Key Facts
- Hangul: 여동생; Revised Romanization: yeodongsaeng
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, from the hanja 女同生
- Register: neutral; used for a younger sister regardless of the speaker's gender
- General word: 동생 (any younger sibling)
Younger Sister in Korean: What Does 여동생 Mean?
여동생 names one relative: a younger sister. The hanja 女同生 breaks down as 女 "woman" + 同 "same" + 生 "born". The first syllable 여 carries the "female" idea, and the rest is the general word 동생.
Because the register is neutral, a brother and a sister say the identical word. Compare the older-sister title 누나, which belongs to a male speaker: 여동생 does not depend on who is talking.
How Is 여동생 Pronounced?
Three syllables: yeo-dong-saeng. The opening 여 is a "y" glide into the vowel ㅓ, roughly "yuh". Keep the beats even, so the first syllable does not swallow the second.
Example Sentences with 여동생
여동생이 있어요.
yeodongsaengi isseoyo.
I have a younger sister.
이 marks 여동생 as the subject, and 있어요 says she exists. This is the standard way to tell someone about her.
제 여동생은 대학생이에요.
je yeodongsaengeun daehaksaengieyo.
My younger sister is a university student.
제 is "my", and 은 sets 여동생 as the topic. 대학생 names her status as a university student.
여동생과 같이 쇼핑해요.
yeodongsaenggwa gachi syopinghaeyo.
I shop with my younger sister.
과 means "with" and 같이 means "together". 쇼핑해요 is the loanword for shopping, in the polite style.
Phrases with 여동생
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 여동생이 생기다 | to get a younger sister |
| 우리 여동생 | my younger sister |
| 여동생을 돌보다 | to look after one's younger sister |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: thinking 여동생 changes with the speaker's gender, the way 누나 is used only by men.
Correct: 여동생 for every speaker. It is always the younger sister, whether a man or a woman says it.
여동생 Compared with 동생 and 누나
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 여동생 | younger sister | Specifically female |
| 동생 | younger sibling | Any younger sibling, brother or sister |
| 누나 | older sister (male speaker) | The older sister for a man |
Where Does the Word Come From?
여동생 is Sino-Korean, built from the hanja 女同生. The characters are background information only.
At the Station: Meeting a Younger Sister
Two coworkers are about to leave work. One explains why she is going to the station. The younger sister in this conversation is already a university student.
Coworker
오늘 저녁에 뭐 해요?
Oneul jeonyeoge mwo haeyo?
What are you doing this evening?
Mina
여동생을 만나러 가요.
Yeodongsaengeul mannareo gayo.
I’m going to meet my younger sister.
Coworker
여동생이 서울에 와요?
Yeodongsaengi seoure wayo?
Is your younger sister coming to Seoul?
Mina
네. 같이 저녁을 먹을 거예요.
Ne. Gachi jeonyeogeul meogeul geoyeyo.
Yes. We’re going to have dinner together.
여동생을 marks the sister as the person Mina will meet. In the next line 여동생이 marks her as the person coming. A family noun can fill either role; the particle tells you what she is doing in that particular sentence. The final line leaves her name and relationship out because both speakers already know who will share dinner.
How Do You Talk about a Younger Sister Politely?
제 여동생 is useful in a polite introduction. 제 means “my” in a modest form. 우리 여동생 is also natural in family talk, even when the listener is not related to her. The literal “our” expresses the speaker's family connection rather than shared parentage with the listener.
Polite speech to the listener does not require changing 여동생 itself. You can describe your sister to a professor using 여동생 and polite sentence endings. When addressing your sister directly, her name is often more natural than calling her 여동생. The relationship word is especially useful when explaining who she is to someone else.
여동생 says she is younger than the person whose sister she is. It does not say she is younger than everyone in the conversation. Your friend's 여동생 could be older than you. The same word also remains correct after she becomes an adult, gets a job or has children.
What Do Common Sister Phrases Imply?
여동생이 생기다 means to get a younger sister. In a childhood story it can describe the arrival of a baby sister. 여동생을 돌보다 means to look after her. That phrase can describe care or supervision; it does not itself tell you how old she is or why she needs help.
여동생과 사이가 좋다 means to get along well with one's younger sister. 사이 literally refers to the space or relationship “between” people; here it describes the quality of their relationship. The phrase is about being on good terms, rather than sharing a hobby or looking alike.
친여동생 specifies one's own younger sister when the relationship needs to be clear. 사촌 여동생 means a younger female cousin. Keep a space between 사촌 and 여동생. Adding 사촌 changes the family connection while keeping the information that she is female and younger.
Where Will You Hear 여동생?
여동생 is common in introductions, family stories and conversations about visiting relatives. On screen, a character may introduce someone with this word so viewers immediately understand the relationship. It does not mean “girlfriend”, even if the two people look close in age.
In a story, an older brother and older sister can both refer to the same woman as 여동생. When she answers them, however, her titles change: 오빠 for an older brother and 언니 for an older sister. The two directions of the relationship use different words.
Words for the Other Side of the Relationship
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 오빠 | older brother, female speaker | A younger sister can use it for her older brother. |
| 언니 | older sister, female speaker | A younger sister can use it for her older sister. |
| 자매 | sisters | Describes sisters as a pair or group, without picking the younger one. |
| 남동생 | younger brother | Changes the sibling's gender while keeping “younger”. |
The family vocabulary lesson brings these titles together with the terms used by male speakers.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 여동생을 mark in the dialogue's second line?
- What can a younger sister call her older sister?
- Does 여동생과 사이가 좋다 mean “to look like one's younger sister”?
Show answers
- The person Mina is going to meet: her younger sister.
- 언니.
- No. It means to get along well with her.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "younger sister" in Korean?
Say 여동생 (yeodongsaeng). It names a female sibling who is younger than you, and both men and women use it. When the gender does not matter, the general word 동생 covers a younger sibling.
Does 여동생 change if a man is speaking?
No. 여동생 is always the younger sister, so a brother and a sister say the same word. The word 누나, the older sister, is different because it belongs to a male speaker.
What is the difference between 여동생 and 동생?
여동생 specifies a younger sister, while 동생 means any younger sibling, brother or sister. Use 동생 when you do not need to give the gender, and 여동생 when you do.
What do the characters in 女同生 mean?
The hanja 女同生 reads as 女 "woman" + 同 "same" + 生 "born". The first character carries the female idea. Hanja are background only, and you do not need them to use the word.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: family words groups 여동생 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with younger sibling in Korean and the page for older sister.
- Next in the list: the page for family in Korean.
- Practice: add 여동생 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
Younger sister in Korean is 여동생, and 동생 is the fallback when you do not need to give her gender.