Where does “하루살이” come from?

하루살이 (Korean) comes from Korean —이, from Middle Korean 이 — person.

하루살이 (Korean): mayfly

Definitions

  1. mayfly

Ancestry of “하루살이”, step by step

하루살이 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean —이

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean—이For non-honorific nouns ending in consonants, the nominative case particle marking it as the subject of a verb or adjective; see also Usage Notes
2Middle Koreanperson

via Korean 살다

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean살다to live; to be alive; to dwell

via Korean 하루

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean하루a day, 24 hours; daytime
Every word from Middle Korean Every word from Korean —이