Where does “불” come from?
불 (Korean) comes from Middle Chinese 佛, from Pali Buddha, from Sanskrit बुद्ध, from Proto-Indo-Aryan buddʰás, from Proto-Indo-Iranian bʰudᶻdʰás, from Proto-Indo-European bʰudʰtós, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewdʰ- — to be awake, be aware.
불 (Korean): fire, flame; electric light; furnace, fireplace
Definitions
- fire, flame; electric light; furnace, fireplace
Ancestry of “불”, step by step
불 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle Chinese 佛
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Chinese | 佛 | — |
| 2 | Pali | Buddha | Buddha, the enlightened one |
| 3 | Sanskrit | बुद्ध | awake; enlightened, conscious, intelligent,... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | buddʰás | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | bʰudᶻdʰás | aware, awake |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰudʰtós | aware |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewdʰ- | to be awake, be aware |
via Chinese 不
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 不 | — |
via Middle Chinese 不
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Chinese | 不 | — |