Older Sister In Korean Language

"Family unit" in Korean: Talking Nigh Your Family in Korean

When you meet someone new for the offset time, the topic of your family is jump to come up. So it's best to learn how to talk about your family in Korean!

This might be even more important to acquire in Korean than in English because Korean has a lot of formalities when it comes to talking about family.

For case, in English language, both older and younger siblings are "brother" and "sister." Simply in Korean, at that place are different words depending on if they're older or younger, married or unmarried.

Not only that, at that place are different terms for your dad's side of the family and your mom's — even if they're the same office, like "grandmother" or "uncle".

But don't worry. It's non bad one time you get the hang of it, and we're going to break it all down in this lesson on Korean family terms.

To get started, here'southward a quick list of the near important words for family members in Korean:

Family: 가족 (gajok)
Dad: 아빠 (appa)
Father: 아버지 (abeoji)
Mom: 엄마 (eomma)
Mother: 어머니 (eomeoni)
Parents: 부모님 (bumonim)
Older brother (for females): 오빠 (oppa)
Older sister (for females): 언니 (eonni)
Older brother (for males): 형 (hyeong)
Older sister (for males): 누나 (nuna)
Younger brother: 남동생 (namdongsaeng)
Younger sister: 여동생 (yeodongsaeng)
Grandmother: 할머님 (halmeonim)
Grandfather: 할아버님 (harabeonim)

"Family unit" in Korean

The discussion for "family" in Korean is 가족 (gajok).

Y'all may often be asked something like 가족이 몇 명입니까? (gajok-i myeot myeong-imnikka), which ways "How many people are in your family?" in formal speech. Although be aware the formality and sentence-catastrophe may modify!

This is a skillful time to practice your Korean numbers and answer with: 우리 가족은 네 명입니다 (uri gajok-eun ne myeong-imnida) which is the formal manner to say "We're a family of 4."

Korea is influenced by Confucianism, simply like Chinese and Japanese civilisation. What that ways is, the family is oft seen as a unit, and each person's individual actions reflect on the whole family unit unit of measurement.

Because of this, slap-up emphasis is placed on post-obit a certain path. Family members are expected to maintain respect and represent the family unit well at all times. It'south as well extremely important to show older family unit members respect and reverence.

This ways that Korean people call near family unit members past their honorific titles rather than their names.

So, like how y'all would utilize Korean surnames with honorifics to show respect, yous would also use honorifics to prove respect to your family.

For instance, in English, yous'd probably call your older brother by his first name. But in Korean, you would call him 형 (hyeong or hyung depending on romanization) if you're a guy or 오빠 (oppa) if you're a girl. That's his title — "older brother" — non his proper name.

Parents in Korean

In English language, there are formal and breezy ways to refer to your parents. You can say "father" to be formal, or "dad" to be casual. The same is truthful in Korean:

"Dad" in Korean: 아빠 (appa)
"Male parent" in Korean: 아버지 (abeoji)
"Mom" in Korean: 엄마 (eomma)
"Mother" in Korean: 어머니 (eomeoni)
"Parents" in Korean: 부모님 (bumonim)

If y'all've ever watched Korean dramas, I'm certain you've heard these words quite often. One matter yous'll notice though is information technology's much more than common to call your dad 아버지 (abeoji) (showing more than respect) but to phone call your mom 엄마 (eomma).

This goes back to the hierarchical nature of Korean society, and the father existence the head of the household.

It'due south okay to be a flake more casual and close with your mom, simply continue things a bit formal with your dad. This also, of grade, depends on the dad's personality and household standards, though.

Siblings in Korean

At present here's where you take to commencement thinking well-nigh age and gender a bit more. If you're a woman, you'll phone call your siblings by unlike terms than your blood brother would. And it also depends on if your sibling is older or younger than you lot.

So, let's commencement look at what women would call their older siblings in Korean:

Older brother in Korean: 오빠 (oppa)
Older sister in Korean: 언니 (eonni)

And now what guys would call their siblings in Korean:

Older brother: 형 (hyeong)
Older sister: 누나 (nuna)

For younger siblings, the discussion is the same regardless of your gender:

Younger brother: 남동생 (namdongsaeng)
Younger sister: 여동생 (yeodongsaeng)

You could likewise utilize 동생 (dongsaeng), which means "younger sibling".

And a few more important Korean words you should know:

Siblings: 형제 자매 (hyeongje jamae)
Brothers: 형제 (hyeongje)
Sisters: 자매 (jamae)

So, you lot can meet "siblings" direct translates as "brothers and sisters" in English!

1 last annotation here: It's common to hear some of these terms used with friends or even a fellow or girlfriend nowadays. Information technology'due south especially common to call your boyfriend (or the guy you like) 오빠 (oppa) to exist cute and flirty.

If Your Sibling is Married…

If your sibling is married, there are a few more words yous might need to know.

If you're close with your sibling and sibling-in-constabulary, y'all tin simply call them past the same terms yous would every bit if they're your immediate family unit. In fact, siblings-in-law now count as your immediate family.

But if you're non close with them and want to be more formal, you tin can use these terms:

Women would employ:

Older blood brother'due south wife: 새언니 (sae-eon-ni)
Younger blood brother'south wife: 올케 (olke)
Older sister's husband: 형부 (hyeong-bu)
Younger sister'south husband: 제부 (je-bu)

Men would use:

Older brother's wife: 형수 (hyeong-su)
Younger blood brother's wife: 제수씨 (je-su-ssi)
Older sister's married man: 매형 (mae-hyeong)
Younger sis's husband: 매제 (mae-je)

Grandparents in Korean

To talk to or about your grandparents in Korean, you would say:

Grandparents: 조부모님 (jobumonim)
Grandmother: 할머님 (halmeonim)
Grandma: 할머니 (halmeoni)
Grandfather: 할아버님 (harabeonim)
Grandpa: 할아버지 (harabeoji)

Adding 님 (nim) to the terminate makes it a flake more formal, but both versions are acceptable to call your grandparents.

Also, while grandparents are oftentimes not considered function of the nuclear family unit of measurement in the West, they are considered immediate family in Korea.

Spouses and Kids in Korean

When you lot're talking to your spouses, yous'll commonly phone call them by a cute nickname. Something like:

Honey: 여보 (yeobo)
Sweetheart: 애인 (aein)
Cutie: 귀요미 (kiyomi)

…And also 오빠 (oppa) as we already mentioned, which is almost common for men.

But if you're talking to someone else about your spouse, information technology's best to phone call them by their championship:

Husband: 남편 (napyeon)
Wife: 아내 (anae)

If you lot're not married nevertheless, here's how you talk near the person you're dating:

Boyfriend: 남자친구 (namjachingu)
Girlfriend: 여자친구 (yeojachingu)
Fiancé (male): 약혼자 (yakhonja)
Fiancée (female): 약혼녀 (yakhonnyeo)

The In-Laws

If you're married (or going to be) to someone who's Korean, so you'll need to know how to refer to your in-laws.

They would be…

Begetter-in-constabulary (hubby's dad): 시아버지 (siabeoji)
Begetter-in-law (wife's dad): 장인 (jang-in)
Mother in law (husband's mom): 시어머니 (shieomeoni)
Mother in law (wife's mom): 장모님 (jangmonim)
In-laws: 사돈 (sadon)

These are more common though when talking almost your in-laws to others. When talking to them, you tin telephone call them "dad" and "mom" — 아버지 (abeoji) and 어머니 (eomeoni), respectively.

As for your other in-laws, it gets quite complicated depending on who's married and who'due south non, who'southward older and who's younger. Fifty-fifty whether they're on the husband or wife's side.

You could learn all of those words, likewise, but chances are you'd only use them on very rare occasions. Instead, yous could go by calling them the normal terms for "blood brother" or "sister", equally you would with mom and dad. When in doubt, you can ask what they'd prefer to be called.

Extended Family in Korean

In Korean, you tin refer to your extended family as 대가족 (daegajok) or "large family unit".

What y'all phone call someone in this category depends on if they're related to your mom or your dad. Then we'll divide this upward into ii groups: maternal extended family unit, and paternal extended family.

A few that are the aforementioned regardless of which side of the family:

Nephew: 조카 (joka)
Niece: 조카딸 (jokattal)
Cousin: 사촌 (sachon)
Grandson/grandchild: 손자 (sonja)
Granddaughter: 손녀 (sonnyeo)

Maternal Extended Family

If talking about your mom'due south side of the family, use these terms:

Aunt in Korean: 이모 (imo)
Uncle in Korean: 외숙부 (oesukbu)
Aunt's husband: 이모부 (imobu)
Uncle's wife: 외숙모 (oesukmo)
Mom's side of the family: 외가 (oega)

Paternal Extended Family unit

Adjacent, your dad'south side. Things get more complicated hither as well, especially for the men on your dad'south side of the family unit. This is considering of the social bureaucracy in order, but besides within a family.

Uncle (younger, unmarried): 삼촌 (samchon)
Uncle (younger, married): 작은아빠 (jageunappa)
Uncle (older, single or married): 큰아빠 (keunappa)
Aunt: 고모 (gomo)
Younger uncle'southward married woman: 작은엄마 (jageuneomma)
Older uncle'south married woman: 큰엄마 (keuneomma)
Aunt's hubby: 고모부 (gomobu)
Dad'due south side of the family unit: 친가 (chinga)

All in the Family in Korean

And in that location you have it! Yes, information technology'south a lot of family names to show respect. But unless you marry into a Korean family, you won't use these often except for immediate family names.

Really, you'll probably hear the remainder in Korean Goggle box shows more than anything else.

And then focus on the 80/twenty rule of vocabulary and learn the ones near relevant to yous!

Now that you've mastered family in Korean, larn how to talk most dearest in Korean or work on practical Korean phrases for your first conversations.

Caitlin Sacasas

Content Writer, Fluent in iii Months

Caitlin is a content creator, fitness trainer, zero waster, language lover, and Star Wars nerd. She blogs nigh fitness and sustainability at Rebel Heart Beauty.

Speaks: English language, Japanese, Korean, Spanish

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