Hangul syllable 삶

삶 is an ordinary Korean noun for living and life. It combines the Korean verb 살다 (“to live”) with -ㅁ, an ending that turns an action into a noun. The surrounding phrase shows whether it means being alive, lived experience, or life itself; 인생 more directly means a person’s life or lifetime.

The verb 살다 is recorded in 1447; that date belongs to the verb, not 삶. At a phrase end, final ㄻ sounds roughly like “sam” (a as in “father”). Before 이 (“ee”), ㄹ is heard, so 삶이 sounds like “sal-mi.”