성매매
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Korean[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Sino-Korean word from 性賣買 (“prostitution”)
Pronunciation[edit]
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈsʰɘ(ː)ŋmɛmɛ] ~ [ˈsʰɘ(ː)ŋme̞me̞]
- Phonetic hangul: [성(ː)매매/성(ː)메메]
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | seongmaemae |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | seongmaemae |
| McCune–Reischauer? | sŏngmaemae |
| Yale Romanization? | sēngmaymay |
Noun[edit]
성매매 • (seongmaemae) (hanja 性賣買)
Usage notes[edit]
Similar to the U.S., where the terms 'prostitution' and 'sex trafficking' are used as if they were interchangeable, the Korean term 'seongmaemae' is, more often than not, used to describe exploitative situations in the sex industry, rather than consensual adult sex work.