새

First attested as Late Old Korean 賽 in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사)^[1], 1103. In the hangul script, first attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 새〯 (Yale: sǎy), the rising pitch implying an earlier bisyllabic form *saCi, which is reflected in Jeju 생이 (saeng'i) and 상이 (sang'i), and dialectal 사이 (sai, Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong, Hwanghae).

Compare also Japanese 鷺(さぎ) (sagi, “heron, egret”).

In the Jilin Leishi, the Korean name for sparrow was labeled as "새". This implies that the old meaning of "새" is sparrow, but "새" was borrowed for other terms referring to birds. Also note the compound 새매 (saemae, “sparrowhawk”), which at face value would redundantly mean "bird-hawk", but if "새" meant sparrow, would indeed be "sparrow-hawk" (harkening to the sparrowhawk's prey). Finally, 참새 (chamsae), the modern word for sparrow, literally translates as "true-sae".

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɛ(ː)] ~ [sʰe̞(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [새(ː)/세(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 새의 / 새에 / 새까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes low pitch, and heightens the pitch of two subsequent suffixed syllables.

새 • (sae)

1. bird (in general)

   Synonym: (academic) 조류(鳥類) (joryu)

   새가 힘차게 날개를 치며 저 하늘을 향해 활활 날아올랐다.

   Sae-ga himchage nalgae-reul chimyeo jeo haneur-eul hyanghae hwalhwal naraollatda.

   The bird soared to the skies, mightily flapping its wings.

   새들이 나뭇가지 위에 앉아 짹짹 지저귀며 노래하고 있다.

   Sae-deur-i namutgaji wi-e anja jjaekjjaek jijeogwi-myeo noraehago itda.

   There are birds chirping and singing on a tree branch.

   • 1955 (posthumous), 윤동주／尹東柱<t:Yun Dong-ju>, “별똥 떨어진데 [Where the Shooting Star has Fallen]”, in 하늘과 바람과 별과 詩(시) [Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry]:

     어디로 간들 生(생)의 뿌리를 박지 못하며 어디로 간들 生(생)活(활)의 不(불)平(평)이 있을소냐, 칙칙하면 솔솔 솔바람이 불어오고, 심심하면 새가 와서 노래를 부르다 가고, 촐촐하면 한줄기 비가 오고, 밤이면 數(수)많은 별들과 오손도손 이야기 할수 있고 […]

     Eodi-ro ga-ndeul saeng-ui ppuri-reul bak-ji motha-myeo eodi-ro ga-ndeul saenghwar-ui bulpyeong-i iss-eulsonya, chikchikhamyeon solsol solbaram-i bureoogo, simsimhamyeon sae-ga wa-seo norae-reul bureuda gago, cholcholhamyeon hanjulgi bi-ga ogo, bam-i-myeon sumaneun byeol-deul-gwa osondoson iyagi hal su itgo

     Wherever [the tree] goes, would it not take its root of life there? Wherever [the tree] goes, would it have anything to complain of? When feeling sombre, the breeze gently blows; when bored, the birds come by to sing; when thirsty, the rain comes down; at night, it can talk to countless stars.

• 鳥 (jo), the hanja for "bird"

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 새〮 (Yale: sáy).

Originally in Middle Korean, in addition to being a determiner, the term also functioned as a noun meaning "something new". However, that is no longer the case in Modern Korean, and its remnant—albeit less transparent to the modern speaker—survives in certain constructions such as 새로 (saero, “newly”, literally “as something new”).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɛ] ~ [sʰe̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [새/세]

새 • (sae)

1. new, novel; fresh

   Antonyms: 옛 (yet, “old; previous”), 헌 (heon, “worn out; used”)

   길고 길었던 밤이 새니 이윽고 세상에 새 날이 밝았다.

   Gilgo gireot-deon bam-i saeni ieukgo sesang-e sae nar-i balgatda.

   The long night has passed, and a new day has dawned upon the world.

   우리에게는 참신한 새 아이디어들이 절실히 필요하다.

   Uri-ege-neun chamsinhan sae aidieo-deur-i jeolsilhi piryohada.

   We are desperately in need of original and fresh ideas.

• 신(新)- (sin-, “new”, prefix)

Regular contraction from 사이 (sai, “gap; space between”).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɛ(ː)] ~ [sʰe̞(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [새(ː)/세(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

새 • (sae)

1. contraction of 사이 (sai, “gap; space between”)
   • 1987, “어젯밤 이야기 (eojetbam iyagi) [Last Night Story]”, 박건호 / 朴建浩 (Bak Geonho) [Park Gun-ho] (lyrics), performed by 소방차 (Sobangcha):

     쉴 새 없는 음악

     swil sae eomneun eumak

     unending music

     (literally, “music that has no space to rest”)

First attested in the Myobeomnyeonhwagyeong eonhae (妙法蓮華經諺解 / 묘법연화경언해), 1463, as Middle Korean 새〯 (Yale: sǎy).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɛ] ~ [sʰe̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [새/세]

새 • (sae) (uncommon in isolation)

1. a general term for any plant from the family Poaceae: the true grasses
   1. (specifically) Arundinella hirta (a type of grass native to East Asia)

      Synonym: 야고초(野古草) (yagocho)

   2. short for 억새 (eoksae): silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis)
2. straw thatch used for roofing

   Synonym: 이엉 (ieong, “straw thatch”)

• 기와 (giwa)

Sino-Korean word from 璽.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɛ] ~ [sʰe̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [새/세]

새 • (sae) (hanja 璽)

1. synonym of 국새(國璽) (guksae, “royal seal; state seal”)
   • 1990 October 30, “論(논)難(란) 구구한 日(일)王(왕)즉위식”, in The Kyunghyang Shinmun:

     또한 즉위식에 등장되는 劍(검)과 璽(새)도 논란의 대상이다。

     Ttohan jeugwisig-e deungjang-doeneun geom-gwa sae-do nollan-ui daesang-ida.

     On top of that, the sword and royal seal used in the coronation ceremony are also subjects of controversy.

• See the hanja entry at 璽 for Sino-Korean compounds of (璽, sae).

Ultimately from Middle Korean 사ᄫᅵ〮 (Yale: sàWí). Presumably a borrowing from central Korean into the local dialect rather than the traditional dialectal form, which would be 새비 (saebi).

• (Busan) IPA^(key): [sʰé~sé]

새 • (sae)

1. (southern Gyeongsang) dialectal form of 새우 (sae'u, “shrimp”)

Not attested in the Middle Korean corpus, wherein the Sino-Korean term had seemingly already replaced any native counterpart in the central dialect.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

새 • (sae)

1. (obsolete or sailors' jargon) east

   Synonyms: (used nowadays) 동(東) (dong), (used nowadays) 동(東)쪽 (dongjjok)

Supposedly used in Yukjin, and by certain sailors.

See the main entries.

새 • (sae)

1. An infinitive form of 새다 (saeda, “to leak”)
2. An infinitive form of 새다 (saeda, “to dawn”)

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

새 • (sae)

• IPA^(key): /sǎj/

새〯 (sǎy) (locative 새〯예〮 (sǎy-yéy))

1. bird (in general)
   • 1461, 楞嚴經諺解 / 능엄경언해 [Neung-eomgyeong eonhae], page 7:79a:

     고기〮와〮 새〯와〮 거붑〮과〮 ᄇᆡ〮얌괘〮 그 類(ᄅᆔᆼ〮) ᄀᆞᄃᆞᆨᄒᆞ니〮라〮

     kwòkí-Gwá sǎy-Gwá kèpwúp-kwá póyyàm-kwá-y kù LYWÚY kòtòk-hò-nílá

     [Therefore], the [world] has plenty of fish, birds, turtles, snakes, and the like.

• Korean: 새 (sae)

• IPA^(key): /sáj/

새〮 (sáy)

1. something new
   • 1465, 圓覺經諺解 / 원각경언해 [Wongakgyeong eonhae], page 4:188b:

     엇〯뎨〮 모로〮매〮 ᄂᆞᆯᄀᆞ〮닐〮 덜〯오〮 새〮ᄅᆞᆯ〮 더으며〮 […]

     ěstyéy mwòlwómáy nòlk-ón-í-l tělGwó sáy-lól tèùmyé […]

     [Then], how shall I drop that which is old and take that which is new, […] ?

새〮 (sáy)

1. newly

   Synonym: 새〮로〮 (sáy-lwó)

   • 1447, 釋譜詳節 / 석보상절 [Seokbo sangjeol], page 6:2a:

     沙(상)彌(밍)ᄂᆞᆫ〮 새〮 出(츄ᇙ〮)家(강)ᄒᆞᆫ 사〯ᄅᆞ〮미니〮

     SÀ.MÌ-nón sáy CHYWÚLQ.KÀ-hòn sǎlóm-ìní

     沙彌 [Chinese for "novice Buddhist monk"] is a person who newly became a Buddhist monk.

새〮 (sáy)

1. new

• Korean: 새 (sae)