LEXICO-SEMANTIC FEATURES OF COLOR SYMBOLISM IN THE KOREAN LANGUAGE

Abstract

The article examines the features of color symbolism in Korean culture and its linguistic representation in both traditional and contemporary contexts. The aim of the study is to identify the symbolic meanings of the basic colors of the 오방색system, determine their role in the formation of conceptual metaphors and paremiological units, and analyze the representation of colors in traditional Korean clothing and modern cultural practices. A historical and philosophical overview of the Five Elements system and the yin–yang principle is provided, as these constitute the fundamental foundations of color interaction and balance in nature and culture. Special attention is given to the basic colors (black, white, red, blue, and yellow) and the intermediate shades 오 간색, which are formed through the combination of several primary colors and perform additional cultural and semantic functions. The study analyzes the representation of these colors in Korean idioms, proverbs, and conceptual metaphors, which makes it possible to trace how colors function as carriers of aesthetic, cultural, and moral meanings. A review of contemporary Ukrainian and international research has shown that a significant contribution to understanding the historical and cultural context of color symbolism was made in the works of Joo Mi-Kyoung (2012), while the linguistic aspect of color-based conceptual metaphors was thoroughly examined in the study by Kim Jiyun, Kim Miso, and Lantolf J. P. (2018). At the same time, the linguistic dimension of color symbolism – particularly its role in proverbs, idioms, and metaphors – remains insufficiently explored, which highlights the relevance of further scholarly investigation. The findings of this study may be useful for future research in linguistic worldviews, cognitive linguistics, paremiology, and cultural studies.