Korean Family Terms
Korean family vocabulary is more complex than English because terms change based on:
- Your gender. Older siblings have different words for male vs female speakers
- Relative age. Older vs younger siblings are never the same word
- Formality. Honorifics when talking about (or to) elders
- Side of the family. Maternal vs paternal aunts/uncles differ
This is the canonical family-terms guide on Chamelingo (older “master family terms” URLs redirect here).
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 side) |
| 고모 | Aunt (father's sister) |
| 이모 | Aunt (mother's sister) |
| 외삼촌 | Uncle (mother's brother) |
| 사촌 | Cousin |
| 조카 | Nephew/Niece |
Paternal vs maternal labels matter in traditional hierarchy talk; for daily conversation, knowing 이모 / 고모 / 삼촌 / 외삼촌 is enough.
In-laws and marriage
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 남편 | Husband |
| 아내 | Wife |
| 시어머니 / 시아버지 | Mother-/father-in-law (husband’s parents) |
| 장모님 / 장인어른 | Mother-/father-in-law (wife’s parents) |
In-law titles are almost always used with high respect (님 / 어른 endings).
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)
- 이분은 제 어머니세요 (This is my mother). Honorific presentational form
- 형제자매가 있으세요? (Do you have siblings?)
Common mistakes
- Wrong older-sibling term for your gender. Men use 형/누나; women use 오빠/언니
- Using 동생 for older siblings. 동생 is always younger
- Dropping -(으)시- when talking about parents to others
- Calling a middle-aged stranger 아줌마 too casually. Can sound rude; prefer 선생님 or situational titles
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
Unit 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.