낙

• IPA^(key): [nak̚]

Sino-Korean word from 樂 (“joy, happiness”).

낙 (nak) (hanja 樂)

1. enjoyment, joy, delight

• Korean: 낙(樂) (nak), 락(樂) (rak)

Sino-Korean word from 洛 (“the Luo river, Luoyang”). Luoyang was the capital of many ancient Chinese empires, whence the figurative use.

낙 (nak) (hanja 洛)

1. (figurative) any capital city, especially Seoul
   • 1772, 의유당/意幽堂 (Uiyu-dang), “동명일기/東溟日記 (Dongmyeong'ilgi)”, in 의유당관북유람일기/意幽堂關北遊覽日記 (Uiyu-dang Gwanbuk yuram ilgi):

     긔튝년 팔월의 낙을 ᄯᅥ나 구월 초ᄉᆡᆼ의 함흥으로 오니 다 니ᄅᆞ기ᄅᆞᆯ 일월츌이 보암ᄌᆞᆨ다 하ᄃᆡ […]

     Kuythywuk-nyen pal-wuel-uy nak-ul stena kwu wuel chwosoyng-uy Hamhung-ulwo woni ta niloki-lol ilwuelchywul-i pwoamcok-ta hatoy […]

     We departed Seoul on the eighth month of the gichuk year [1769], and in the early days of the ninth month, we arrived at Hamhung, where everybody says that the sunrise and the moonrise are well worth seeing […]

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [na̠k̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [낙]

Sino-Korean word from 樂 (“joy, happiness”).

낙 • (nak) (hanja 樂)

1. enjoyment, joy, delight (especially a joy serving as a purpose of one's life)

   아이가 인생의 낙이라는 말은 이제 시대착오적 발상이다.

   ai-ga insaeng-ui nag-iraneun mar-eun ije sidaechagojeok balsang-ida.

   That [having] children is the joy of one's life is now an anachronistic notion.

   Synonyms: 재미 (jaemi), 즐거움 (jeulgeoum)

• See the hanja entry at 樂 for Sino-Korean compounds of 낙 (樂, nak).

Sino-Korean word from 洛 (“the Luo river, Luoyang”).

낙 • (Nak) (hanja 洛)

1. (rare) Synonym of 낙수(洛水) (“the Luo river”, a central Chinese river)
2. (rare) Synonym of 낙양(洛陽) (“Luoyang”, Chinese city and ancient capital)

• See the hanja entry at 洛 for Sino-Korean compounds of 낙 (洛, nak).

Modern Korean reading of various Chinese characters, from Middle Korean 낙〮 (Yale: nák).

낙 (nak)

Korean reading of various Chinese characters in isolation or as the first element of a compound. From Middle Korean 낙〮 (Yale: nák) or 락 (Yale: lák). When preceded by another character in a compound, they take the 락 (rak) form.

In the North Korean standard (and in the speech of Koreans in China, who use the Northern standard), these characters are always read as 락 (rak). However, this is the result of an artificial standardization of Sino-Korean readings. Before the establishment of North Korea, most dialects of Korean read the characters as 낙 (nak) in isolation and initial position, due to a phonological restriction against having word-initial [r-].

낙 (nak)

• 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).