자꾸

Korean

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕa̠k͈u]
Phonetic hangul: [자꾸]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	jakku
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	ja'kku
McCune–Reischauer^?	chakku
Yale Romanization^?	ca.kkwu

Etymology 1

First attested in the Dictionnaire Coréen-Français (Korean-French Dictionary), 1880, as Early Modern Korean 잡고 (Yale: capkwo), originally a connective form of 잡다 (japda, “to grab”), etymologically "grabs, and […] ".

Adverb

자꾸 • (jakku)

repeatedly; incessantly
먹지 말라 해 도 자꾸 먹는다.
Meokji malla hae-do jakku meongneunda.
Even when I tell him to not eat it, he keeps eating.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Japanese チャック (chakku).

Noun

자꾸 • (jakku)

alternative form of 지퍼 (jipeo, “zipper”)
바지 자꾸 열려 있다. 인사 잘 한다.
Baji jakku yeollyeoitda. Insa jal handa.
Pants zipper is open. You do greetings well. (childish prank)

References

이상신 [isangsin] (2020), “'자꾸'의 기원에 대한 試(시)稿(고) [A study on the origin of cakkwu]”, in Han'gukhak yeon'gu, volume 58, pages 379—400