길

From Early Modern Korean 긿 (kilh), from Middle Korean 긿〮 (kílh), probably ultimately from Old Korean 道尸 (*KIl). The Middle Korean /-h/ may be the remnant of an ancient place-related suffix; see Appendix:Middle Korean h-final nouns.

In the hangul script, first attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 긿〮 (Yale: kílh).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kiɭ]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [길]

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 길의 / 길에 / 길까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch and also heightens the next suffixed syllable, unless it is 에.

길 • (gil)

1. (also figuratively) a road, a path, a street, a track; passage, thoroughfare

   아직도 갈 길이 멀고 험하다.

   Ajik-do gal gir-i meolgo heom-hada.

   There's still a long and treacherous road ahead.

   그는 독신의 길을 택하였다.

   Geu-neun doksin-ui gir-eul taek-hayeotda.

   He chose the path of celibacy.

   • 1955 (posthumous), 윤동주／尹東柱<t:Yun Dong-ju>, “새로운 길 [A New Road]”, in 하늘과 바람과 별과 詩(시) [Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry]:

     내를 건너서 숲으로 / 고개를 넘어서 마을로 / 어제도 가고 오늘도 갈 / 나의길 새로운 길

     nae-reul geonneoseo sup-euro / gogae-reul neomeoseo ma'eul-lo / eoje-do gago oneul-do gal / na-uigil saeroun gil

     Crossing the stream and into the forest / Over the hill and into the village / The road I travelled yesterday and will travel today / The road will be forever new

2. a way, (on) the way; a route/course (e.g. an airway or sea route)

   그는 길을 잃고 숲속을 헤맸다.

   Geu-neun gir-eul ilko supsog-eul hemaetda.

   He got lost and wandered about the woods.

   (literally, “He lost his way and wandered about the woods.”)

   돌아오는 길에 잠깐 들렀어. (casual)

   Doraoneun gir-e jamkkan deulleosseo.

   [I] stopped by on the way back.

   • 1964, 김승옥／金承鈺 [Kim Seung-ok], 무진기행／霧津記行 [A Trip to Mujin]:

     서울을 떠나는 마지막 기차를 놓친 나는 서울에서 무진까지의 천여리 길을 발가락이 몇 번이고 부르터지도록 걸어서 내려왔고 […]

     Seour-eul tteonaneun majimak gicha-reul notchin na-neun Seour-eseo Mujin-kkaji-ui cheonyeori gir-eul balgarag-i myeot beonigo bureuteoji-dorok georeoseo naeryeowatgo [ … ]

     Having missed the last train leaving Seoul, I had to walk the entire way from Seoul to Mujin—a distance of around a thousand li—with my toes blistering time after time.

3. (figuratively) the road (to)..., the path (to)...

   민주화의 길은 험하디 험했다.

   Minjuhwa-ui gir-eun heom-ha-di heom-haetda.

   The road to democracy was not easy.

   그는 변호사의 길을 걷고 있다.

   Geu-neun byeonhosa-ui gir-eul geotgo itda.

   He is on the path to become a lawyer.

4. (figuratively) a way, a means, a method

   Synonym: 방도(方道) (bangdo)

   그것이 성공의 유일한 길이다.

   Geugeos-i seonggon-g'ui yuil-han girida.

   That's the only way to success.

   너의 마음을 알 길이 없구나.

   Neo-ui ma'eum-eul al gir-i eopguna.

   I have no way of reading your mind.

• 질 (jil) — dialectal

First attested in the Worin seokbo (月印釋譜 / 월인석보), 1459, as Middle Korean 질〮 (Yale: cíl).

Was subject to hypercorrection by Seoul speakers to avoid the /ki/ > /t͡ɕi/ palatalization in southern dialects, producing Early Modern Korean 길 (kil); 김치 (gimchi) and 기와 (giwa) are two other well-known examples of this phenomenon. Non-standard dialects commonly preserve the original form.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kiɭ]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [길]

길 • (gil)

1. (of animals) training; domestication

   그 개는 길이 잘 들어서 말을 잘 듣는다.

   Geu gae-neun gir-i jal deureoseo mar-eul jal deunneunda.

   The dog is obedient because it was well-trained.

   (literally, “The dog is obedient because training has well entered it.”)

2. (of tools, etc.) breaking in; wear

   갓 산 새 신발이라 아직 길이 안 들었다.

   Gat san sae sinbar-ira ajik gir-i an deureotda.

   Having just bought these shoes, they haven't been broken in yet.

   (literally, “Having just bought these shoes, breaking in hasn't entered them yet.”)

3. (less common) familiarity; skill

• Used chiefly with the verbs 들다 (deulda, “to enter”, intransitive) and 들이다 (deurida, “to let in”, transitive), and sometimes with the verb 나다 (nada, “to arise”, intransitive).

• 질 (jil) — dialectal

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 길〯 (Yale: kǐl), related to 길〯다〮 (Yale: kǐl-tá, “to be long”).^[1]

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ki(ː)ɭ]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [길(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

길 • (gil)

1. a gil, a traditional Korean unit of measurement
   1. the gil, a traditional Korean unit of length equal to 8 or 10 Korean foot (자 (ja)), equivalent to approximately 2.4 m and 3 m respectively
      • 1908, 구연학／具然學 [Gu Yeonhak], chapter 9, in 雪(설)中(즁)梅(ᄆᆡ) [Plum Blossoms in the Snow]:

        층암과 절벽이 상ᄃᆡᄒᆞ야 병풍을 셰운 듯ᄒᆞᆫᄃᆡ 놉기ᄂᆞᆫ 몃백 길인지 아지 못ᄒᆞ며 […]

        cheung'am-gwa jeolbyeog-i sangdae-haya byeongpun-g'eul syeun deut-handae nopgineun myeotbaek gir-in-ji aji mot-hamyeo [ … ]

        The confronting rocky cliffs and precipices stand tall like a folding screen—one could only guess that they must be a few hundred gils tall […]

   2. the gil, a traditional Korean unit of length equal to the height of a person; a fathom

Of native Korean origin.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ki(ː)ɭ]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [길(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

길 • (gil)

1. (clothing) the gil, the large body section of the upper garment in traditional clothing such as the 저고리 (jeogori) or 두루마기 (durumagi)

Sino-Korean word from 吉.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kiɭ]

  • Audio:

    (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [길]

길 • (Gil) (hanja 吉)

1. a surname

길 • (gil) (hanja 吉)

1. Root of 길(吉)하다 (gilhada, “to be auspicious”). Rarely used alone.

• See the hanja entry at 吉 for Sino-Korean compounds of 길 (吉, gil).

See the main entries.

길 • (gil)

1. irrealis adnominal of 길다 (gilda, “to be long”)

길 • (gil)

1. future determiner of 길다 (gilda, “(of hair) to grow long”)

길 • (gil)

1. future determiner of 기다 (gida, “to crawl”)

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

길 • (gil)

• IPA^(key): /kǐl/

길〯 (kǐl)

1. a gil, a traditional Korean unit of length equal to the height of a person; a fathom
   • 1447, Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가) ^[1]:

     굴허〮ᅌᅦ〮 ᄆᆞᄅᆞᆯ〮 디〯내〯샤〮 도ᄌᆞ기〮 다〯 도라〮가니〮 半 길〯 노ᄑᆡᆫ〮ᄃᆞᆯ〮 년기〮 디〯나리〮ᅌᅵᆺ가〮

     [Chased] into an alley, [emperor Taizu] had his horse leap over [a cliff a gil high], and all the bandits [had no choice but to] turn back. Even if it were half a gil high, could anyone else [i.e. the bandits] have done the same?

• Korean: 길 (gil)

길〮 (kíl)

1. isolated form spelling of 긿〮 (kílh, “road”)