Wednesday, October 04, 2023

Is the Korean word for "rearview mirror" 룸미러, 백미러, 인사이드미러, or 리어뷰미러?

 ANSWER: All of the above.

Why are the Korean words for "rearview mirror" all Western loanwords: 룸미러 (room mirror), 백미러 (back mirror), 인사이드미러 (inside mirror), and 리어뷰미러 (rearview mirror)? Instead, why not use the Chinese word 後視鏡 (후시경), which literally means "rear (後) view (視) mirror (鏡)"? There is also the rarely used Sino-Korean word 後射鏡 (후사경), which literally means "rear (後) reflecting (寫) mirror (鏡)."

Today, I was reading something in Korean and, for the first time, came across the word 룸미러 (room mirror), and I am still shaking my heard wondering how and why Koreans came up with such an odd word for "rearview mirror."

For some reason, it bothers when I read something in Korean that is full of awkward-sounding Western loanwords. And the problem just seems to be getting worse and worse.

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