Key Facts
- Hangul: 아들; Revised Romanization: adeul
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native
- Register: Neutral. When speaking respectfully about someone else's son, use 아드님.
Son in Korean: What Does 아들 Mean?
아들 is the plain word for "son". The register is neutral. When you want to show respect while referring to someone else's son, use 아드님. The word is native Korean and has a counterpart, 딸, for a daughter.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Two syllables: a-deul. The ㅡ in the second syllable is made with spread lips and no rounding, unlike the o in English "doll".
Example Sentences with 아들
저는 아들이 하나 있어요.
jeoneun adeuri hana isseoyo.
I have one son.
하나 means "one" and 있어요 means "have". Korean says "a son exists" rather than "I have", with 저는 as the topic.
아들은 초등학생이에요.
adeureun chodeunghaksaengieyo.
My son is an elementary school student.
초등학생 is "elementary school student", and 이에요 is the copula after a consonant. Here 아들은 is the topic.
우리 아들이 축구를 좋아해요.
uri adeuri chukgureul joahaeyo.
Our son likes soccer.
우리 is "our", the usual way Koreans say "my" for family. 축구 is soccer, and 좋아해요 is "likes".
Common Phrases and Collocations
The three phrases cover birth order and number: 큰아들 for the eldest, 외아들 for an only son, and 아들을 낳다 for having a son.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 큰아들 | eldest son |
| 아들을 낳다 | to give birth to a son |
| 외아들 | only son |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong for a respectful first meeting: treating 아들 as the honorific term for the other person's son.
Correct: use 아드님 to show respect. Plain 아들 can still be natural between close friends, even with polite sentence endings.
Mistake 2: spelling the second syllable with ㅓ, as 아덜.
Right: 아들, with ㅡ (deul).
아들 Compared with Similar Words
The honorific partner is 아드님, used for another person's son. The counterpart is 딸, a daughter. Use 아들 for your own son and 아드님 when you show respect to the listener about theirs.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 아들 | son | This page's word |
| 아드님 | son (honorific) | 아드님 is the honorific form for someone else's son. |
| 딸 | daughter | 딸 is the counterpart. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
아들 is a native Korean word, so it has no hanja.
Meeting Another Parent at School
Two parents have just met at a school event. They use respectful language when asking about each other’s children.
Parent A
아드님은 몇 학년이에요?
Adeunimeun myeot hangnyeonieyo?
What grade is your son in?
Parent B
우리 아들은 2학년이에요.
Uri adeureun i hangnyeonieyo.
My son is in second grade.
Parent A
우리 아들도 2학년이에요.
Uri adeuldo i hangnyeonieyo.
My son is in second grade too.
The first question uses 아드님 for the other parent’s son. Each parent then uses 아들 for their own child. 도 means “too”, so 아들도 picks up the shared situation. The written 2 is read 이 here because school grades use Sino-Korean numbers.
How Do You Talk about Your Own Son?
우리 아들 is common when a parent means “my son”. 우리 literally means “our”, but Korean often uses it with close family members even when the English translation is singular. A parent speaking alone can therefore say 우리 아들 without implying that the listener is also the child’s parent.
제 아들 also means “my son” and fits a polite introduction or explanation. Both expressions identify the relationship. Neither tells you how old the son is: an adult child is still an 아들. If age or school year matters, give that information separately, as the parents do in the dialogue.
The particle attaches directly to the noun: 아들이 marks the son as subject, 아들은 makes him the topic, and 아들을 marks him as the object. In 저는 아들이 하나 있어요, the son is the subject of 있어요. That is why the existing example uses 이 rather than the object marker 을.
Family Phrases: Birth Order and Number
큰아들 means the eldest son. Although 큰 can mean “big”, the family word describes birth order rather than body size. A family’s 큰아들 may be shorter than his younger brother. 작은아들 commonly means a younger son, especially the younger of two sons; it is not a comment about height either.
외아들 can mean a son with no siblings or the only son in a family that also has daughters. Both senses appear in the National Institute of Korean Language’s explanation. For an only child with no brothers or sisters, 외동 is the broader word. This distinction matters when describing a family: knowing someone is an 외아들 does not establish that he has no siblings.
아들을 낳다 means to give birth to a son. The verb concerns birth, while 아들이 있다 describes having a son as a family relationship. A parent introducing their family will usually need the second idea. The birth phrase is more specific and belongs in an account of when a child was born.
Where Will You Hear 아들 and 아드님?
Parents use 아들 when discussing school, hobbies or family plans. In dramas, the word can identify an adult man’s relationship to his parents, so it is not a synonym for “little boy”. To identify a boy without naming a family relationship, 남자아이 is more specific.
At a first meeting, 아드님 is a respectful choice when asking about another person’s son. With close friends, plain 아들 can also be natural in otherwise polite conversation. The choice depends on the relationship between the speakers; the presence of 요 alone does not make 아드님 mandatory.
Words for Describing the Family
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 딸 | daughter | Names the corresponding parent-child relationship. |
| 자녀 | children / sons and daughters | Often appears in forms or formal family questions. |
| 외동 | only child | Indicates a child without siblings. |
| 남자아이 | boy | Describes a child, without saying whose son he is. |
The family vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set of relationships. Use 아들 when the connection to a parent matters, and a word such as 자녀 when the question includes children of any gender.
Quick Self-Test
- Can an adult man still be described as someone’s 아들?
- Does 외아들 prove that a boy has no sisters?
- Which form does a parent normally use for their own son: 아들 or 아드님?
Show answers
- Yes. The word describes the family relationship, not an age group.
- No. It means only son; he may have sisters.
- 아들. 아드님 shows respect when referring to someone else’s son.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "son" in Korean?
Say 아들 (adeul).
How do you say "someone else's son" politely?
Use 아드님.
What is the word for an only son?
It is 외아들.
How do you spell it?
Write 아들, with ㅡ. Do not write 아덜.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the family words page groups 아들 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 아들 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- The counterpart is on the page for daughter.
- The next word in the family list is uncle.