking Dictionary, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, 2014.
* “말” in Jeju's culture and language, Digital museum.

## Korean
### Etymology 1

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 말〯 (Yale: mǎl). The rising pitch implies an earlier bisyllabic origin.

#### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [ma̠(ː)ɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [말(ː)]
** Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
* South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes low pitch, and heightens the pitch of two subsequent suffixed syllables.

#### Noun

말 • (mal)
* speech
    내 말을 주의하여 들어봐.Nae mareul juuihayeo deureobwa.Listen to me carefully.
* (colloquial) language
    Synonym: (formal) 어(語) (eo)
    일본 말을 어디서 배웠어?ilbon mareul eodiseo baewosseo?Where did you learn Japanese?

##### Derived terms

* 낱말 (nanmal, “word”)
* 말씀 (malsseum, “(honorific) word”)
* 말이 아니다 (mari anida, “to be unreasonable”)
* 말하다 (malhada, “to say, speak, talk”)
* 한국말 (han'gungmal, “the Korean language”)

##### See also

* 言(언) (eon, the hanja for "speech")
* 語(어) (eo, the hanja for "language")
* 이르다 (ireuda, “to say”)

### Etymology 2

First attested in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사), 1103, as Late Old Korean 末.
In the hangul script, first attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean ᄆᆞᆯ (Yale: mòl).
Similar words are found across Eurasia. Compare Manchu ᠮᠣᡵᡳᠨ (morin, “horse”), Mongolian морь (morʹ, “horse”), Nivkh мурӈ (murŋ, “horse”), Old Chinese 馬 (*mraːʔ, “horse”), Japanese 馬(うま) (uma, “horse”), and Proto-Indo-European *márkos (“horse”); see the last link for more.
For the prefix, compare Chinese 馬 / 马 (mǎ, “horse; big, great”), from which it is perhaps calqued.

#### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [ma̠ɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [말]
* South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지Syllables in red take high pitch. This word takes low pitch only before consonant-initial multisyllabic suffixes.

#### Noun

말 • (mal) (counter 마리)
* horse
* playing piece (in games)
* sawhorse

##### Derived terms

* 망아지 (mang'aji, “pony”)
* 수말 (sumal, “male horse”)
* 암말 (ammal, “female horse, mare”)

#### Prefix

말— • (mal-)
* (now unproductive) great; big
    말벌 ― malbeol ― great bee; wasp
    말개미 ― malgaemi ― king ant
    말잠자리 ― maljamjari ― type of dragonfly

### Etymology 3

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 말〮 (Yale: mál).
* This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “What relation to the Japanese term 升 (masu, “unit of measure for volume, approx. 1.8L”)? Many KO hanja readings ending in -l correspond to JA kanji readings ending variously in -shi, -chi, -tsu, and -su (but no examples exist Chuterix (talk) 14:17, 21 June 2023 (UTC)), opening the possibility of a KO mal ↔ JA masu phonetic match. See also Talk:말#KO_mal_(unit_of_measure)_and_JA_masu_(unit_of_measure).”

#### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [ma̠ɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [말]
* South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 말의 / 말에 / 말까지Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch and also heightens the next suffixed syllable.

#### Noun

말 • (mal)
* (units of measure) a unit of volume equivalent to about 18 L or 10 되 (doe)

##### See also

* 되 (doe, “1/10 mal”)
* 작(勺) (jak, “1/1000 mal”)
* 홉 (hop, “1/100 mal”)

### Etymology 4

From Middle Korean 맗 (malh). Short form of 말뚝 (malttuk).

#### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [ma̠ɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [말]

#### Noun

말 • (mal)
* wooden pile; stake

### Etymology 5

First attested in the Hunmong jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527, as Middle Korean ᄆᆞᆯ〮 (Yale: mól).

#### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [ma̠ɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [말]

#### Noun

말 • (mal)
* an alga or other waterborne cryptogam
* seaweed, specifically Potamogeton oxyphyllus.

##### Derived terms

* 말무리 (malmuri)
* 벌레먹이말 (beollemeogimal)

##### See also

* 해조(海藻) (haejo)

### Etymology 6

Sino-Korean word from 末 (“end”).

#### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [ma̠ɭ]
* Phonetic hangul: [말]

#### Noun

말 • (mal) (hanja 末)
* end (of a period); late
    Antonym: 초(初) (cho, “beginning”)
    조선시대 말joseonsidae malLate Joseon period
* (baseball) bottom (of an inning)
    Coordinate term: 초(初) (cho, “top (of an inning)”)
    9회 말guhoe malThe bottom of the ninth inning

##### Derived terms

* See the hanja entry at 末 for Sino-Korean compounds of 말 (末, mal).

### Etymology 7

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

#### Syllable

말 • (mal)
* 末:
    (MC reading: 末 (MC mat))
* 茉:
    (MC reading: 茉 (MC mat))
* 唜: end; tip
    (eumhun reading: 끝 말 (kkeut mal)))
* 抹:
    (MC reading: 抹 (MC mat))
* 沫:
    (MC reading: 沫 (MC mat))
* 襪:
    (MC reading: 襪 (MC mjot))
* 靺:
    (MC reading: 靺 (MC mat))
* 帕:
    (MC reading: 帕 (MC maet))
* 秣:
    (MC reading: 秣 (MC mat))
* 妺:
    (MC reading: 妺 (MC mat))
* 昩:
    (MC reading: 昩 (MC mat))
* 瀎:
    (MC reading: 瀎 (MC mat))
* 粖:
    (MC reading: 粖 (MC mat))
* 袜:
    (MC reading: 袜 (MC mat))
* 袹:
    (MC reading: 袹 (MC -))
* 䬴:
    (MC reading: 䬴 (MC mat))

### References

* Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (대한민국 대법원, Daehanmin'guk Daebeobwon) (2018). Table of hanja for personal names (인명용 한자표 / 人名用漢字表, Inmyeong-yong hanja-pyo), page 15.
* 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

## Middle Korean
### Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “First attestation? Any Old Korean forms known?”)

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mǎl/

#### Noun

말〯 (mǎl)
* word, speech, language

##### Descendants

* Korean: 말 (mal)

### Etymology 2

Possibly cognate with Japanese 升 (masu), a similar unit of measure.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mál/

#### Noun

말〮 (mál)
* measure (containing about 18 liters or 10 doe (되 (doe))
* a unit of measure (about 18 liters)

##### Descendants

* Korean: 말 (mal)