뇌

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [nwe̞(ː)] ~ [nø̞(ː)]
Phonetic hangul: [눼(ː)/뇌(ː)]
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	noe
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	noe
McCune–Reischauer^?	noe
Yale Romanization^?	nōy

Noun

뇌 • (noe) (hanja 腦)

brain

Synonyms

(native Korean) 골 (gol)
(native Korean) 머릿골 (meoritgol)
(Sino Korean) 두뇌(頭腦) (dunoe)
(Sino Korean) 뇌수(腦髓) (noesu)
(Sino Korean) 수뇌(髓腦) (sunoe)

Derived terms

간뇌(間腦) (gannoe)
뇌경색(腦梗塞) (noegyeongsaek)
뇌리(腦裡) (noeri)
뇌막(腦膜) (noemak)
뇌사자(腦死者) (noesaja)
뇌신경(腦神經) (noesin'gyeong)
뇌염(腦炎) (noeyeom)
뇌종양(腦腫瘍) (noejong'yang)
뇌진탕(腦震蕩) (noejintang)
뇌척수(腦脊髓) (noecheoksu)
뇌척수막(腦脊髓膜) (noecheoksumak)
뇌척수액(腦脊髓液) (noecheoksuaek)
뇌파(腦波) (noepa)
뇌하수체(腦下垂體) (noehasuche)
뇌혈관(腦血管) (noehyeolgwan)
뇌회(腦回) (noehoe)
대뇌(大腦) (daenoe)
대뇌반구(大腦半球) (daenoeban'gu)
두뇌(頭腦) (dunoe)
세뇌(洗腦) (senoe)
수뇌(首腦) (sunoe)
수뇌부(首腦部) (sunoebu)
장뇌(樟腦) (jangnoe)
후뇌(嗅腦) (hunoe)

Etymology 2

Sino-Korean word from 惱 (“anger”)

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [nwe̞(ː)] ~ [nø̞(ː)]
Phonetic hangul: [눼(ː)/뇌(ː)]
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	noe
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	noe
McCune–Reischauer^?	noe
Yale Romanization^?	nōy

Noun

뇌 • (noe) (hanja 惱)

(only used in compounds) mental suffering

Derived terms

고뇌(苦惱) (gonoe, “distress”)
번뇌(煩惱) (beonnoe, “agony”)

Etymology 3

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Syllable

뇌 • (noe)

腦: brain
(eumhun reading: 머리 뇌 (meori noe))
(MC reading: 腦 (MC nawX|nawH))
惱: to agonize
(eumhun reading: 괴로워할 뇌 (goerowohal noe))
(MC reading: 惱 (MC nawX))
餒:
(MC reading: 餒 (MC nwojX))
匘:
(MC reading: 匘)
脳: alternative form of 腦
(MC reading: 脳)
悩: alternative form of 惱
(MC reading: 悩)

Etymology 4

South Korean reading of various Chinese characters, originally 뢰 (roe).

Syllable

뇌 • (noe)

(South Korea) 雷: thunder; lightning bolt
(eumhun reading: 우레 뇌 (ure noe))
(MC reading: 雷 (MC lwoj))
(South Korea) 賴:
(MC reading: 賴 (MC lajH))
(South Korea) 瀨: rapids
(eumhun reading: 여울 뇌 (yeoul noe))
(MC reading: 瀨 (MC lajH))
(South Korea) 儡: puppet
(eumhun reading: 꼭두각시 뇌 (kkokdugaksi noe))
(MC reading: 儡 (MC lwoj|lwojX))
(South Korea) 牢:
(MC reading: 牢 (MC law))
(South Korea) 磊:
(MC reading: 磊 (MC lwojX))
(South Korea) 賂: bribe; bribery
(eumhun reading: 뇌물 뇌 (noemul noe))
(MC reading: 賂 (MC luH))
(South Korea) 賚:
(MC reading: 賚 (MC lojH))
(South Korea) 耒:
(MC reading: 耒 (MC lwijX|lwojH))
(South Korea) 攂:
(MC reading: 攂 (MC lwojH))
(South Korea) 礌:
(MC reading: 礌)
(South Korea) 礧:
(MC reading: 礧 (MC lwojX|lwojH))
(South Korea) 籟:
(MC reading: 籟 (MC lajH))
(South Korea) 纇:
(MC reading: 纇 (MC lwojH))
(South Korea) 罍:
(MC reading: 罍 (MC lwoj))
(South Korea) 蕾:
(MC reading: 蕾 (MC lwojX))
(South Korea) 誄:
(MC reading: 誄 (MC lwijX))
(South Korea) 酹:
(MC reading: 酹 (MC lwajH|lwojH))
(South Korea) 頼: alternative form of 賴
(MC reading: 頼)
(South Korea) 瀬:
(MC reading: 瀬)
(South Korea) 顂:
(MC reading: 顂)

Usage notes

In South Korea, the original Sino-Korean reading 뢰 (roe) is used if the hanja is not part of the first syllable of a Sino-Korean compound word. The change in reading from 뢰 (roe) to 뇌 (noe) is known as 두음 법칙(頭音法則) (dueum beopchik).

Alternative forms

(North Korea, Yanbian dialect) 뢰 (roe)

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). [1]