주인공

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 主人公, from 主 (“chief”) + 人 (“person”) + 公 (“fair”), from Japanese 主人公 (shujinkō), from Middle Chinese 主人公 (tsyu^X nyin kuwng).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key)[t͡ɕuinɡo̞ŋ]
• Phonetic Hangul[주인공]

Noun

주인공 • (ju-in-gong) (hanja 主人公)

1. (theater, literature) The hero or heroine; the lead role.
   • 1849, David Copperfield

   • 나의 자서전이라고도 할 수 있는 이 이야기에서, 과연 내가 주인공인지, 아니면 다른 사람에게 주인공의 자리를 넘겼는지는 다음을 읽어보면 알게 될 것이다.

     Naui jaseojeoniragodo hal su inneun i iyagieseo, gwayeon naega ju-in-gong-inji, animyeon dareun saramege ju-in-gong-ui jarireul neomgyeonneunjineun da-eumeul ilgeobomyeon alge doel geosida.

     Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.

2. (by extension) The central figure in any situation.