妹
- younger sister, female sibling;
Can specifically mean 여동생, but in some compounds it refers more broadly to “sister” regardless of age order.
Also carries the nuance of “young lady” or “maiden” in certain contexts.
Etymology
A phono-semantic compound:
女 (woman / female) - semantic element;
未 (not yet / mi), phonetic element, giving the sound.
Together they form a phono-semantic compound meaning “female (女) + phonetic (未).”
Originally designated a younger sister in relation to an elder sister (姉), but later extended to mean “sister” in general.
Usage in Korean
자매 (姉妹) — sisters
남매 (男妹) — brother and sister
동서매 (同姐妹) — women who are sisters-in-law through brothers