Key Facts
- Hangul: 가족; Revised Romanization: gajok
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 家族 (家 house + 族 clan)
- Register: Neutral; the standard word for family. 식구 is the household around the table.
Family in Korean: What Does 가족 Mean?
가족 has one sense, family. It is neutral and fits any situation, from a school form to a chat. 식구 is the warmer, more informal word for the people who share your home and meals, and 친척 covers relatives beyond the close family.
How Do You Pronounce 가족?
Two syllables: ga-jok. The k at the end of jok is held, not released. When a particle starting with a vowel follows, the ㄱ moves across and softens to g, as in gajogeun.
Example Sentences with 가족
우리 가족은 네 명이에요.
Uri gajogeun ne myeongieyo.
There are four people in my family.
The counter 명 is used for people. 네 is four, and 이에요 is the polite "it is".
가족과 같이 살아요.
Gajokgwa gachi sarayo.
I live with my family.
과 means "with", and 같이 살아요 says living together.
가족 사진을 찍었어요.
Gajok sajineul jjigeosseoyo.
We took a family photo.
가족 사진 is a family photo, and 찍었어요 is the past tense of taking a photograph.
Common Phrases with 가족
Three collocations give family trips, photos and introductions. The family-photo phrase is written both closed, 가족사진, and spaced, 가족 사진.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 가족 여행 | family trip |
| 가족사진 | family photo |
| 가족을 소개하다 | to introduce one's family |
The Mistake to Avoid
Mistake: using 가족 for aunts, uncles and cousins, as English "family" sometimes does.
Right: relatives outside the close family are 친척.
가족 Compared with Similar Words
Two neighbours cover the edges. 식구 literally means mouths to feed and is more informal, and 친척 covers extended relatives.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 가족 | family | This page's word |
| 식구 | household members | 식구 literally means 'mouths to feed' and is more informal. |
| 친척 | relatives | 친척 means relatives outside the immediate family. |
Where Does 가족 Come From?
가족 is Sino-Korean, written 家族 in hanja: 家 (house) plus 族 (clan).
Showing a Family Photograph
Two classmates look at a photograph during a break. The first question asks about the family in the picture; the follow-up identifies one person.
Yuna
가족 사진이에요?
Gajok sajinieyo?
Is it a family photo?
Alex
네, 우리 가족이에요.
Ne, uri gajogieyo.
Yes, this is my family.
Yuna
이분은 누구세요?
Ibuneun nuguseyo?
Who is this person?
Alex
제 어머니세요.
Je eomeoniseyo.
She is my mother.
우리 가족 is the usual way to say “my family” as well as “our family”. Here, the photograph makes the meaning clear. 이분 respectfully refers to a person, and 어머니 is a more formal word for mother than 엄마. The reply honours the mother with 세요 while remaining polite to the classmate.
Why Does Korean Say 우리 가족?
우리 literally means “we” or “our”, but 우리 가족 commonly refers to the speaker’s own family. The listener does not have to belong to that family. In the same way, a speaker can say 우리 엄마 for “my mum”. Translate the relationship intended in the situation rather than insisting that every 우리 must become English “our”.
저희 가족 is a humble way to refer to your family when speaking politely to someone outside it. 저희 lowers the speaker’s own side; it does not lower the listener’s family. 우리 가족 is still common in polite conversation, so a sentence ending in 요 does not automatically require 저희.
When someone asks how many people are in your family, the ordinary count includes you. The existing sentence 우리 가족은 네 명이에요 therefore describes a family of four in total. It does not usually mean four relatives plus the speaker. 명 counts the people, while 가족 names the group.
Family Collocations beyond a Photograph
온 가족 means “the whole family”. 온 adds the idea that everyone in the family is included. 온 가족이 모이다 means the whole family gathers, a phrase you may hear in holiday plans. It describes who comes together without naming each relative one by one.
가족끼리 means “among family” or “just with family”. The ending 끼리 groups people together. 가족끼리 여행하다 means to travel with family members; the wording draws attention to the group travelling together. 가족 여행 simply names a family trip without the same emphasis on “among ourselves”.
가족 같은 describes someone or something as “like family”. A close friend can feel like family without being a relative. In a workplace introduction, the same wording may describe closeness among colleagues. It expresses a comparison and does not establish an actual family relationship.
Where Will You See 가족?
On a form, 가족 관계 asks about a family relationship. Labels such as 부모, “parents”, or 자녀, “children”, identify the relationship rather than a person’s name. 가족 by itself is not a substitute for the specific relationship a form requests.
In travel advertisements, 가족 여행 describes the kind of trip. In a conversation about living arrangements, 가족과 같이 살아요 says you live with family, but it does not specify which members. You can name the people if that detail matters. Living apart also does not stop someone from being 가족.
Family Words to Learn Next
| Korean | Meaning | One useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 부모님 | parents | A respectful everyday way to mention parents. |
| 형제자매 | siblings | A collective term covering brothers and sisters. |
| 자녀 | children; offspring | Common when describing someone’s children on forms. |
| 부부 | married couple | Names the couple, rather than the whole family. |
| 친척 | relatives | Useful when discussing aunts, uncles and cousins. |
The family vocabulary lesson explains the individual relationship words. Korean words for an older brother or sister depend partly on who is speaking, so the collective word 형제자매 cannot replace every direct form of address.
Quick Self-Test
- Can 우리 가족 mean “my family” when the listener is a classmate?
- Does a family count of 네 명 normally include the speaker?
- Does 가족 같은 친구 necessarily mean a relative?
Show answers
- Yes. 우리 is natural for the speaker’s own family.
- Yes. It normally means four people in total.
- No. It means a friend who feels like family.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "family" in Korean?
Say 가족 (gajok).
What is the difference between 가족 and 식구?
식구 means household members and is more informal.
What are relatives called?
친척.
How do you say "family photo"?
가족사진 or 가족 사진.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: people family vocabulary groups 가족 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 가족 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Another family-list entry is on the page for baby. See the page for baby.