씨

씨

A suffix in Korean used as a polite term of address, similar to "Mr.," "Ms.," or "Mrs." in English.

Here, '씨' is used as a respectful title after a surname (김), equivalent to 'Mr.' or 'Ms.' in English.

김 씨가 편지를 보냈습니다.

Mr. Kim sent a letter.

Here, '씨' refers to 'seeds,' which is a homonym in Korean with a completely different meaning from the usage as a respectful title.

씨는 식물이 자라나는 데 중요한 것입니다.

Seeds are important for plants to grow.

Here, '씨' is part of a compound word '씨앗,' which means 'seed' and is used metaphorically to describe the origin of something negative.

그 누군가가 나쁜 씨앗을 남겼어요.

Someone left a bad seed.