Key Facts
- Hangul: 아버지; Revised Romanization: abeoji
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native
- Register: Formal/neutral; used in polite and written speech. 아빠 is the casual counterpart.
Father in Korean: What Does 아버지 Mean?
아버지 has one sense, father. It ranges from neutral to formal. 아빠 is the casual counterpart, and 아버님 is the more respectful form for a spouse's or someone else's father.
How Do You Pronounce 아버지?
Three syllables: a-beo-ji. The middle beo has the vowel of "u" in "fun". Keep all three beats even.
Example Sentences with 아버지
아버지는 회사에 가세요.
Abeojineun hoesa-e gaseyo.
My father goes to the office.
가세요 contains the honorific -si-, which shows respect to the father as the subject.
저는 아버지와 같이 살아요.
Jeoneun abeojiwa gachi sarayo.
I live with my father.
와 means "with", and 같이 살아요 says living together.
아버지께 전화했어요.
Abeojikke jeonhwahaesseoyo.
I phoned my father.
께 is the honorific "to", and 전화했어요 is the past tense of phoning.
Common Phrases with 아버지
These phrases show honorific, role and kinship forms.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 아버지께서 | father (honorific subject) |
| 아버지가 되다 | to become a father |
| 친아버지 | biological father |
The Mistake to Avoid
Mistake: using only the plain particles with 아버지 when the sentence calls for respect.
Better: in respectful speech, make him the subject with 아버지께서 and say "to father" with 아버지께, as in the third example. Plain 아버지가 is still normal in everyday talk.
아버지 Compared with Similar Words
Two neighbours show tone. 아빠 is casual and affectionate, and 아버님 is a respectful way to refer to a spouse's father or someone else's.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 아버지 | father | This page's word |
| 아빠 | dad | 아빠 is casual and affectionate. |
| 아버님 | father (honorific for another's father) | 아버님 is used for a spouse's father or someone else's father respectfully. |
Where Does 아버지 Come From?
아버지 is a native Korean word with no hanja.
Introducing Your Father at a Family Lunch
Mina brings a friend to lunch and introduces her father. The friend speaks politely to him; Mina uses the respectful family word while making the introduction.
Mina
제 아버지세요.
Je abeojiseyo.
This is my father.
Alex
안녕하세요. 처음 뵙겠습니다.
Annyeonghaseyo. Cheoeum boepgetseumnida.
Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you.
Mina
아버지, 제 친구 알렉스예요.
Abeoji, je chingu Allekseuyeyo.
Father, this is my friend Alex.
Alex
초대해 주셔서 감사합니다.
Chodaehae jusyeoseo gamsahamnida.
Thank you for inviting me.
제 아버지세요 introduces the father with a respectful “is” ending. In the next line, 처음 뵙겠습니다 is a formal first-meeting greeting. It suits meeting a friend's parent. Mina then uses 아버지 directly to get her father's attention, rather than introducing him a second time.
제 means “my” in polite speech. Once Mina has introduced her father, the relationship is clear, so her next line only needs 아버지. A Korean family word can work both as a description of someone and as a way to address them.
Why Do Koreans Say 우리 아버지?
우리 아버지 literally means “our father”, but a speaker can use it when English would say “my father”. 우리 presents the father as part of the speaker's family. It does not tell you that several people in the conversation share the same father. You will hear it even when someone is talking to a friend outside the family.
제 아버지 is also natural, especially in a polite introduction. Choose 제 when you want to state the relationship clearly to someone you have just met. Choose 우리 when referring to your family in the familiar way Korean speakers often do. Neither phrase tells you whether the speaker calls their father 아빠 at home.
아버지가 되다 is literal: someone becomes a father. It describes a new family role, rather than becoming more formal or older. 친아버지 identifies a biological relationship. The 친 part is about birth, not about how close or affectionate the relationship feels, so it is useful only when that distinction matters.
Where Will You Hear or See 아버지?
In family conversations, 아버지 can be an adult child's usual form of address. 아빠 is affectionate and is also used by adults, so the choice is not a strict child-versus-adult rule. Listen to what the family uses. 아버지 is a useful starting point when describing your father to someone outside the home.
In a drama, a character switching from 아빠 to 아버지 may sound more solemn or distant in that scene. The word alone does not prove that the family relationship is unhappy. Tone, the situation and the rest of the conversation carry that meaning.
On a form, the relationship may appear as 부, a compact written label meaning father, rather than the full everyday word. 부모님 means parents respectfully and includes both parents. These are useful recognition words when reading family information, but 아버지 remains the ordinary word to use in a spoken introduction.
Family Words to Learn with 아버지
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 어머니 | mother | Pairs with 아버지 when describing your family. |
| 부모님 | parents | Refers respectfully to the parents together. |
| 아들 | son | Names the father's male child. |
| 딸 | daughter | Names the father's female child. |
| 할아버지 | grandfather | Keeps the two generations distinct. |
The family vocabulary lesson teaches these relationships together. For an introduction, start with the person's relationship to you; names can follow once the listener knows who you mean.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 우리 아버지 usually mean when you tell a friend about your own family?
- Which phrase means “to father”: 아버지께 or 아버지께서?
- Does 친아버지 mean an especially friendly father?
Show answers
- “My father”; 우리 literally means “our”, but often frames a family relationship.
- 아버지께. 아버지께서 marks the respected subject.
- No. It means biological father; 친 identifies the birth relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "father" in Korean?
Say 아버지 (abeoji).
What is the casual form?
아빠.
What is the honorific subject form?
아버지께서.
What do you call someone else's father?
아버님.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: people family vocabulary groups 아버지 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 아버지 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- The casual term is on the page for dad. See the page for dad.
- The next generation up is on the page for grandfather. See the page for grandfather.