People and Family Words in Korean
If you'll be talking to people in Korean, then it would probably be useful to know how to address people. That's where this page comes in. It gives the Korean to English translations for several kinds of people and family words.
First up you will find some general people words, then you can learn how to say mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather. After this is a section with words referring to brothers and sisters in Korean and then sections for school and hospital personnel.
Scroll down to learn all these translations and more.
Korean People and Family Words:
Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view this list of family words from English to Korean.
General People Words in Korean
Saram ➔ Person
Chin-gu ➔ Friend
Yeoreobun ➔ Everyone (used to address a crowd, kind of like, 'ladies and gentleman')
Ya! Ching-gun ➔ Hey! Friend
Saying Mother and Father in Korean
Eomma ➔ Mom (Less formal)
Eomeoni ➔ Mother (More formal)
Appa ➔ Dad (Less formal)
Abeoji ➔ Father (More formal)
Words for Grandmother and Grandfather in Korean
Halmuhnee ➔ Grandmother / Old lady
Hadabuhjee ➔ Grandfather / Old man
Addressing Sisters and Brothers in Korean
Noona ➔ Big sister (only used by young men to address an older female that they are close to)
Unnie ➔ Big sister (used by young women to address an older female)
Hyung ➔ Big brother (used by young men to address an older male)
Oppa ➔ Big brother (used by young women to address an older male)
Dongsaeng ➔ Little brother/Little sister (used by both genders to address a younger brother or sister)
Translations of School Personnel in Korean
Gyojang seonsaengnim ➔ Principal
Gyogam seonsaengnim ➔ Vice principal
Bujang seonsaengnim ➔ Head teacher
Seonsaengnim ➔ Teacher
Hagsaeng ➔ Student
Translations of Hospital Personnel in Korean
Uisa ➔ Doctor
Ganhosa ➔ Nurse
Hwanja ➔ Patient
*Korean people and family words last updated: January 28, 2025.
Next Up
Korean Food and Drink Words: Learn how to say food and drink words in Korean.
Perhaps you want to learn family and people words in these other languages?
Greek, Indonesian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
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