새끼손가락
saekkison'garak[sʰɛk͈isʰo̞nɡa̠ɾa̠k̚]
In Korean, the word for pinky is 새끼손가락 (saekkison'garak).
새끼손가락 refers to the smallest finger on the human hand.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of 새끼, meaning offspring or youngling and 손가락, meaning finger.
Which one should you use?
While the word 새끼 can be used as a derogatory term when referring to people, it is not offensive when used in the compound 새끼손가락 to describe the smallest or youngest finger.
How do you pronounce it?
saekkison'garak
Did you know?
- The word 새끼손가락 is a native Korean term, unlike many medical or anatomical terms in the language which are often derived from Chinese characters.
- In Korean, there is a common social gesture of 'pinky swearing' called 손가락 걸기, which literally translates to 'finger hanging' or 'hooking fingers'.
- The word 새끼 also refers to a specific type of traditional straw rope used in farming, though this is a homonym and not etymologically related to the 'young animal' meaning in 새끼손가락.
Examples in context
- 우리의 손가락은 엄지부터 차례대로 '엄지손가락', '집게손가락', '가운데손가락', '약손가락', '새끼손가락'이라고 부른다.Starting from the thumb, your fingers are called the "thumb", "index finger", "middle finger", "ring finger", and "pinky".This sentence is useful for learning the names of all five fingers in order, from the thumb to the 새끼손가락.Tatoeba #11106868 by intertime, translation #10573685 by auxitt
- 새끼손가락이 너무 아파요.saekkison-garak-i neomu apayo.My pinky finger hurts a lot.
- 그는 새끼손가락을 걸고 약속했다.geuneun saekkison-garak-eul geolgo yaksokhaetda.He made a promise with his pinky.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a small injury.
- 서연 Seo-yeon지훈 씨, 손가락이 왜 그래요?Jihoon-ssi, songarak-i wae geuraeyo?Jihoon, what happened to your finger?
- 지훈 Ji-hun새끼손가락을 살짝 다쳤어요.saekkison-garak-eul saljjak dachyeosseoyo.I hurt my pinky slightly.
- 서연 Seo-yeon많이 아프겠어요.mani apeugesseoyo.That must hurt a lot.
- 지훈 Ji-hun생각보다 괜찮아요.saenggakboda gwaenchanayo.It's better than I thought.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 새끼손가락, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
