Hangul syllable Pyos

푯 is a syllable inside Korean compounds, not a complete word.

The syllable is built from ㅍ, ㅛ, and final ㅅ. That final ㅅ is 사이시옷, a spelling ㅅ used between parts of some Korean compounds. Hangul was created in 1443 and explained in 1446 in Hunminjeongeum, a guide to the Korean writing system designed to make writing Korean accessible without first learning Chinese characters. 푯 is assembled within that system, not a separately invented sign. A 1906 entry in the Annals of King Gojong mentions 푯말 in a dispute over markers near a royal tomb; it shows the word was in use by then, not when it first appeared.

Why does 푯 appear in 푯말?

Because 푯 marks 표 plus 사이시옷 in the compound.

푯말 joins 표 (標, “mark” or “sign”) and 말 (“post” or “stake”). It means a marker or signpost, including a wooden marker, road warning sign, or guide sign. Standard South Korean spelling is 푯말; 표말 leaves out 사이시옷. 푯대 uses the same pattern with 대 (“post”) and can mean a physical post or a figurative goal or guiding standard.

The usual Korean reading of 푯대 is [표때], roughly “pyo-ttae.” In a 2026 answer, the National Institute of Korean Language also accepts [푣때], roughly “pyot-ttae,” a variant that carries the written final ㅅ into the next syllable.