懺

Deeply rooted in Buddhist moral philosophy, expressing repentance as an inner, heartfelt transformation rather than mere regret.

A phono-semantic compound:

心 — semantic component, indicating emotion, conscience, or inner feeling

韱 (섬) — phonetic component, providing the sound "cham"

Core idea “a movement of the heart toward remorse and self-reproach.”

懺 carries a strong spiritual and ethical weight, unlike more casual words for regret.

懺悔 (참회) — repentance; confession of sins

懺悔文 (참회문) — repentance text (Buddhist liturgy)

發懺 (발참) — to formally repent (Buddhist usage)

眞心懺悔 (진심참회) — sincere repentance

Outside religious contexts, Korean tends to use native or Sino-Korean expressions like:

반성하다 (to reflect on one’s faults)

후회하다 (to regret)

懺 is a key Buddhist concept, referring to:

- acknowledgment of one’s wrongdoing

- sincere repentance

- purification of karma

The act of repentance is usually expressed through ritual confession, chanting, and vows of moral correction.

Classical citations:

「懺其前愆，修其後善。」 — Buddhist moral maxim

“Repent of past wrongs and cultivate future goodness.”

「懺悔罪業，清淨其心。」 — Buddhist scripture-style formulation

“Through repentance of karmic sins, the mind becomes pure.”