Silla (English)
Where does "Silla" come from?
The English name 'Silla' was borrowed directly from Korean, specifically as a romanization of the Korean word '신라'[1][2]. This Korean term itself represents the modern reading of the Hanja characters '新羅'[2], which historically designated the ancient Korean kingdom that existed from 57 BCE to 935 CE.
Full etymology tree
- Silla (English), 'An ancient kingdom in modern Korea, one of the Three Kingdoms, existing from 57 BCE to 935 CE; at its maximum covering all of modern South Korea and most of modern North Korea.'
- borrowed 신라 (Silla) (Korean), 'Silla (an ancient kingdom in modern Korea, one of the Three Kingdoms, existing from 57 BCE to 935 CE; at its maximum covering all of modern South Korea and most of modern North Korea)'
- derived 新羅 (Korean), 'hanja form of 신라 (“Silla”) : Silla (an ancient kingdom in modern Korea, one of the Three Kingdoms, existing from 57 BCE to 935 CE; at its maximum covering all of modern South Korea and most of modern North Korea)'
- borrowed 신라 (Silla) (Korean), 'Silla (an ancient kingdom in modern Korea, one of the Three Kingdoms, existing from 57 BCE to 935 CE; at its maximum covering all of modern South Korea and most of modern North Korea)'
Sources
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris