세배

Korean

Etymology

    Sino-Korean word from 歲拜, from (year, year of age) + (to do obeisance to, to make a courtesy call). The modern Standard Chinese equivalent is 拜年 (bàinián).

    Pronunciation

    • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈsʰe̞(ː)bɛ] ~ [ˈsʰe̞(ː)be̞]
    • Phonetic hangul: [(ː)/(ː)]
      • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
    Romanizations
    Revised Romanization?sebae
    Revised Romanization (translit.)?sebae
    McCune–Reischauer?sebae
    Yale Romanization?sēypay

    Noun

    세배 • (sebae) (hanja 歲拜)

    1. New Year's greetings/call/visit; (historically) a bow of respect to one's elders on New Year's Day

    Synonyms

    • 세알 (歲謁, seal)

    Derived terms

    • 세배하다 (sebaehada, “to exchange New Year's greetings”)
    • 세뱃돈 (sebaetdon, “New Year's gift of money given to one's juniors; handsel”)
    • 세배상 (歲拜床, sebaesang, “New Year's feast (served to visitors)”)