Korean Family Terms - How to Address Family, Relatives & Friends
Attachments
Korean_Family_Members.pdf
Korean family words can feel overwhelming at first.
In English, we mostly say “aunt,” “uncle,” or “in-law.” In Korean, the word changes depending on who the person is, which side of the family they belong to, and your relationship to them.
That sounds scary. It’s not.
This guide explains Korean family vocabulary in a clear, logical way. It’s written for complete beginners and young learners, and you don’t need to memorize everything at once.
Immediate Family
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 가족 | Family | gajok |
2 | 아버지 | Father | abeoji |
3 | 아빠 | Dad | appa |
4 | 어머니 | Mother | eomeoni |
5 | 엄마 | Mom | eomma |
6 | 부모님 | Parents | bumonim |
7 | 아들 | Son | adeul |
8 | 딸 | Daughter | ttal |
9 | 아이 | Child / Children | ai |
Grandparents & Grandchildren
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 조부모님 | Grandparents | jobumonim |
2 | 할아버지 | Grandfather | harabeoji |
3 | 할머니 | Grandmother | halmeoni |
4 | 손주 | Grandchildren | sonju |
5 | 손자 | Grandson | sonja |
6 | 손녀 | Granddaughter | sonnyeo |
Brothers & Sisters
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 형 | Older brother (boy speaking) | hyeong |
2 | 오빠 | Older brother (girl speaking) | oppa |
3 | 누나 | Older sister (boy speaking) | nuna |
4 | 언니 | Older sister (girl speaking) | eonni |
5 | 동생 | Younger sibling | dongsaeng |
6 | 남동생 | Younger brother | namdongsaeng |
7 | 여동생 | Younger sister | yeodongsaeng |
8 | 형제 | Brothers | hyeongje |
9 | 자매 | Sisters | jamae |
Father’s Side of the Family (친가)
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 친가 | Father’s side | chinga |
2 | 친할아버지 | Paternal grandfather | chinhalabeoji |
3 | 친할머니 | Paternal grandmother | chinhalmeoni |
4 | 큰아빠 / 백부 | Father’s older brother | keunappa / baekbu |
5 | 큰엄마 / 백모 | Father’s older brother’s wife | keuneomma / baengmo |
6 | 작은아빠 / 숙부 | Father’s younger brother | jageunappa / sukbu |
7 | 작은엄마 | Father’s younger brother’s wife | jageuneomma |
8 | 삼촌 | Father’s unmarried brother | samchon |
9 | 고모 | Father’s sister | gomo |
10 | 고모부 | Father’s sister’s husband | gomobu |
Mother’s Side of the Family (외가)
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 외가 | Mother’s side | oega |
2 | 외할아버지 | Maternal grandfather | oehalabeoji |
3 | 외할머니 | Maternal grandmother | oehalmeoni |
4 | 외숙부 | Mother’s brother | oesukbu |
5 | 외숙모 | Mother’s brother’s wife | oesungmo |
6 | 이모 | Mother’s sister | imo |
7 | 이모부 | Mother’s sister’s husband | imobu |
Marriage & In-Laws
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 남편 | Husband | nampyeon |
2 | 부인 | Wife | buin |
3 | 아내 | Wife (neutral) | anae |
4 | 사돈 | In-laws | sadon |
5 | 친정 | Married woman’s family | chinjeong |
6 | 시집 | Husband’s family | sijip |
Parents-in-Law
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 시아버지 / 아버님 | Father-in-law (husband’s side) | siabeoji / abeonim |
2 | 시어머니 / 어머님 | Mother-in-law (husband’s side) | sieomeoni / eomeonim |
3 | 장인 | Father-in-law (wife’s side) | jangin |
4 | 장모님 | Mother-in-law (wife’s side) | jangmonim |
Brothers-in-Law
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 아주버님 / 형님 | Brother-in-law (husband’s side, older brother) | ajubeonim / hyeongnim |
2 | 시동생 | Brother-in-law (husband’s side, younger brother) | sidongsaeng |
3 | 서방님 | Brother-in-law (husband’s side, younger, married, addressed directly) | seobangnim |
4 | 도련님 | Brother-in-law (husband’s side, younger, unmarried, addressed directly) | doreyonnim |
5 | 형님 | Brother-in-law (wife’s side, older brother) | hyeongnim |
6 | 처남 | Brother-in-law (wife’s side, younger brother) | cheonam |
Sisters-in-Law
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 형님 / 언니 | Sister-in-law (husband’s side, older sister) | hyeongnim / eonni |
2 | 동서 / 아가씨 | Sister-in-law (husband’s side, younger sister) | dongseo / agassi |
3 | 처형 / 형님 | Sister-in-law (wife’s side, older sister) | cheohyeong / hyeongnim |
4 | 처제 | Sister-in-law (wife’s side, younger sister) | cheoje |
Spouses of In-Laws
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 형님 | Husband’s older brother’s wife | hyeongnim |
2 | 동서 | Husband’s younger brother’s wife | dongseo |
3 | 아주머님 | Wife’s older brother’s wife | ajumeonim |
4 | 처남댁 | Wife’s younger brother’s wife | cheonamdaek |
5 | 서방님 | Husband’s older sister’s husband | seobangnim |
6 | 서방님 | Husband’s younger sister’s husband | seobangnim |
7 | 형님 | Wife’s older sister’s husband | hyeongnim |
8 | 동서 | Wife’s younger sister’s husband | dongseo |
Siblings’ Spouses
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 형수님 | Older brother’s wife (for men) | hyeongsunim |
2 | 매형 | Older sister’s husband (for men) | maehyeong |
3 | 제수 | Younger brother’s wife (for men) | jesu |
4 | 매제 | Younger sister’s husband (for men) | maeje |
5 | 새언니 | Older brother’s wife (for women) | saeeonni |
6 | 형부 | Older sister’s husband (for women) | hyeongbu |
7 | 올케 | Younger brother’s wife (for women) | olke |
8 | 제부 | Younger sister’s husband (for women) | jebu |
Referring to Spouse (When Talking to Others)
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 주인 / 바깥양반 / 주인양반 | Husband (when talking about him with other people) | juin / bakkatyangban / juinyangban |
2 | 애비 | Husband (when talking about him with adults with children) | aebi |
3 | 아내 | Wife (when talking about her to non-relatives) | anae |
4 | 안사람 | Wife (when talking about her with other people) | ansaram |
5 | 에미 | Wife (when talking about her with adults with children) | emi |
Other Useful Family Words
# | Korean | English | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 친척 | Relatives | chincheok |
2 | 사촌 | Cousin | sachon |
3 | 삼촌 | Uncle | samchon |
4 | 숙모 | Aunt | sungmo |
5 | 조카 | Nephew | joka |
6 | 조카딸 | Niece | jokattal |
Final Thoughts
Korean family vocabulary reflects how important relationships are in Korean culture.
You don’t need to learn everything at once. Start with immediate family and siblings, then slowly expand.
Understanding the structure is more important than memorization.
Take your time. Stay consistent. You’ve got this.
화이팅!
Attachments
Korean_Family_Members.pdf
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