호박

Korean

Etymology 1

First attested in the Yeogeo yuhaebo (譯語類解補 / 역어유해보), 1775, as Early Modern Korean 호박 (Yale: hwopak), probably from 호(胡) (ho-, “barbarian”) +‎ 박 (bak, “gourd”) because it was introduced from Qing China, which was considered barbaric by the Koreans (Jang 2008, p. 264). The long vowel is irregular, however. Other words with the prefix, e.g. 호(胡)주머니 (hojumeoni, “pocket”) and 호(胡)떡 (hotteok, “pancake”), have an initial short vowel.

호박 (hobak)

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈɸʷo̞(ː)ba̠k̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [호(ː)박]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	hobak
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	hobag
McCune–Reischauer?	hobak
Yale Romanization?	hōpak

Noun

호박 • (hobak)

1. pumpkin (both plant and fruit)
2. (colloquial, derogatory) an ugly woman

Synonyms

• (North Korea) 남과 (namgwa)

Derived terms

• 애호박 (aehobak)
• 호박등 (hobakdeung, “jack-o'-lantern”)

Etymology 2

Sino-Korean word from 琥珀 (“amber”)

호박(琥珀) (hobak)

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈɸʷo̞(ː)ba̠k̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [호(ː)박]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	hobak
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	hobag
McCune–Reischauer?	hobak
Yale Romanization?	hōpak

Noun

호박 • (hobak) (hanja 琥珀)

1. amber