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How commonly is 풋 used in Korean? The word is mentioned in "The Most AWESOME WORDLIST You Have Ever Seen", a list of 625 words suggested as starting vocabulary for English speakers learning Korean.

Is it normal to use it to describe someone's height? On page 12 of the word list, a short woman is described as being 5 풋 tall (it's a list of vocabulary, not actual sentences, so I haven't quoted it).

If it's not common to use 풋 to describe people's height, are there other common uses of the word in Korean?

The English language edition of Wiktionary has various translations of the word, but doesn't include the unit of measurement amongst them.

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    OK, I just Googled "The Most AWESOME WORDLIST You Have Ever Seen" and I must say... not really. You can't just have 625 English words, translate them to many different languages, and claim to have a good word list. Because different languages divide meanings in different ways. And that's especially true for many common words that beginners should learn. ("풋" is basically a case in point: 풋 meaning "unit of length" will probably not be in the list of, say, 300,000 most common Korean words by usage. When we have to use American units, we say 피트. Even if it's just one foot.)
    – jick
    Commented Mar 14, 2017 at 0:51

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It's not very common in Korea to use foot (feet) as height measurement. They usually use 센티미터 (centimeter) instead of foot. Example, 180센티/180센티미터.

풋 itself has various types of meaning . The most common word "풋" Koreans use is a slang which describes a sound of bursting out laughing or unbearable laughter.

Hope it helps!

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In addition to Putri's answer, 풋 can also be a prefix that means immature. Some of examples are:

  1. 풋사랑 : 풋 + 사랑(love) puppy love
  2. 풋사과: 풋 + 사과(apple) unripe apple
  3. 풋내기 : rookie
  4. 풋내: idiomatically describes young or immature
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  • Technically this is called a "prenoun" and it's main usage seems to be "first of the season" and it is used a lot with produce.. But it also means: inexperienced, fresh, green, unripe, etc. But 풋사과 wouldn't mean "unripe" it would just mean "first apple of the season"...and it is very common.
    – B. Alvn
    Commented Mar 15, 2017 at 1:02
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    @B.Alvn 풋사과 does mean unripe apple. There is another word for "first apple of the year/season": 햇사과. 햇 means "of this year". Some people may use 풋사과 to refer apple if the year as the first apples can be unripe.
    – baxang
    Commented Mar 16, 2017 at 13:36
  • Also 풋- and 햇- are not prenouns. They are 접두사 and, unlike 관형사(prenouns), they can't be used on their own.
    – baxang
    Commented Mar 16, 2017 at 13:54
  • I have bought and eaten produce, including apples, sold as 풋--- and they were perfectly ripe. So, I have to disagree with you here. Or is this a Gyeongsangdo thing only? That is possible. Also, most books include 풋 as a prenoun, but not 햇 so I'm confused by comment here. Also, please show a case where a prenoun is "used on it's own" please...I don't believe that is possible, in fact. But if I am wrong, I'd like to see an example or three...
    – B. Alvn
    Commented Mar 17, 2017 at 7:47
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    I am sorry to interrupt you guys, but I am Korean who has lived in Korea for 32years and I am definitely sure the 풋 is not 관형사 but 접두사. And it does not mean the first apple of the season, even though it is used in that way, meaning that it is total, grammatically wrong as like it happens a lot in other languages.
    – acowa
    Commented Mar 17, 2017 at 15:06

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