Where does “새내기” come from?

새내기 (Korean) comes from Korean 새, from Korean 사이 — gap; space between.

새내기 (Korean): freshman

Definitions

  1. freshman

Ancestry of “새내기”, step by step

새내기 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean 새

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean새bird; new; Alternative form of 사이
2Korean사이gap; space between

via Korean 내기

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean내기—
Every word from Korean 사이 →Every word from Korean 새 →