거지

Korean

Etymology

First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 것ᄫᅡᅀᅵ〮 (Yale: kèsWàzí). The Jeju language forms 걸버시 (geolbeosi) and 걸바시 (geolbasi), which are clearly cognate to but cannot be directly descended from the Middle Korean form (which show later inter-sonorant lenition of /p/ and /s/ to /β/ and /z/), implies that the first element was derived from Sino-Korean 乞 (geol, “to beg”).

The intermediary Middle Korean form 거ᇫ워ᅀᅵ (Yale: kezwezi) is attested in the later fifteenth century. The first /z/ was regularly deleted sometime in the sixteenth century, while the second underwent an irregular fortition to /ts/, producing the Early Modern forms 거어지 (geo'eoji) and 거워지 (geowoji). These coalesced into 거지 (geoji) towards the end of the nineteenth century.

Pronunciation
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈkɘ(ː)d͡ʑi]
  • Phonetic hangul: [거(ː)지]
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?geoji
Revised Romanization (translit.)?geoji
McCune–Reischauer?kŏji
Yale Romanization?kēci
  • South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 거지의 / 거지에 / 거지까지

    Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the first syllable, and lowers the pitch of subsequent suffixes.

Noun

거지 • (geoji)

  1. beggar
  2. (slang, offensive) blighter; jerk

References
  • 조항범 (Jo Hang-beom) (2014), “'거지' 관련 어휘의 語(어)源(원)과 意(의)味(미) [Etymologies and semantics of keci-related words]”, in Urimalgeul, volume 61, pages 1–34
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