Where does “구멍가게” come from?

구멍가게 (Korean) comes from Korean 구멍, from Proto-Korean kwumuk — hole, cavity.

구멍가게 (Korean): mom-and-pop store

Definitions

  1. mom-and-pop store

Ancestry of “구멍가게”, step by step

구멍가게 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean 구멍

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean구멍hole, aperture, opening; defect, loophole, blind...
2Proto-Koreankwumukhole, cavity

via Korean 가게

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean가게store, shop
Every word from Proto-Korean kwumuk →Every word from Korean 구멍 →