Key Facts
- Hangul: 남동생; Revised Romanization: namdongsaeng
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, from the hanja 男同生
- Register: neutral; used by any speaker for a younger brother
- General word: 동생 (any younger sibling)
Younger Brother in Korean: What Does 남동생 Mean?
남동생 points to one person: a younger brother. Its hanja 男同生 reads as 男 "male" + 同 "same" + 生 "born", so the word is built from "male" plus the general word 동생. The first syllable 남 supplies the "male" part.
Because the register is neutral, a woman and a man use the identical word. Nothing in it marks the speaker's gender, which is unlike 형 (older brother), where the word depends on the speaker being a man.
How Is 남동생 Pronounced?
Three syllables: nam-dong-saeng. The ㅐ in the last syllable is a plain vowel like the "e" in "bed", with no glide, and the three beats get the same weight. The ending -saeng is the same as in the general word 동생.
Example Sentences with 남동생
남동생이 있어요.
namdongsaengi isseoyo.
I have a younger brother.
이 attaches to 남동생 as the subject marker, and 있어요 reports that he exists. It is the standard way to say you have a younger brother.
제 남동생은 학생이에요.
je namdongsaengeun haksaengieyo.
My younger brother is a student.
제 means "my". 은 marks 남동생 as the topic of the sentence, and 학생이에요 says what he is.
남동생과 같이 놀아요.
namdongsaenggwa gachi norayo.
I play with my younger brother.
과 means "with", and 같이 adds "together". Together they describe an activity shared with him.
Phrases with 남동생
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 남동생이 생기다 | to get a younger brother |
| 우리 남동생 | my younger brother |
| 남동생을 돌보다 | to look after one's younger brother |
우리 남동생 is the warm, family-style way to say "my younger brother": the word 우리 literally means "our".
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: expecting a different word for "younger brother" depending on whether a man or a woman is speaking, the way 형 works for older brothers.
Correct: 남동생 for every speaker. It is always the younger brother, whoever is talking.
남동생 Compared with 동생 and 형
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 남동생 | younger brother | Specifically male |
| 동생 | younger sibling | Any younger sibling, brother or sister |
| 형 | older brother (male speaker) | The older brother for a man |
Where Does the Word Come From?
남동생 is Sino-Korean, built from the hanja 男同生. Hanja are background only: you never need them to read or write the word.
At a Family Photo: Who Is beside You?
A coworker notices a family photo on someone’s desk. The two adults use polite endings, even though the family word itself is neutral.
Coworker
사진에 있는 사람은 누구예요?
Sajine inneun sarameun nuguyeyo?
Who is the person in the photo?
Jisu
제 남동생이에요.
Je namdongsaengieyo.
He’s my younger brother.
Coworker
남동생도 서울에 살아요?
Namdongsaengdo seoure sarayo?
Does your younger brother live in Seoul too?
Jisu
아니요. 부산에 살아요.
Aniyo. Busane sarayo.
No. He lives in Busan.
제 남동생이에요 identifies the person without repeating “the person in the photo”. 도 adds “too” to 남동생 in the follow-up question. The answer then omits the brother altogether because he remains the topic. Being someone's younger brother says nothing about where he lives or whether he is still a child.
How Do You Introduce or Call Your Younger Brother?
남동생 is especially useful when telling someone who a person is. In 제 남동생, 제 gives a modest “my” that fits a polite introduction. 우리 남동생 is also common when talking about family. The literal “our” does not mean that your listener shares the same parents.
When calling your brother across the room, his name is usually more natural than calling out 남동생. A family label tells a listener the relationship; a name gets the person's attention. The distinction helps when a drama subtitle says “little brother” but the Korean dialogue uses the character's name.
Your brother's term for you follows the relationship in the other direction. If you are his older brother, he can call you 형. If you are his older sister, he can call you 누나. Your word for him remains 남동생 in both cases. This is why learning just one English-to-Korean pair is not enough to follow a family scene.
Phrases for Talking about His Age and Care
남동생이 생기다 means to get a younger brother. In a family announcement it can describe a new baby joining the family. The phrase is about gaining that relationship; it does not say the speaker has bought or made something.
남동생을 돌보다 means to look after a younger brother. The object marker 을 shows who receives the care. 남동생과 놀다 means to play or spend time with him, so it describes doing something together rather than taking responsibility for him. A story about babysitting might use both phrases for different parts of the day.
친남동생 specifies one's own younger brother when a listener might otherwise think of a cousin or a close younger friend. 사촌 남동생 is a younger male cousin. In 사촌 남동생, keep a space after 사촌. The added word changes which family relationship you are naming.
Where Will You Hear 남동생?
The word appears in family introductions, school conversations about siblings and stories about childhood. Entertainment interviews also use it when a speaker talks about family. A grown man can still be someone's 남동생: “younger” compares the siblings' ages and does not mean “small boy”.
When discussing someone else's brother, the age comparison belongs to that person's family. “Jisu's younger brother” means younger than Jisu, even if he is older than you. The relationship stays attached to the person whose brother you are describing.
Build the Family Picture
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 형 | older brother, male speaker | What a younger brother may call an older brother. |
| 누나 | older sister, male speaker | What a younger brother may call an older sister. |
| 여동생 | younger sister | Changes the sibling's gender, not the age direction. |
| 사촌 | cousin | Add it when the person is a cousin rather than a sibling. |
See family vocabulary for the full set of relationship words.
Quick Self-Test
- Can a woman introduce someone as 제 남동생?
- Does 남동생 necessarily mean a child?
- What does 사촌 add in 사촌 남동생?
Show answers
- Yes. Men and women use the same younger-brother word.
- No. An adult can still be the younger brother.
- It identifies him as a younger male cousin.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "younger brother" in Korean?
Say 남동생 (namdongsaeng). It names a male sibling who is younger than you, and a man or a woman can use it. When the gender does not matter, the general word 동생 also works for a younger sibling.
Does 남동생 change if a woman is speaking?
No. 남동생 is always the younger brother, whoever is speaking. This is different from 형, the older brother, which belongs to a male speaker. The register of 남동생 is neutral for every speaker.
What is the difference between 남동생 and 동생?
남동생 specifies a younger brother, while 동생 means any younger sibling, brother or sister. Use 동생 when you do not need to say the gender, and 남동생 when you want to make it clear.
What do the characters in 男同生 mean?
The hanja 男同生 reads as 男 "male" + 同 "same" + 生 "born". The 同生 part is the same hanja pair listed for 동생. Hanja are background only and are not needed to use the word.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: family words groups 남동생 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with the page for younger sibling and the page for older brother.
- Next in the list: younger sibling in Korean.
- Practice: add 남동생 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
Younger brother in Korean is therefore 남동생, and the general word 동생 covers him whenever the gender does not matter.