Korean Family Words: Mother, Father, and Sibling Terms
Updated July 2, 2026
Korean family words change with the speaker: a man calls his older brother 형 (hyeong) while a woman calls him 오빠 (oppa). Here are the essential family terms, with notes on who says what.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 어머니 | mother (formal); casual 엄마 eommaeomeoni |
| 아버지 | father (formal); casual 아빠 appaabeoji |
| 형 | older brother (said by a male)hyeong |
| 오빠 | older brother (said by a female)oppa |
| 누나 | older sister (said by a male)nuna |
| 언니 | older sister (said by a female)eonni |
| 동생 | younger sibling (gender-neutral)dongsaeng |
| 할머니 | grandmotherhalmeoni |
| 할아버지 | grandfatherharabeoji |
| 아들 | sonadeul |
| 딸 | daughterttal |
Want these to stick? Hear them in real context: LingoBinge surfaces words like these while you watch Korean shows on Netflix, and saves them for spaced review.
Hear them in: Crash Landing on You, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does Korean have different words for older siblings?
- The word depends on the speaker's gender: a man says 형 (hyeong) for an older brother and 누나 (nuna) for an older sister, while a woman says 오빠 (oppa) and 언니 (eonni). These are also used warmly for close older friends.
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