Family and relative terms

아빠 (appa) and 엄마 (eomma) are affectionate words for dad and mom, while 아버지 (abeoji) and 어머니 (eomeoni) are more formal. Some people switch to the formal words as they grow up, but many adults still say appa and eomma. When talking about someone else's parents, use the honorific 아버님 (abeonim) and 어머님 (eomeonim).

외 (oe) marks relatives on your mother's side. Your mother's parents are 외할아버지 (oeharabeoji) and 외할머니 (oehalmeoni), while your father's parents are simply 할아버지 (harabeoji) and 할머니 (halmeoni). In daily life, many families tell them apart by the town where they live, like 부산 할머니, "Busan grandma."

친가 (chinga) is your father's side of the family, and 외가 (oega) is your mother's side. Around holidays you often hear plans like 친가에 먼저 가고 외가에 간다, "We visit Dad's family first, then Mom's." Drama arguments over which family to visit first on Chuseok or Seollal reflect this family culture.

Your father's older brother is 큰아버지 (keunabeoji), and his younger brother is 작은아버지 (jageunabeoji). If the younger brother is unmarried, people often call him 삼촌 (samchon). Their wives are 큰어머니 (keuneomeoni) and 작은어머니 (jageuneomeoni). Usage can vary slightly from family to family and region to region.

고모 (gomo) is your father's sister, and 이모 (imo) is your mother's sister. Their husbands are 고모부 (gomobu) and 이모부 (imobu). When customers call a restaurant worker 이모, it is simply an affectionate, friendly term and has nothing to do with real family ties. Knowing which side is which helps in family drama scenes.

Your mother's brother, older or younger, is 외삼촌 (oesamchon), and his wife is 외숙모 (oesungmo). The 외 distinguishes him from 삼촌 (samchon) on your father's side. In everyday speech, many children simply call him 삼촌. You will often hear these words in family gatherings in dramas.

촌수 (chonsu) expresses how closely relatives are related using numbers. Parent and child are 1 chon, siblings are 2 chon, a parent's sibling is 3 chon, and that sibling's child, your cousin, is 4 chon. That is where 삼촌 (samchon, "three chon") and 사촌 (sachon, "four chon," cousin) come from. Spouses are not counted in chon.

Any younger sibling is 동생 (dongsaeng). To specify, say 남동생 (namdongsaeng) for a younger brother and 여동생 (yeodongsaeng) for a younger sister. You usually call younger siblings by their names. Older siblings are different: the word depends on the speaker's gender, such as 형 or 오빠 for an older brother and 누나 or 언니 for an older sister.

A husband's father is 시아버지 (siabeoji) and his mother is 시어머니 (sieomeoni). When speaking to them directly, a wife says 아버님 (abeonim) and 어머님 (eomeonim). The husband's family is 시댁 (sidaek) or 시가 (siga). In dramas, the slang 시월드 (siwoldeu), "in-law world," jokingly describes a tough relationship with in-laws.

A wife's father is 장인 (jangin) and her mother is 장모 (jangmo). A husband addresses them as 장인어른 (jangineoreun) and 장모님 (jangmonim), or as 아버님 and 어머님. The wife's family is 처가 (cheoga). A classic drama gag is a suitor calling her father 장인어른 too early and getting scolded.

며느리 (myeoneuri) is a daughter-in-law, a son's wife, and 사위 (sawi) is a son-in-law, a daughter's husband. Korean dramas about mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have long been popular. Parents-in-law sometimes address a son-in-law by his surname plus 서방 (seobang), as in 김 서방 (Kim seobang).

A woman calls her older sister's husband 형부 (hyeongbu). A man calls his older sister's husband 매형 (maehyeong), 자형 (jahyeong) or 매부 (maebu), depending on region and family. A younger sister's husband may be called 매부 or addressed by his surname plus 서방 (seobang). These terms show up constantly in family dramas.

A man calls his wife's older sister 처형 (cheohyeong) and her younger sister 처제 (cheoje). His wife's brother is 처남 (cheonam). You will hear 처제 and 처남 often in drama scenes where a husband bonds with his wife's family, sometimes with a bit of friendly teasing at the dinner table.

Traditionally, a wife called her husband's unmarried younger brother 도련님 (doryeonnim) and his younger sister 아가씨 (agassi). Because these terms were criticized as one-sided, the National Institute of Korean Language's etiquette guide introduced alternatives such as using the person's name with 씨 (ssi). Many families choose what fits their atmosphere.

A man calls his older brother's wife 형수님 (hyeongsunim) and his younger brother's wife 제수씨 (jesussi). A woman calls her brother's wife 올케 (olke), and an older brother's wife is often addressed as 새언니 (saeeonni), "new older sister." Which term to use depends on who is speaking and the relative ages involved.

조카 (joka) is a niece or nephew, the child of your sibling. You can say 조카딸 (jokattal) specifically for a niece, but most people use 조카 for both. Celebrities caring for their nieces and nephews are a popular variety show theme, and someone who dotes on them is jokingly called a 조카 바보 (joka babo), "niece and nephew fool."

손자 (sonja) is a grandson, and 손녀 (sonnyeo) is a granddaughter. To refer to grandchildren in general, say 손주 (sonju). Grandparents' deep affection is often described as 손주 사랑 (sonju sarang), "love for grandchildren," and you will hear it in TV programs and family dramas about three generations.

시누이 (sinui) is a husband's sister, and 올케 (olke) is, from a woman's view, her brother's wife. So the same two women are sinui and olke to each other. Their relationship, whether tense or friendly, is a common storyline in Korean family dramas, especially around holidays when everyone gathers.

사돈 (sadon) refers to the parents of a married couple in relation to each other. The groom's parents and the bride's parents call each other 사돈, or more respectfully 사돈어른 (sadoneoreun). There is also the saying 사돈 남 말 한다 (dictionary form 사돈 남 나무란다), used when someone criticizes others for a fault they share.

장남 (jangnam) is the eldest son, 장녀 (jangnyeo) the eldest daughter, and 막내 (mangnae) the youngest sibling. K-pop fans also use 막내, often spelled maknae in English, for the youngest member of a group. The oldest member, meanwhile, is often called 맏형 (matyeong) or 맏언니 (madeonni), the eldest brother or sister of the team.