Hangul syllable 새

새 is one Korean syllable used for several ordinary words: “new,” “bird,” and a brief span of time. The sentence around it tells you which meaning fits. A Korean keyboard joins the letters ㅅ and ㅐ into this single block.

Text symbol

What 새 means

Korean grammar decides which word 새 is. Before a noun, 새 means “new,” as in 새 책 (“new book”). As a noun, it can mean “bird,” as in 새가 날아갔어 (“A bird flew away”). In 눈 깜짝할 새, it names a brief interval, like “in the blink of an eye.” The phrase tells you which meaning fits.

How did 새 become a Hangul block?

Hangul groups Korean letters into blocks that represent syllables. The block 새 joins the initial consonant ㅅ with the vowel ㅐ.

A 1447 text uses 새 for “bird.” Hangul had been devised by 1443 and was formally published in 1446. Present-day Korean also uses 새 before a noun for “new” and in phrases naming a brief interval.

Read the phrase around 새

If someone sends only 새, the block does not identify which ordinary Korean word they mean. Ask for the surrounding phrase: its grammar distinguishes “new,” “bird,” and a brief interval.

Plain Korean writing; the sentence supplies the tone.

With only 새, you cannot tell which meaning was intended.

Part of the collection

가

Korean Syllables (Hangul Characters)

Who writes 새

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What it means when someone sends it to you

3 readings

“I bought a new book”: 새 comes before 책 (“book”) and describes it as new.

Combination ideas

“New book”; 새 describes the noun that follows.

“A bird flew away”; here 새 is the subject noun.

“In the blink of an eye”; 새 names a brief interval.

Questions people ask

Why does 새 sometimes appear as separate pieces?

Some text stores Hangul in decomposed form: 새 represents the initial consonant and vowel as separate letters. Together, they still represent the syllable 새.