Key facts
- Topic: Korean relationship terms, the titles and words for people outside the immediate family.
- Linked pages: 6; the terms of address guides plus word lists for sunbae and hoobae, dating, friendship, pregnancy and baby, and honorific vocabulary.
- Level: A1 to B1, as an editorial estimate.
- Family titles such as 이모 and 시어머니 live in the separate Family Words hub.
Korean Relationship Terms at a Glance
Korean relationship terms fall into six topic pages: a set of 8 phrase guides for the titles used to call people, and five word lists of 20 to 35 words. The table compares them.
| Page | Size | Level | Focus | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oppa, Hyung, Unnie and Noona | 8 phrase guides | A1 | calling people by age and gender | talking to friends and older siblings |
| Sunbae and Hoobae in Korean | 20 words | A2 | seniority at school and work | students and new employees |
| Korean Dating Vocabulary | 35 words | A2 | blind dates, couples, anniversaries and breakups | dating and romance dramas |
| Korean Friendship Vocabulary | 30 words | A1 | friends, best friends and same-age friends | making friends of your own age |
| Korean Pregnancy and Baby Vocabulary | 30 words | B1 | pregnancy, newborn items and first birthdays | expecting or visiting a family with a newborn |
| Korean Honorific Vocabulary | 30 words | B1 | honorific and humble words for age, name, house and meals | elders, customers and a partner's parents |
The levels are editorial estimates, not official TOPIK levels. The next section explains why Korean needs so many of these words.
Why Does Korean Use Titles Instead of Names?
Korean uses titles instead of names because age, status and the relationship decide how two people speak, and a title encodes all three in one word. Calling an older person by their bare name sounds rude in most settings, so a younger woman calls an older male friend 오빠, a new employee calls a colleague who joined earlier 선배님, and a shop assistant asks for a customer's 성함 rather than 이름.
Three facts choose the word:
- The speaker's gender. A woman says 오빠 and 언니 to older friends; a man says 형 and 누나 to the same people.
- Relative age or seniority. Older people and seniors get a title. Younger people are called by name, or 동생 (younger sibling, younger friend) when you describe them.
- The setting. School and work use 선배 and 후배, which follow the year you joined rather than age; friends use sibling titles; strangers, customers and elders get honorific words.
Address also differs from reference. 우리 오빠, literally "our older brother", means "my older brother" when a woman talks about him, while she can address any older male friend simply as 오빠. Titles pair with the honorific endings explained in the honorifics lessons, and the etiquette page explains when to avoid using a name (see language etiquette). Age matters so much that Koreans often ask it early; the Korean age page explains how it is counted.
Which List Should You Open First?
Open the terms of address first, because you need 오빠, 언니, 형 and 누나 in your first conversation with a Korean friend. Then choose by your situation:
- You are making friends of your own age. Open the Korean friendship vocabulary list.
- You are starting school or a job in Korea. Open sunbae and hoobae in Korean.
- You are dating, or you watch romance dramas. Open the Korean dating vocabulary list.
- You will meet a partner's parents or speak to elders and customers. Open the Korean honorific vocabulary list.
- You are expecting a baby, or visiting a family with a newborn. Open the Korean pregnancy and baby vocabulary list.
If you need words for relatives, such as 이모 (mother's sister) or 시어머니 (husband's mother), they are in Family Words, not here. The sections below cover each page in turn.
Terms of Address: Oppa, Hyung, Unnie and Noona
For more detail, open Oppa, Hyung, Unnie and Noona, which expands this topic into 8 phrase guides: 오빠, 언니, 형, 누나, 동생, 선배, 아저씨 and 아줌마. The single most searched title has its own page at oppa in Korean.
What Is in the Sunbae and Hoobae List?
Sunbae and Hoobae in Korean teaches 20 seniority words used at school and at work, with audio and flashcards. The word 선배 alone is explained at sunbae in Korean.
Dating and Couple Words
Korean Dating Vocabulary teaches 35 words for blind dates, couples, anniversaries and breakups, with audio, flashcards and a worksheet.
Friendship Words
Korean Friendship Vocabulary teaches 30 words for friends, best friends and same-age friends, with audio, flashcards and a worksheet.
Pregnancy and Baby Words
Korean Pregnancy and Baby Vocabulary teaches 30 words for pregnancy, newborn items and first birthdays, with audio and flashcards.
What Is in the Honorific Vocabulary List?
Korean Honorific Vocabulary teaches 30 honorific and humble words for age, name, house and meals, with audio, flashcards and a worksheet.
Shared Format of the Word Lists
The word lists for this hub follow the site's standard vocabulary entry layout, so you can move between topics without relearning the format. A standard entry has these parts:
- Hangul headword, shown first and largest.
- Revised Romanization, a learning aid in brackets, never the only form.
- English meaning, with the setting where it differs from English.
- Audio, played only when you press the button, with slow clips for harder words.
- Example sentence, short and polite, with its own audio.
- Pronunciation notes, common mistakes and a practice set at the end of each page.
Here are three sample entries for this topic:
우리 오빠 (uri oppa): my older brother (said by a woman, talking about him).
선배님, 안녕하세요. (seonbaenim, annyeonghaseyo.): Hello, senior (greeting someone who joined before you).
성함이 어떻게 되세요? (seonghami eotteoke doeseyo?): May I ask your name? (honorific).
Expert tip: learn relationship words in pairs, because each one only makes sense against its partner: 선배 and 후배, 오빠 and 동생, 이름 and 성함. A pair also tells you which side of the relationship you are on, which is the information the title encodes.
Honest limits: these lists teach standard Seoul usage and the common words, not every regional or generational variant. The levels are editorial estimates.
Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet
Drill relationship words with spaced repetition in the vocabulary flashcard decks, starting with the Korean relationship terms flashcards, a 25-card deck with audio. A preview of that deck is below, and your progress is saved only in your browser.
Practice · 9
- 01오빠
Show answer
lead clip for the Terms of Address card (older brother or older male friend (said by a woman))
- 02선배
Show answer
lead clip for the Sunbae and Hoobae in Korean card (senior at school or work)
- 03소개팅
Show answer
lead clip for the Korean Dating Vocabulary card (blind date)
- 04동갑
Show answer
lead clip for the Korean Friendship Vocabulary card (same age)
- 05돌
Show answer
lead clip for the Korean Pregnancy and Baby Vocabulary card (a baby's first birthday)
- 06성함
Show answer
lead clip for the Korean Honorific Vocabulary card (name (honorific))
- 07우리 오빠
Show answer
sample entry: my older brother (said by a woman, talking about him)
- 08선배님, 안녕하세요.
Show answer
sample entry: Hello, senior (greeting someone who joined before you)
- 09성함이 어떻게 되세요?
Show answer
sample entry: May I ask your name? (honorific)
Use the tables on this page for practice on paper. Then check yourself with three quick questions.
Practice · 3
A woman talks to an older male friend. Which title fits?
Show answer
오빠
Women say 오빠 and 언니; men say 형 and 누나.
A colleague joined the company two years before you but is younger. You call them…
Show answer
선배님
선배 follows the year someone joined, not their age.
Which word politely asks about an older person's age?
Show answer
연세
연세 is the honorific word that replaces 나이.
Where to Go Next
This list sits inside People and Relationships, where you can find related topics. After this, many learners move on to Family Words for relatives and in-laws, or to Jobs and Occupations for the titles used at work. Whichever you choose, Korean relationship terms will keep returning, because almost every Korean conversation starts by settling who is older.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which List in Korean Relationship Terms Should I Start With?
Start with the terms of address: 오빠, 언니, 형 and 누나. You need them in your first conversation with a Korean friend, and they teach the age and gender logic behind every other title. Then open the friendship list if you study for social reasons, or sunbae and hoobae if you study or work in Korea.
How Are the Lists in Korean Relationship Terms Organised?
The lists are organised by setting: address terms, school and work seniority, dating, friendship, pregnancy and baby, and honorific words. The terms of address are phrase guides, and the other settings each have a word list.
Do These Lists Include Verbs and Adjectives?
The lists are mostly nouns and titles, with a few fixed expressions. Verbs and adjectives, with their full conjugations, live in the verbs section, so each word has one home. Honorific verbs such as 드시다 are taught in the honorifics grammar lessons.
Where Can I Find Flashcards and Worksheets for These Topics?
The Korean relationship terms flashcards hold 25 cards with audio, and the vocabulary flashcard decks page lists every themed deck. Printable sheets are listed on the vocabulary worksheets page. Each published topic page also ends with its own practice set and answers.
Can Foreigners Use Oppa and Unnie?
Yes. Foreigners use 오빠 and 언니 the same way Koreans do: a woman says them to an older man or woman she is close to. Wait until the relationship feels friendly, because the titles sound familiar. A man uses 형 and 누나 instead. With colleagues and strangers, use a name with 씨 or a job title.