Korean syllable 참

It means “truth,” “really,” or signals a reaction. 참말 (“true words”) and 참맛 (“real taste”) use 참- for what is genuine. As an interjection, 참! can express recall, surprise, irritation, or admiration.

Hangul, Korea’s alphabet, was devised in 1443; its guide Hunminjeongeum appeared in 1446 to help people write Korean without relying on Chinese characters. Middle Korean, an earlier stage of Korean, used ᄎᆞᆷ for the native word. A separate 참 from Hanja 站, a Chinese character used in Korean, meant a relay stop where officials rested in the Goryeo period; in modern Korean it also means a break-time snack or interval. Hanja 參 is read 참 in 참가 (“participation”).