아침

First attested in the Jīlín lèishì (鷄林類事 / 계림유사), 1103, as Late Old Korean 阿慘 (Yale: *àchóm).

In the Hangul script, first attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 아ᄎᆞᆷ〮 (Yale: àchóm).

Beyond Middle Korean, the dialectal form 아젹 (Yale: acyek, “morning”) > modern 아적 (ajeok, “morning”) is attested since the seventeenth century. Since the Middle Korean consonant ㅊ (Yale: -ch-) is commonly a reflex of pre-Middle Korean consonant sequences ㅈㄱ (Yale: -ck-) or ㄱㅈ (Yale: -kc-), 아젹 (Yale: acyek) may be the more conservative form, and 아ᄎᆞᆷ〮 (Yale: àchóm) may once have been a derived form where 젹 (Yale: -cyek), or the ancient equivalent thereof, has contracted to ㅊ (Yale: -ch-).

Probably related to Japanese 朝(あさ) (asa, “morning”); see there for more.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [a̠t͡ɕʰim]

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• Phonetic hangul: [아침]

아침 • (achim)

1. morning

   저는 아침에 일찍 일어나요. ― Jeo-neun achim-e iljjik ireonayo. ― I wake up early in the morning.

2. breakfast

   Hypernym: 식사(食事) (siksa, “meal”)

   Coordinate terms: 점심(點心) (jeomsim, “lunch”), 저녁 (jeonyeok, “dinner”)

   아침은 7시에서 9시 사이에 꼭 먹도록! ― Achim-eun ilgopsi-eseo ahopsi sai-e kkok meokdorok! ― Make sure you eat breakfast between 7 and 9.

• (morning): 낮 (nat, “daytime”), 오후(午後) (ohu, “afternoon”), 저녁 (jeonyeok, “evening”), 밤 (bam, “night”)