검

검	U+AC80, 검 HANGUL SYLLABLE GEOM

Composition:

ㄱ + ㅓ + ㅁ

← 걿
[U+AC7F]

Hangul Syllables

겁 →
[U+AC81]

걔 ←	→ 게
거걱걲걳건걵걶 걷걸걹걺걻걼걽 걾걿검겁 겂 것 겄 겅겆겇겈겉겊겋

Korean

Pronunciation

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

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	geom
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	geom
McCune–Reischauer^?	kŏm
Yale Romanization^?	kēm

Etymology 1

Sino-Korean word from 劍 (“knife”).

Noun

검 • (geom) (hanja 劍)

sword

Derived terms

See the hanja entry at 劍 for Sino-Korean compounds of (劍, geom).

Etymology 2

Sino-Korean word from 檢 (“examine, inspect”).

Noun

검 • (geom) (hanja 檢)

short for 검찰(檢察) (geomchal, “the prosecutor's office”)

Usage notes

Often written in the hanja form in news headlines.

Etymology 3

Of native Korean origin. Probably cognate with Japanese 神(かみ) (kami, “God”); note the long vowel, which implies an Old Korean bisyllabic form (hence likely *kemV).

Noun

검 • (geom)

(obsolete, very rare) (religion) god; spirit
- 1938, 현진건／玄鎭健 (Hyun Jin-Geon), 무영탑 [Muyeongtap, The Shadowless Pagoda]:
  그에게는 검님 보다 도 부처님 보다 도 더 거룩하고 더 반가운 이름 이 아니었던가?
  geu-egeneun geom-nim-boda-do Bucheonim-boda-do deo georuk-hago deo ban'gaun ireum-i anieotdeon'ga?
  Was it not a name holier and more welcome to him than a god or the Buddha?

Usage notes

Very rare, close to being a dictionary-only ghost word in practice. Apparently not attested in Middle or Early Modern Korean; possibly only attested in certain toponyms. Even shamanic songs, which could be assumed to better preserve indigenous religious vocabulary, almost uniformly use Sino-Korean 신 (神, sin, “god; deity”), 명신 (明神, myeongsin, “august divinity”), etc.