Friday, December 24, 2004

What does 젖가슴띠 mean?

젖 is "mother's milk," but it is also used to refer to the breast that gives the milk. To help distinguish between the "milk" and the "breast," Koreans usually say 젖가슴 (유방) to refer to the "breast." 젖가슴 is a combination of 젖 and 가슴, which means "chest." Actually, even though 젖가슴 and 유방 are proper terms for a woman's breast, many South Koreans feel uncomfortable saying them and instead use 가슴 as a kind of a euphemism.

North Koreans do not seem to be as shy as South Koreans are about using 젖가슴. For example, the North Korean word for brassiere is 젖가슴띠, which literally means, "breast belt." South Koreans say 브래지어, which is just the Koreanized version of brassiere.

Here are some other words with the word 젖 in them:

젖꼭지 (breast) nipple
젖꽃판 an areola
젖니 a (milk) baby tooth
젖떼기 a child or animal of weaning age
젖떼다 wean
젖먹이 a nursing baby
젖몸살 mastitis
젖병 a baby bottle
젖빌다 pray that one produces mother's milk
젖빛 milk white
젖빛 유리 frosted glass
젖산 lactic acid
젖샘 the mammary gland
젖소 a milk cow
젖어머니 (유모) a wet nurse
젖통 a boob (vulgar); 젖통이 크다 (She has big boobs.)

1 comment:

  1. That's interesting. I'd never heard 젖산, only 유산.

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