Key Facts
- Hangul: 딸; Revised Romanization: ttal
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: Neutral. When speaking respectfully about someone else's daughter, use 따님.
Daughter in Korean: What Does 딸 Mean?
딸 means daughter. The register is neutral when you talk about your own daughter. For somebody else's daughter in respectful speech, switch to the honorific 따님.
How Do You Pronounce 딸?
One syllable, ttal. The ㄸ is tense, so there is no puff of air, and the final ㄹ is a light l-sound touching the tongue to the ridge behind the teeth.
Example Sentences with 딸
저는 딸이 하나 있어요.
jeoneun ttari hana isseoyo.
I have one daughter.
Stating family size. 하나 is the count "one", with 있어요 saying you have her.
딸은 학교에 가요.
ttareun hakgyoe gayo.
My daughter goes to school.
A daily detail. 딸은 makes the daughter the topic, and 학교에 가요 says she goes to school.
우리 딸이 노래를 잘해요.
uri ttari noraereul jalhaeyo.
Our daughter sings well.
Pride in a talent. 우리 딸이 uses "our" for family, and 잘해요 means does well.
How the Examples Fit Together
The examples show the three jobs 딸 does most often: counting family members, talking about a child's routine, and praising a skill. Each time the possessive or the number does the work, and the noun stays unchanged. When you want to refer respectfully to someone else’s daughter, use 따님. A polite sentence ending addresses the listener; choosing 따님 adds respect to the reference to their daughter. The pair with 아들 covers the other half when you list your children.
Collocations
Compounds show birth order. 큰딸 is the eldest daughter, 외동딸 is an only daughter, and 딸을 낳다 means to give birth to a daughter.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 큰딸 | eldest daughter |
| 딸을 낳다 | to give birth to a daughter |
| 외동딸 | only daughter |
The Mistake to Avoid
Mistake: using 딸 when the situation calls for a respectful reference to someone else’s daughter.
Right: use 따님 for that respectful reference. Use 딸 for your own daughter; it is also natural for a friend’s daughter in a close, everyday conversation.
In pronunciation, remember that ㄸ is tense (not the d of "doll") and the final ㄹ is a light l.
딸 Compared with Similar Words
Honorific form for another family, and the male counterpart.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 딸 | daughter | This page's word |
| 따님 | daughter (honorific) | 따님 is the honorific form for someone else's daughter. |
| 아들 | son | 아들 is the counterpart. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
딸 is native Korean with no hanja.
Meeting a Parent at School
Two parents meet before a school performance. One asks respectfully about the other’s daughter, and the answer uses the ordinary word for one’s own child.
Jisu
따님도 오늘 공연해요?
Ttanimdo oneul gongyeonhaeyo?
Is your daughter performing today too?
Minho
네, 우리 딸은 노래해요.
Ne, uri ttareun noraehaeyo.
Yes, my daughter is singing.
Jisu
우리 딸도 노래해요.
Uri ttaldo noraehaeyo.
My daughter is singing too.
따님 shows respect when Jisu asks about Minho’s child. Both speakers use 우리 딸 for their own daughter. 도 means “also” or “too”; it follows the noun without changing 딸. The exchange concerns daughters at a school event, but 딸 also describes an adult daughter.
Talking about Daughters and Family Size
딸 is a relationship word, so a woman remains her parents’ 딸 after she grows up. English “girl” describes age or gender more broadly. If a story calls someone a 딸, look for the parent-child connection rather than assuming she is a young child.
우리 딸 can mean either “our daughter” or “my daughter”. The speaker does not need to be standing beside the other parent. In an English translation, choose the possessive that fits the scene. The Korean phrase often presents the daughter as part of the speaker’s family.
The first example, 저는 딸이 하나 있어요, counts a daughter with 하나, “one”. Another useful pattern is 딸 한 명, “one daughter”, using 명, a counter for people. 하나 becomes 한 before this counter. Neither pattern adds an English-style plural ending to 딸 when you change the number.
How Do the Family Compounds Work?
큰딸 is the eldest daughter. Here 큰 identifies her position among daughters, rather than her physical size. The word can describe an eldest daughter who is shorter than her younger sister. You may also meet 작은딸 for a younger daughter when family members distinguish daughters by order.
외동딸 describes a daughter who is an only child. It does not simply mean the only girl in a family that also has sons. If you only mean “one daughter”, the existing example 저는 딸이 하나 있어요 states that count without claiming she has no siblings.
딸을 낳다 means “to give birth to a daughter”. The marker 을 connects 딸 to the verb 낳다, “give birth”. This phrase reports a birth; it is more specific than saying someone has a daughter. You may see it in a family announcement or hear it in a story about when a child was born.
Where Will You Hear 딸 and 따님?
딸 appears in family introductions, school conversations and drama dialogue about parents and children. It is neutral, so it can occur in either casual or polite sentences. 따님 adds respect to the reference itself, which is useful when asking a customer, guest or less familiar parent about their daughter.
Among close friends, ordinary 딸 is also natural when talking about another friend’s child. The choice depends on the relationship and tone. Using 따님 for your own daughter would usually sound as though you were honoring your own family member to the listener.
Words for the Rest of the Family
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 아들 | son | Pair this with 딸 when describing your children. |
| 자녀 | children / offspring | A collective word often used in forms and formal discussion. |
| 큰딸 | eldest daughter | Identifies birth order among daughters. |
| 부모님 | parents | The respectful word for the daughter’s parents. |
The family vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. Forms may ask about 자녀, while an everyday answer can name a son or daughter directly.
Quick Self-Test
- Can 딸 refer to a forty-year-old woman?
- Which word respectfully refers to another person’s daughter?
- Does 외동딸 usually describe a daughter who has a brother?
Show answers
- Yes. 딸 names her relationship to her parents, regardless of age.
- 따님.
- No. 외동딸 means a daughter who is an only child.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I call someone else's daughter politely?
따님.
What is the male counterpart of 딸?
아들, meaning son.
How do I say eldest daughter?
큰딸.
How do I say only daughter?
외동딸.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the family words page groups 딸 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Father is the next entry on the family list.