Korean Family Words Flashcards: 27 Cards with Audio and Notes

Korean Family Words Flashcards: Study the 27 Cards

Each card shows the Hangul, the Revised Romanization (RR), the meaning and an audio button. The words come from the Korean family members lesson, which also holds example sentences for each word.

How Do I Use These Flashcards?

Use the deck above in four steps. It works with tap, click or keyboard, and nothing plays until you press an audio button.

1. Choose a mode. Start with recognition (Hangul to meaning). Switch to recall (meaning to Hangul) or listening (audio to meaning) once recognition feels easy.
2. Show the answer. Think of the answer first, then press Show answer (or Space). Say the word aloud before you reveal it. Turn on the romanization toggle only if you need it; the 27-card table below always shows it.
3. Grade yourself. Press Got it if you answered correctly without help, or Not yet if you hesitated or guessed.
4. Finish the session. A session holds up to 20 cards (you can set 10, 20 or 40). With 27 cards, a first-time learner can split the deck over three days, using the default limit of 10 new cards a day.

The Three Study Modes

Recognition shows the Hangul and asks for the meaning, which trains reading. Recall shows the meaning and asks for the Hangul, which trains remembering; you may type the answer with your Hangul keyboard or just recall it in your head. Listening plays a clip and hides the letters, which trains the ear. Listening mode only uses a card once its audio is approved, and cards without approved audio are skipped in that mode with a note.

Got It and Not Yet

Got it moves the card up one Leitner box, so it comes back later. Not yet sends the card back to box 1, so it returns in the same session or within 10 minutes. The grades are your own judgement; the deck does not score you or claim fluency.

Deck Scope: What Is and Is Not Covered

The deck covers 27 of the 40 words in the family lesson: the core family and parent words, the four grandparent words with a side marker, the main sibling words, a husband and wife, a son and daughter, and the aunt, uncle and cousin words you hear most. It follows the lesson's meanings and romanization exactly.

Which Family Words Are Left out of This Deck?

The lesson words 식구, 부모, 조부모, 형제자매, 외동딸, 부부, 자녀, 손자, 손녀, 친척, 외삼촌, 고모 and 조카 are not cards here, and nor are in-law terms. Read about them in the Korean family members lesson, the paternal and maternal relatives page and the in-laws page.

All 27 Cards in One Table

All 27 cards appear below in deck order. The table is plain HTML, so you can use it as a drill without the deck: cover the Meaning column, say each word aloud, then uncover it.

Reading the Table

Hangul is the word. Revised Romanization (RR) is a learning aid, so try to read the Hangul before you look at it. RR follows the spelling rules of the official system, not every sound change, so it can differ from what you hear. The Meaning column gives the English gloss, and the Note column gives a use or sound hint. The last column lists the audio assetId; a second ID marks a slow clip at 0.8 times the speed. Cards 13-16 are the four older-sibling words, which change with the speaker.

Usage Notes for These Cards

Older siblings depend on who is speaking. A man calls his older brother 형 and his older sister 누나. A woman calls her older brother 오빠 and her older sister 언니. 동생 (younger sibling) is the same for everyone, and 남동생 and 여동생 add brother or sister. A woman can say 언니가 있어요 (I have an older sister). Cards 13-19 drill these words.

Say 우리, not 내. Koreans treat the family as shared, so 우리 엄마 (literally our mom) is the natural way to say my mom. Saying 나의 엄마 in conversation sounds stiff.

엄마 and 아빠 are warm, 어머니 and 아버지 are formal. Adults keep using 엄마 and 아빠 with their families. 어머니 and 아버지 suit writing and polite talk with others, as in 아버지는 의사세요 (My father is a doctor).

부모님 is respectful. The ending 님 adds respect, so your own parents are 부모님 even when you speak about them yourself. A polite sentence uses the honorific verb: 부모님께서 오세요 (My parents are coming).

친 and 외 mark the side of the family. 친할머니 and 친할아버지 are the father's parents. 외할머니 and 외할아버지 are the mother's parents. Plain 할머니 and 할아버지 do not say which side.

Which Sounds Do Not Match the Spelling?

Some of these words are said differently from how they are written. The table follows the standard pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the 국립국어원 (National Institute of Korean Language).

Linking is the main habit here: a final consonant slides onto the next syllable when that syllable starts with the silent ㅇ. Say 할아버지 as ha-ra-beo-ji in one flow, not 할 + 아버지.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Family Words?

• Using 형 as a female speaker. A woman says 오빠 for an older brother and 언니 for an older sister.
• Saying 나의 엄마 in conversation. Use 우리 엄마.
• Using 아빠 or 엄마 in a formal letter or speech. Use 아버지 and 어머니 there.
• Mixing up 이모 and 삼촌. 이모 is the mother's sister, 삼촌 is an uncle on the father's side.

How Does the Review Schedule Work?

The deck uses a simplified Leitner system with five boxes. A new card starts in box 1. Each Got it moves it up one box, and each Not yet returns it to box 1. The box sets how long the card waits before it is due again.

Each session shows due cards first, oldest due first, and then up to 10 new cards a day by default. A deck of 27 cards is introduced over three days at the default of 10 new cards a day, and the later boxes bring each card back at longer gaps. Progress is saved only in this browser, so clearing site data deletes it. Use the export button to save a small JSON file with card IDs, boxes and due dates, and import it on another device. No account is needed.

Cultural and Practical Context

Kinship terms are also used for non-relatives in Korea, so a shopkeeper may be called 이모 and an older man 할아버지 even when there is no blood tie. Learners who know the real meanings understand why these words come up so often in shops, markets and taxis.

Limits of This Deck

The deck holds 27 cards, so it skips some formal and rare family words. The rules about male and female speakers are simplified, and families differ in how they use 오빠 and 형 with close friends. All Korean text is generated and was reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026.

Next Steps after This Deck

The words and letters on these cards are explained in the Korean family members lesson, so read it first if a card is new. This deck is one of the Korean vocabulary flashcards on the site, so browse the full list if you want a different topic. When these cards feel easy, move on to Korean relationship terms flashcards to keep the same routine. If a word here still feels shaky, go back to 500 Korean words flashcards for the earlier material. After a session, write the same words by hand with the Korean family words worksheet. To check what you recalled, take the Korean family members quiz next. All flashcard decks, including Hangul, vocabulary, phrases, grammar and TOPIK, are listed on the Korean flashcards hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do Men and Women Say Different Words for Older Siblings?

Korean marks the speaker's sex in these four words. A man says 형 for an older brother and 누나 for an older sister. A woman says 오빠 and 언니. The younger-sibling word 동생 is the same for both.

Can I Use 오빠 for Any Older Man?

Not for every older man. A woman uses 오빠 for her own older brother, and also for a close older male friend or a boyfriend. With a stranger, use a name and a title instead.

What Do I Call My Wife or Husband?

Use 아내 for a wife and 남편 for a husband. They are the standard words, and they appear in the deck as cards 22 and 21.

What Is the Difference between 아빠 and 아버지?

아빠 is the warm everyday word and 아버지 is the formal one. You may use 아빠 with your family all your life, and use 아버지 in writing or when you talk about your father to a teacher or a boss.

Is My Progress Saved If I Close the Page?

Yes, in the same browser on the same device. Card boxes and due dates are stored locally and nothing is sent to a server. Clearing site data, using a private window or switching browsers removes them, so use the export button to keep a backup file. No account is needed.