People always talk about their family when it comes to self-introductions. Koreans value family a lot, and we love talking about our family. In this blog, we’ll teach you many useful phrases to describe your family, as well as essential family titles for you to study to expand your vocabulary skills. After reading this article, you should have no trouble talking about your brother in Korean, or letting people know about your family as a whole.
We’ll also go a little bit into family culture in Korean countries, so that you have a better idea of what to expect from Korean families!
Ready to learn how to describe family in Korean? Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- Talking About How Many are in Your Family
- Talking About Your Siblings
- Talking About Significant Others & Children
- Korean Endearment Terms
- Korean Quotes About Family
- Korean Titles & Verbs Related to Family
- Have a Question? KoreanClass101 Can Help You
1. Talking About How Many are in Your Family
Knowing how to talk about your family members in Korean oftentimes begins with information on how many members there are. Here are some common ways to ask and answer.
1- “How many are there in your family?”
This is a common question about family. To ask how many family members someone has, it’s 가족이 몇 명이에요? (gajogi myeot myeongieyo?) in Korean. There are many ways to ask this question:
- 가족이 모두 몇 명이에요? (Formal)
Gajogi modu myeot myeongieyo?
“How many family members are there in total?” - 가족이 모두 몇 명이야? (Informal)
Gajogi modu myeot myeongiya?
“How many family members are there in total?” - 가족이 몇 분이세요? (Formal)
Gajogi myeot buniseyo?
“How many family members do you have?” - 가족이 몇 명입니까? (Formal)
Gajogi myeot myeongimnikka?
“How many family members do you have?” - 가족이 몇 명이야? (Informal)
Gajogi myeot myeongiya?
“How many members in your family?”
All of these family phrases in Korean mean the same thing. The only difference is that some are used in formal settings, and others in informal settings.
2- “There are [number] in my family.”
Let’s say that you have four people in your family. To say “There are four people in my family,” in Korean, you should say: 우리 가족은 네 명이에요 (Uri gajogeun ne myeong iyeyo). Alternatively, you can say, 가족은 모두 ~ 명 입니다. (gajogeun modu ~ myeong imnida.), meaning “There are ~ family members in total.”
KoreanClass101 has many lessons about counting numbers in Korean, so feel free to check out our website at any time.
Example:
- A: 가족이 몇 명입니까?
A: Gajogi myeot myeongimnikka?
A: “How many family members do you have?”B: 우리 가족은 세 명이에요.
B: Uri gajogeun se myeongieyo.
B: “There are three members in my family.” - A: 가족이 모두 몇 명이야?
A: Gajogi modu myeot myeongiya?
A: “How many are there in your family?”B: 우리 집? 아빠, 엄마, 언니 있으니깐, 총 네 명있어.
B: Uri jip? Appa, eomma, eonni isseunikkan, chong ne myeongisseo.
B: “My house? There’s dad, mom, and a younger sister, so there are four.”
2. Talking About Your Siblings
1- “I have siblings.” and “I am an only child.”
To ask someone whether he or she has siblings, ask them with the phrase 형제 자매가 있어요? (hyeongje jamaega isseoyo?), direct translation being “Do you have brothers and sisters?” Also, these days, we slightly shorten the sentence and we say 형제 있어요? (Hyeongje isseoyo?). The direct translation of this phrase also means “Do you have siblings?”
To say that you have a number of siblings, you can say 형제 자매가 있어요 (Hyeongje jamaega isseoyo.) in Korean. It means “I have brothers and sisters.”
Let’s have a look at a number of useful phrases to say:
- 언니 한 명이 있어요.
Eonni han myeongi isseoyo.
“I have an older sister.” - 남동생 두 명이 있어요.
Namdongsaeng du myeongi isseoyo.
“I have two younger brothers.” - 언니 한 명과 오빠 한 명이 있어요.
Eonni han myeonggwa oppa han myeongi isseoyo.
“I have an older sister and an older brother.” - 저는 외동딸이에요.
Jeoneun oedongttarieyo.
“I am an only child (girl).”
More examples:
- 저는 장남이예요.
Jeoneun jangnamiyeyo.
“I am the oldest son.” - 저는 둘째예요.
Jeoneun duljjaeyeyo
“I am the second oldest.” - 저는 막내예요.
Jeoneun mangnaeyeyo.
“I am the youngest.”
Vocabulary List for Siblings
Here are some useful Korean family terms related to siblings!
| Korean | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 장남 (첫째아들) | jangnam (cheotjjaeadeul) | “oldest son” |
| 장녀 (첫째 딸) | jangnyeo (cheotjjae ttal) | “oldest daughter” |
| 둘째 아들 | duljjae adeul | “second son” |
| 둘째 딸 | duljjae ttal | “second daughter” |
| 막내아들 | mangnaeadeul | “youngest son” |
| 막내딸 | mangnaettal | “youngest daughter” |
| 외아들 | oeadeul | “only child (male)” |
| 외동딸 | oedongttal | “only child (female)” |
| 형제 | hyeongje | “brothers” |
| 자매 | jamae | “sisters” |
| 언니 | eonni | “older sister” (from a female sibling) |
| 누나 | nuna | “older sister” (from a male sibling) |
| 여동생 | yeodongsaeng | “younger sister” |
| 오빠 | oppa | “older brother” (from a female sibling) |
| 형 | hyeong | “older brother” (from a male sibling) |
| 남동생 | namdongsaeng | “younger brother” |
| 쌍둥이 | ssangdungi | “twins” |
2- “My sister is younger/older than me.”
To say that one of your siblings is younger than you, the word to describe “younger” is 어리다 (eorida) in Korean. To change the dictionary form of this word, simply change it to 어려요 (eoryeoyo). On the other hand, to say that your sibling is older than you, the word to describe “older” is 많다 (manta) in Korean, and changes to 많아요 (manayo) in spoken form.
Examples:
- 제 여동생은 저보다 한 살 어려요.
Je yeodongsaengeun jeoboda han sal eoryeoyo.
“My younger sister is one year younger than me.” - 제 누나는 저보다 열 살 많아요.
Je nunaneun jeoboda yeol sal manayo.
“My older sister is ten years older than me.”
Useful Vocabulary List to Describe Age Differences
* Click on the word in the Romanization column to listen to the pronunciation.
| Korean | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 어리다 | eorida | “younger” |
| 많다 | manta | “older” |
| ~살 | ~sal | “~ years old” |
| 동갑 | donggap | “same age” |
3. Talking About Significant Others & Children
Married, or in a serious relationship? Be sure to study these family words in Korean and the relevant phrases, so that you can talk about your beloved and family life.
1- “I have a husband/wife.” and “I have a daughter/son.”
If you’re married and have a family, you need to know how to say how many kids you have, too. There are many words to describe your own children. The most common words to say “son” and “daughter” are 아들 (adeul) and 딸 (ttal), respectively.
To say “I have a son,” it’s 저는 아들 한 명이 있습니다 (Jeoneun adeul han myeongi itseumnida). And “I have a daughter,” is 저는 딸 한 명이 있습니다 (Jeoneun ttal han myeongi itseumnida). Let’s have a look at different phrases:
- 저는 아들 한 명하고 딸 한 명이 있습니다.
Jeoneun adeul han myeonghago ttal han myeongi itseumnida.
“I have a son and a daughter.” - 아들과 딸이 있습니다.
Adeulgwa ttari itseumnida.
“I have a son and a daughter.” - 자식은 없습니다.
Jasigeun eopseumnida.
“I have no children.”
Useful Vocabulary List for Married Couples
* Click on the word in the Romanization column to listen to the pronunciation.
| Korean | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 남편 | nampyeon | “husband” |
| 아내 | anae | “wife” |
| 파트너 | pateuneo | “partner” |
| 약혼자 | yakonja | “fiancé” (referring to a male) |
| 약혼녀 | yakonnyeo | “fiancé” (referring to a female) |
| 피앙세 | piangse | “fiancé” |
| 아들 | adeul | “son” |
| 딸 | ttal | “daughter” |
| 자식 | jasik | “Sons and daughters” |
| 아이 | ai | “child” |
| 손자 | sonja | “grandson” |
| 손녀 | sonnyeo | “granddaughter” |
More Examples:
- A: 결혼 하셨어요?
A: Gyeolhon hasyeosseoyo?
A: “Are you married?”B: 네, 결혼했어요. 집에 아들과 딸이 있어요.
B: Ne, gyeolhonhaesseoyo. jibe adeulgwa ttari isseoyo.
B: “Yes, I am married. I have a son and a daughter.”
2- “I have a boyfriend/girlfriend.”
People usually ask a question like 지금 만나고 있는 사람 있니? (Jigeum mannago inneun saram inni?), which means “Are you seeing anyone at the moment?” Another common question is 남자친구/여자친구 있니? (Namjachingu/yeojachingu inni?), or “Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?”
To answer that you’re seeing someone, follow the grammatical order of “I have a brother.” To say “I have a boyfriend,” just add 남자친구 (namjachingu) followed by 있어요 (isseoyo).
If you’re not seeing anyone, but don’t want to share too much information, you can simply say 만나고 있는 사람 없어요 (Mannago inneun saram eopseoyo), which means “I’m not seeing anyone.” Another option is 아니요, 없어요 (Aniyo, eopseoyo), which literally means “No, I don’t have.”
The general conversation goes like this:
- 아버지: 지금 만나고 있는 사람 있냐?
Abeoji: Jigeum mannago inneun saram innya?
Father: “Are you seeing anyone at the moment?”수미: 아니요. 없어요.
Sumi: Aniyo. Eopseoyo.
Sumi: “No, I’m not.”
Vocabulary List for Girlfriends and Boyfriends
* Click on the word in the Romanization column to listen to the pronunciation.
| Korean | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 애인 | aein | “lover,” “girlfriend,” “boyfriend” |
| 남자친구 | namjachingu | “boyfriend” |
| 남친 | namchin | “boyfriend” (slang) |
| 여자친구 | yeojachingu | “girlfriend” |
| 여친 | yeochin | “girlfriend” (slang) |
More Examples:
- A: 애인있어요?
A: Aeinisseoyo?
A: “Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?”B: 애인있어요.
B: Aeinisseoyo.
B: “I do.”
4. Korean Endearment Terms
1. “Hey baby,” and “My love.”
Couples in some countries have endearment terms for each other, like “baby.” Korea has some endearment terms like that too. The most common word is 자기야 (jagiya) which means “sweetie” or “baby.” You’ll hear couples and spouses call each other by this word. Also, young people tend to create their own secret endearment terms for each other; others make nicknames, too.
Vocabulary List for Endearment Terms
* Click on the word in the Romanization column to listen to the pronunciation.
| Korean | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 자기야 | jagiya | “sweetie/baby” |
| 내 사랑 | nae sarang | “my love” |
| 오빠 | oppa | “honey” (if bf is older) |
| 여보 | yeobo | “darling” (only for married couples) |
Examples:
- A: 자기야.
A: Jagiya.
A: “Hey sweetie.”B: 응, 왜불렀어?
B: Eung, waebulleosseo?
B: “Yes, did you call me?”
5. Korean Quotes About Family
Let’s look at some Korean phrases about family.
- 당신은 가족을 선택하지 않는다. 당신이 가족에게 그런 것 처럼 가족은 당신에게 하느님이 주신 선물이다.
Dangsineun gajogeul seontaekaji anneunda. Dangsini gajogege geureon geot cheoreom gajogeun dangsinege haneunimi jusin seonmurida.
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” - 가정에서 행복하지 않으면 다른 어디에서도 행복할 수 없다.
Gajeongeseo haengbokaji aneumyeon dareun eodieseodo haengbokal su eopda.
“If you’re not happy at home, you’re not happy anywhere else.” - 집 같은 곳은 없다.
Jip gateun goseun eopda.
“There is no place like home.”
Check out more quotes about family at “Top 10 Quotes about Family” on our website. Want to challenge yourself and try reading advanced Korean proverbs? Check out this article to learn about the complexity of Korean family relationships.
6. Korean Titles & Verbs Related to Family
Did you know that Korea has some of the most complicated titles for family? It’s so complicated that sometimes even Koreans struggle to remember all the titles. But don’t worry; you don’t need to memorize all the titles. Just try to memorize the most important Korean family titles, since they’re used every day.
1- Korean Family Titles
| Korean | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 조부모 | jobumo | “grandparents” |
| 할머니 | halmeoni | “grandmother” |
| 할아버지 | harabeoji | “grandfather” |
| 부모님 | bumonim | “parents” |
| 어머니 | eomeoni | “mother” |
| 아버지 | abeoji | “father” |
| 친척 | chincheok | “relative” |
| 삼촌 | samchon | “uncle” |
| 숙모 | sungmo | “aunt” |
| 조카 | joka | “niece” |
| 사촌 | sachon | “cousin” |
2. Korean Verbs Related to Family
Let’s learn some important verbs that are commonly used when it comes to family.
| Korean | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 태어나다 | taeeonada | “to be born” |
| 죽다 | jukda | “to die” |
| 결혼하다 | gyeolhonhada | “to marry” |
| 이혼하다 | ihonhada | “to divorce” |
| 입양되다 | ibyangdoeda | “to be adopted” |
| 입양하다 | ibyanghada | “to adopt” |
| 낳다 | nata | “to give birth” |
| 사랑하다 | saranghada | “to love” |
7. Have a Question? KoreanClass101 Can Help You
What do you think about Korean family culture in Korea? How is it different from your country? Let us know in the comments!
For more family-related study materials, visit us at KoreanClass101.com. We truly believe that language-learning should be both fun and informative, and we’re here for you with motivation to study the Korean language.
If you want to learn more about the Korean family, such as the most popular Korean family names and so on, check out this page on Wikipedia too. We hope that you took away something valuable from this article, and that you’ll keep using KoreanClass101 for all your Korean-learning needs!
