나비

• (Morphophonemic) IPA^(key): ⫽napi⫽
• (Jeju City) IPA^(key): [na̠bi]
• Phonetic hangul: [나비]

From Middle Korean 나ᄇᆡ〮 (nàpóy). Cognate to Korean 나비 (nabi).

나비 (nabi)

1. butterfly

나비 (nabi)

1. Alternative form of 납 (nap, “money”)

First attested in the Neung'eomgyeong eonhae (楞嚴經諺解 / 능엄경언해), 1461, as Middle Korean 나ᄇᆡ〮 (Yale: nàpóy).

Also attested in the Bullyu dugongbu si eonhae (分類杜工部詩諺解 / 분류두공부시언해), 1481, as Middle Korean 나뵈〮 (Yale: nàpwóy).

Perhaps etymologically 나봇 (nabot, ideophonic root for fluttering) +‎ 이 (-i, noun-deriving suffix), literally "flutterer". Compare 나부끼다 (nabukkida, “to flutter in the wind”), 나붓거리다 (nabutgeorida, “to repeatedly flutter”), and 나붓나붓 (nabunnabut, “flutteringly”).

Related to 나방 (nabang, “moth”).

나비 (nabi)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [na̠bi]
• Phonetic hangul: [나비]

• South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 나비의 / 나비에 / 나비까지

  Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the first syllable, and lowers the pitch of subsequent suffixes.

나비 • (nabi)

1. butterfly

   Synonyms: 호접(胡蝶) (hojeop), 호접(蝴蝶) (hojeop)

• 왕나비 (wangnabi, “chestnut tiger”)

• 나방 (nabang, “moth”)

납 (nap, “monkey”) (obsolete) +‎ 이 (-i, noun-attaching suffix). The semantic shift is not well-understood. Monkeys are not native to Korea, and perhaps there was some confusion leading to a belief that they looked like cats.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [na̠bi]
• Phonetic hangul: [나비]

나비 • (nabi)

1. (childish) kitty

• 고양이 (goyang'i, “cat”)

• 허인영 (Heo In-yeong) (2019) “'원숭이'의 어휘사 [wonsung'i ui eohwisa, A lexical history of [words for] "monkey"]”, in Han'gugeohak, volume 83, pages 243–272