Korean has specific family terms based on whether the person is from the mother's or father's side, and whether you're male or female. You'll also learn to describe people using adjectives and the topic/subject markers.
Estimated Time: 45β55 minutes
| English | Formal/Polite | Casual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Father | μλ²μ§ (abeoji) | μλΉ (appa) | Like "Dad" vs "Father" |
| Mother | μ΄λ¨Έλ (eomeoni) | μλ§ (eomma) | Like "Mom" vs "Mother" |
| Older brother (if you're male) | ν (hyeong) | ν | Male speaker only |
| Older brother (if you're female) | μ€λΉ (oppa) | μ€λΉ | Female speaker only |
| Older sister (if you're male) | λλ (nuna) | λλ | Male speaker only |
| Older sister (if you're female) | μΈλ (eonni) | μΈλ | Female speaker only |
| Younger sibling | λμ (dongsaeng) | λμ | λ¨λμ (brother), μ¬λμ (sister) |
| Grandfather | ν μλ²μ§ (harabeoji) | ν μλ²μ§ | |
| Grandmother | ν λ¨Έλ (halmeoni) | ν λ¨Έλ | |
| Husband | λ¨νΈ (nampyeon) | β | |
| Wife | μλ΄ (anae) / λΆμΈ (buin) | β | λΆμΈ is more formal |
| Son | μλ€ (adeul) | β | |
| Daughter | λΈ (ttal) | β |
A male calls his older brother ν and older sister λλ. A female calls her older brother μ€λΉ and older sister μΈλ. These are also used with close non-family members (friends, K-pop fans calling idols μ€λΉ /μΈλ).
| Marker | After Consonant | After Vowel | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic | μ (eun) | λ (neun) | Marks the topic ("as for X...") |
| Subject | μ΄ (i) | κ° (ga) | Marks the grammatical subject |
μ λ νμμ΄μμ. = As for me, I'm a student. (Topic: me)
λ μ¨κ° μ’μμ. = The weather is nice. (Subject: weather β new info)
Korean adjectives work like verbs β they conjugate! Here are common descriptive adjectives:
| Dictionary Form | Polite Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ν¬λ€ | 컀μ | big / tall |
| μλ€ | μμμ | small / short |
| μμλ€ | μλ»μ | pretty |
| μμκΈ°λ€ | μμκ²Όμ΄μ | handsome |
| μΉμ νλ€ | μΉμ ν΄μ | kind |
| μ¬λ―Έμλ€ | μ¬λ―Έμμ΄μ | fun / interesting |
| λλνλ€ | λλν΄μ | smart |
| μ λ€ | μ μ΄μ | young |
| λ°μλ€ | λ°λΉ μ | busy |
A: κ°μ‘±μ΄ λͺ λͺ μ΄μμ? (How many people are in your family?)
B: λ€ λͺ μ΄μμ. μλ²μ§, μ΄λ¨Έλ, μΈλ, κ·Έλ¦¬κ³ μ μμ. (Four. My father, mother, older sister, and me.)
A: μΈλλ λ ν΄μ? (What does your older sister do?)
B: μΈλλ μ μλμ΄μμ. μμ£Ό μΉμ ν΄μ. (She's a teacher. She's very kind.)
Q1: If you're a male, what do you call your older sister?