Addressing people

Only with close friends or people younger than you. 너 (neo) is casual speech and sounds rude to strangers or elders. Koreans usually avoid direct words for "you" and instead use the person's name with 씨 (ssi), a title like 선생님 (seonsaengnim) or 사장님 (sajangnim), or simply leave the word out.

씨 (ssi) is added after a name to address someone politely, usually a coworker or an acquaintance of similar age. Attach it to the full name, as in 김민지 씨 (Gim Minji ssi), or to the given name, as in 민지 씨 (Minji ssi). Calling someone by surname plus 씨, like 김 씨, can sound condescending, so it's best avoided. Appropriate titles depend on the relationship and situation.

님 (nim) is more respectful than 씨 and is usually attached to titles or roles: 선생님 (seonsaengnim, teacher), 사장님 (sajangnim, boss or owner), 고객님 (gogaengnim, customer) and 기사님 (gisanim, driver). Online, people often add 님 to someone's username or name to be polite. Never use it about yourself.

No. 선생님 (seonsaengnim) is used not only for schoolteachers but also for doctors, instructors, counselors, writers and other professionals, as well as older people you want to show respect to. It's also a safe, polite way to address someone when you don't know their name or title.

Customers usually call them 사장님 (sajangnim, literally "boss" or "owner"). It's widely used as a polite way to address staff too, even if they aren't actually the owner. For example: 사장님, 여기 물 좀 주세요 (sajangnim, yeogi mul jom juseyo, "Excuse me, could we have some water here?")

Say 저기요 (jeogiyo, "excuse me over there") or 여기요 (yeogiyo, "over here"), ideally while raising your hand slightly. Many restaurants also have a call button on the table, so check for one first. Beckoning someone with a crooked finger can look rude, so avoid that gesture.

이모 (imo) literally means a mother's sister, but people also use it as a friendly way to call middle-aged women working in restaurants, especially at old neighborhood places or by regular customers. Since some people may not like it, 저기요 (jeogiyo) or 사장님 (sajangnim) is the safer choice when you're new somewhere.

아저씨 (ajeossi) refers to a middle-aged man and 아주머니 (ajumeoni) to a middle-aged woman. They aren't wrong, but people may dislike being made to feel old, and the shortened 아줌마 (ajumma) can sound rude. Role-based titles are better: 사장님 (sajangnim) in shops and 기사님 (gisanim) for drivers.

It's common to call an elderly woman 할머니 (halmeoni, grandmother) and an elderly man 할아버지 (harabeoji, grandfather). Some people may feel hurt at being seen as that old, so when unsure, 어르신 (eoreusin, a respectful word for an elder) or 선생님 (seonsaengnim) is more polite.

Staff in shops and restaurants call customers 손님 (sonnim, guest or customer), while banks, phone stores and department stores often use 고객님 (gogaengnim). For example: 손님, 주문하시겠어요? (sonnim, jumunhasigesseoyo, "Would you like to order?") If you hear either word, they're talking to you.

Yes. In many Korean companies, people are addressed by title plus 님 rather than by name: 부장님 (bujangnim, department head), 과장님 (gwajangnim, manager), 팀장님 (timjangnim, team leader). You may also hear the surname added, as in 김 부장님. Some companies now use names with 님 instead of ranks.

Call them 기사님 (gisanim, roughly "driver, sir/ma'am"). For example: 기사님, 여기서 내려 주세요 (gisanim, yeogiseo naeryeo juseyo, "Driver, please let me off here"). The same title is often used for delivery workers and repair technicians. It's polite yet everyday, so it's easy for travelers to use.

People who joined a school or workplace earlier are 선배 (seonbae, senior), and those who joined later are 후배 (hubae, junior). Seniors are addressed as 선배님 (seonbaenim) or name + 선배, while juniors are usually called by name. Sometimes the order of joining matters more than age.

Start with 저기요 (jeogiyo, "excuse me") or 실례합니다 (sillyehamnida). No title is needed, and both are polite. For example, if someone drops something, you can say 저기요, 이거 떨어뜨리셨어요 (jeogiyo, igeo tteoreotteurisyeosseoyo, "Excuse me, you dropped this"). Both openers work with anyone.

Call a friend's mother 어머님 (eomeonim) and father 아버님 (abeonim). Once you're close, some people simply say 어머니 (eomeoni) and 아버지 (abeoji). When greeting them for the first time, try 안녕하세요, 어머님. ○○ 친구 ○○입니다 ("Hello, I'm ○○'s friend ○○"), which sounds very polite.

Older Koreans sometimes call young people 학생 (haksaeng, student) even if they aren't students, simply because they look young. It isn't meant negatively, so just respond with 네? (ne, "yes?"). Some older people also call young men 총각 (chonggak) and young women 아가씨 (agassi).

Some customers call young female staff 언니 (eonni, literally "older sister") in a friendly way. However, some people find it uncomfortable and it's becoming less common, so travelers are better off with neutral options like 저기요 (jeogiyo), 사장님 (sajangnim) or 직원분 (jigwonbun, "staff member").

For your own family, use humble forms like 저희 어머니 (jeohui eomeoni, "my mother") or 제 동생 (je dongsaeng, "my younger sibling"). For someone else's family, use respectful words: 어머님 (eomeonim), 따님 (ttanim, your daughter) and 아드님 (adeunim, your son). For example: 따님이 몇 살이에요? ("How old is your daughter?")

Just apologize briefly with 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) and ask how they'd like to be called: 어떻게 불러 드릴까요? (eotteoke bulleo deurilkkayo, "How should I address you?"). Most Koreans are understanding about foreigners' mistakes with titles, so there's no need to worry too much.

In Korea, calling an elder or someone you don't know well by their bare name tends to be seen as impolite. As a result, people usually use relationship terms or titles instead of names. Even within families, people address each other with words like 형 (hyeong, older brother) or 삼촌 (samchon, uncle) rather than names.