Korean Family Words and Phrases

The people at home

Start with the household: parents, spouses, and the honorific 님 that dresses 부모 (parents) up in respect.

1. 1 가족 gajok — Family
2. 2 부모님 bumonim — Parents
3. 3 어머니 eomeoni — Mother

   The respectful form — at home most Koreans say 엄마 (eomma), 'mom.'

4. 4 아버지 abeoji — Father
5. 5 남편 nampyeon — Husband
6. 6 아내 anae — Wife

Siblings — where age makes the word

Korean has no plain word for 'brother' or 'sister': you name whether they're older or younger, and for older siblings the word also changes with the speaker's gender.

1. 7 형 hyeong — Older brother (said by men)
2. 8 오빠 oppa — Older brother (said by women)
3. 9 누나 nuna — Older sister (said by men)
4. 10 언니 eonni — Older sister (said by women)
5. 11 남동생 namdongsaeng — Younger brother
6. 12 여동생 yeodongsaeng — Younger sister

Grandparents and relatives

Korean kinship gets precise fast — even 'aunt' splits by which side of the family she's on.

1. 13 할아버지 harabeoji — Grandfather
2. 14 할머니 halmeoni — Grandmother
3. 15 이모 imo — Aunt on mom's side

   Also what you affectionately call the woman running your favorite restaurant — 이모! works like 'auntie!'

4. 16 삼촌 samchon — Uncle

Introducing your family

Ready-made sentences for the question every new Korean friend asks within ten minutes.

1. 17 우리 가족은 4명이에요. uri gajokeun nemyeongieyo — Our family has four people
2. 18 형제자매가 몇 명이에요? hyeongjejamaega myeot myeongieyo? — How many siblings do you have?
3. 19 여동생이 한 명 있어요. yeodongsaengi han myeong isseoyo — I have one younger sister
4. 20 가족이 보고 싶어요. gajogi bogo sipeoyo — I miss my family

In real life: the sibling question