어른
eoreun · TOPIK 1
adult
👔 From old Korean eoruda, to wed: an adult = one who has married
어른 comes from Middle Korean 얼운, a form of the verb 얼우다 (to mate, to marry). The word literally means a wedded person, which is how adulthood was defined. Sound cue: eoreun starts like earn, and adults earn the wages.