Tuesday, July 17, 2018

What's the difference between 티푸스 and 장티푸스?

티푸스 is the Korean transliteration of the English word typhus, which is an infectious disease spread by the bites of such insects as lice, chiggers, and fleas. 장티푸스 (腸티푸스) literally translates as intestinal typhus but means typhoid fever, which is different from typhus or typhus fever.

The bacterium that causes typhoid fever grows in the intestines and blood and is spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person. The fact that the bacterium for typhoid fever grows in the intestines is most likely the reason the Chinese character for intestines, 腸 (장), is added to the word 티푸스 to form 장티푸스.

Many Koreans seem to confuse 티푸스 and 장티푸스 since they often use 장티푸스 (typhoid fever) to also refer to 티푸스 (typhus).

Another word for typhoid fever is 염병 (染病), which can also mean infectious disease or epidemic since it is a shortened form of 전염병 (傳染病). Also, the Korean word for fever is 열병 (熱病), which is sometimes used to refer to typhoid fever since a fever is obviously one of the symptoms; however, 열병 is a general term that is also sometimes used to refer to such diseases and illnesses as malaria, typhus, and pneumonia, all of which also have symptoms that include a high fever.

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