Korean Family Terms: A Complete Guide to Family Vocabulary and Honorifics
Korean Family Terms
Korean family vocabulary is more complex than English because terms change based on:
- Your gender — Brothers and sisters have different terms depending on whether you're male or female
- Relative age — Older vs younger siblings have distinct words
- Formality — Honorific forms exist for elders
Chapter 15 covers family vocabulary and the honorific verb form -(으)시-, which you use when talking about family elders.
Immediate Family
From a Male Speaker
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 아버지 | abeoji | Father |
| 어머니 | eomeoni | Mother |
| 형 | hyeong | Older brother |
| 누나 | nuna | Older sister |
| 남동생 | namdongsaeng | Younger brother |
| 여동생 | yeodongsaeng | Younger sister |
From a Female Speaker
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 아버지 | abeoji | Father |
| 어머니 | eomeoni | Mother |
| 오빠 | oppa | Older brother |
| 언니 | eonni | Older sister |
| 남동생 | namdongsaeng | Younger brother |
| 여동생 | yeodongsaeng | Younger sister |
Notice: Parents and younger siblings are the same regardless of your gender. Only older sibling terms differ.
Casual vs Formal
| Casual | Formal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 아빠 | 아버지 | Dad / Father |
| 엄마 | 어머니 | Mom / Mother |
| 할아버지 | 할아버지 | Grandpa / Grandfather |
| 할머니 | 할머니 | Grandma / Grandmother |
아빠/엄마 are what you'd say to your own parents. 아버지/어머니 are more formal and also used when talking about parents to others.
Extended Family
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 할아버지 | Grandfather |
| 할머니 | Grandmother |
| 삼촌 | Uncle (father's unmarried brother) |
| 고모 | Aunt (father's sister) |
| 이모 | Aunt (mother's sister) |
| 외삼촌 | Uncle (mother's brother) |
| 사촌 | Cousin |
| 조카 | Nephew/Niece |
Grammar: -(으)시- (Honorific)
When talking about family elders, add -(으)시- to verbs:
- 아버지가 회사에 가세요 (Father goes to work) — honorific
- 할머니가 집에 계세요 (Grandmother is at home) — honorific of 있다
- 어머니가 요리를 하세요 (Mother cooks) — honorific
But not for younger family:
- 동생이 학교에 가요 (Younger sibling goes to school) — no honorific
Special Honorific Verbs
Some verbs have completely different honorific forms:
| Standard | Honorific | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 먹다 | 드시다 | To eat |
| 자다 | 주무시다 | To sleep |
| 있다 | 계시다 | To be/exist |
| 말하다 | 말씀하시다 | To speak |
- 할아버지가 밥을 드세요 (Grandfather eats) — not 먹으세요
- 아버지가 주무세요 (Father is sleeping) — not 자세요
- 어머니가 집에 계세요 (Mother is at home) — not 있으세요
Talking About Your Family
Common patterns:
- 가족이 몇 명이에요? (How many people in your family?)
- 우리 가족은 네 명이에요 (There are 4 people in my family)
- 부모님이 서울에 사세요 (My parents live in Seoul)
- 형이 하나 있어요 (I have one older brother) — male speaker
- 언니가 둘 있어요 (I have two older sisters) — female speaker
- 동생은 없어요 (I don't have younger siblings)
Cultural Notes
- Koreans use family terms for non-family — 오빠/언니/형/누나 are commonly used for close older friends too
- 아줌마/아저씨 — "Auntie/Uncle" for middle-aged strangers (use carefully, some find it rude)
- Family hierarchy matters — The eldest sibling has more authority and responsibility
- Seollal (설날) and Chuseok (추석) — Major holidays centered around family gatherings
Practice on Chamelingo
Chapter 15 covers family vocabulary with matching exercises (connect family terms to relationship descriptions), listening comprehension (hear someone describe their family and answer questions), and fill-in-the-blank exercises using -(으)시- honorific forms correctly. The AI tutor Hyunwoo is especially good at explaining the cultural context behind family terms — he'll tell you stories about Korean family dynamics that make the vocabulary memorable.
See all the family relationship terms, kinship honorifics, and related expressions in our vocabulary reference -- Korean has far more specific family words than English, and having them all in one place makes the system easier to learn.