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English to Korean Family and People Words

There are so many types of people you can run into during a normal day. Perhaps you're running into long-lost family members or just some other members of society. This page will help you to name these people in Korean.

Below you will find the English to Korean translations for all sorts of people and family words. There are translations for mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, grandmothers and grandfathers. There's also translations for people you'd find in a school setting or hospital. There's also a section for senior and junior members of school, work, or club activities.

Scroll down or use the quick links below to learn how to say all of these types of family and people words in Korean. While you're at it, you'll also find other related vocabulary that may prove useful when addressing those around you in conversation.

Family and People Words from English to Korean:

Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view this list of family words from Korean to English.


General People Words from English to Korean

Before we get into specifics, here are some more general Korean people words to get you started.

Person ➔ Saram

Friend ➔ Chin-gu

Everyone ➔ Yeoreobun (used to address a crowd, kind of like, 'ladies and gentleman')

Hey! Friend ➔ Ya! Ching-gun


English to Korean Words for Parents

There are several words describing parents in Korean, some more formal than others.

Parents ➔ Bumo

Mom ➔ Eomma (Less formal)

Mother ➔ Eomeoni (More formal)

Dad ➔ Appa (Less formal)

Father ➔ Abeoji (More formal)


Grandparents from English to Korean

Here are some words for Korean grandparents.

Grandparents ➔ Jobumo

Grandmother / Old lady ➔ Halmeoni

Grandfather / Old man ➔ Harabeoji


English to Korean Sibling Words

Though we've marked these as sibling words, they may also refer to non-siblings as well.

Big sister ➔ Noona (used by young men to address an older female that they are close to)

Big sister ➔ Unnie (used by young women to address an older female)

Big brother ➔ Hyung (used by young men to address an older male)

Big brother ➔ Oppa (used by young women to address an older male)

Little brother / Little sister ➔ Dongsaeng (used by both genders to address a younger brother or sister)

Little brother ➔ Namdongsaeng (used by both genders to address a younger brother)

Little sister ➔ Yeodongsaeng (used by both genders to address a younger sister)


English to Korean for Addressing Seniors and Juniors

Generally, Sunbae is used to address those who started work, school, or club activities earlier, regardless of age.

Senior / Predecessor ➔ Sunbae

Junior / Underclassman ➔ Hoobae


School Personnel Translated from English to Korean

Here are some people you might run into in a Korean school setting.

Principal ➔ Gyojang seonsaengnim

Vice principal ➔ Gyogam seonsaengnim

Head teacher ➔ Bujang seonsaengnim

Teacher ➔ Seonsaengnim

Student ➔ Hagsaeng


Hospital Personnel Translated from English to Korean

And here are some kinds of people you might find in a Korean hospital setting.

Doctor ➔ Uisa

Nurse ➔ Ganhosa

Patient ➔ Hwanja


This list of English to Korean family and people words was last updated on April 1, 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.


The Fine Print

I don't speak Korean myself, so there could be mistakes in the translations. Most of what is here is user-submitted, but I do try to check for accuracy and make corrections as I can. Thanks for your understanding. Best of luck on your Korean language learning journey!



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