Family In Korean | Korean Vocabulary Lesson

The names of family members in Korean are:

• 아빠 [a-ppa] = father
• 엄마 [eom-ma] = mother
• 할아버지 [ha-ra-beo-ji] = grandfather
• 할머니 [hal-meo-ni] = grandmother
• 형 [hyeong] = elder brother (of a man)
• 오빠 [o-ppa] = elder brother (of a woman)
• 누나 [nu-na] = elder sister (of a man)
• 언니 [eon-ni] = elder sister (of a woman)
• (남)동생 [(nam)-dong-saeng] = younger brother
• (여)동생 [(yeo)-dong-saeng] = younger sister
• 나 [na] = I, me, myself
• 가족 [ga-jok] = family

How To Say ‘Family’ In Korean

The word for family in Korean is 가족 [ga-jok]. When you want to refer to your own family, you can say 우리 가족 [u-ri ga-jok], which literally means “our family” but is used when you want to say “My family” in Korean. 우리 (our) is also used when referring to your own brother, sister, causing, and other family members.

Family Members Korean – Pronunciation

Here are the names of family members in Korean with audio. Try to read each word out loud and then listen to the audio to check the correct pronunciation.

Father In Korean

Father in Korean is 아빠 [a-ppa]. This is more like saying “dad” in Korean, and so you can use it to talk about your own father. If you want to talk about other people’s fathers, or you just want to sound more polite, 아버지 [a-beo-ji] should be used instead.

Mother In Korean

Mother in Korean is 엄마 [eom-ma]. Again, there are two ways to say mother in Korean, and 엄마 is closer to “mom”. A more polite way to say “mother” in Korean is 어머니 [eo-meo-ni].

Brother In Korean

The word for “brother” in Korean depends on whether you are refering to an older brother or younger brother and whether you (the speaker) is male or female.

“Older brother” in Korean is 형 [hyeong] when a man is calling another man “older brother”, and 오빠 [o-ppa] when a woman is calling a man “older brother”. There’s lots more to learn about these expressions, so check out our separate lessons on The Meaning Of Oppa and The Meaning Of Hyung.

“Younger brother” in Korean is 남동생 [nam-dong-saeng]. In this expression, 남 is from 남자 [nam-ja], which means ‘boy/male’.

Sister In Korean

Just like “brother”, the word for “sister” in Korean depends on whether you are referring to an older or younger sister and whether you (the speaker) is male or female.

Older sister in Korean is 누나 [nu-na] when the speaker is male, and 언니 [eon-ni] when the speaker is female. There’s a lot more to learn about the words for “sister” in Korean, so check out this lesson on The Meaning Of Unnie And Noona.

“Younger sister” in Korean is 여동생 [yeo-dong-saeng]. In this expression, 여 comes from 여자 [yeo-ja], which means ‘girl/female’.

Parents In Korean

The word for “parents” in Korean is 부모님 [bu-mo-nim]. As this expression includes the honorific title 님, it expresses respect when you are referring to your parents.

Grandpa In Korean

The word for “grandpa” or “grandfather” in Korean is 할아버지 [ha-ra-beo-ji]. If you want to sound extra respectful, you can add the honorific title 님 to make 할아버님 [ha-ra-beo-nim]. Like many family terms in Korean, an elderly man doesn’t have to be your actual grandfather to call him 할아버지. You can call any elderly gentleman 할아버지 and you would sound polite. For example, in Korea, Santa is actually called 산타 할아버지 (Santa Grandfather).

Grandma In Korean

The word for “grandma” or “grandfather” in Korean is 할머니 [hal-meo-ni]. Again, you can use this term to refer to your own grandma, or to any elderly lady in Korea.

Grandparents In Korean

The word for “grandparents” in Korean is 주부모님 [ju-bu-mo-nim].

Family In Korean – PDF

Download and print this PDF to help you memorize these Korean family words.

Family In Korean – Quiz

Ready to test your knowledge of the names of family members in Korean? Try the quiz below!