Lesson #1 // Part Two

Korean For Dummies

Now, I’m going to move on to honourifics towards your elders and respected people (though most people probably already know the basics). There are a lot, depending on which family from which side and if they are older or younger and it's really really complicated.

Hyung (): from a younger male to an older male, usually shows that the two people are pretty close.

Noona (also spelled as Nuna) (누나): from a younger male to an older female, usually shows that the two people are pretty close.

Oppa (오빠): from a younger female to an older male, usually shows that the two people are pretty close.

Unni (also spelled as Unnie) (언니): from a younger female to an older male, usually shows that the two people are pretty close.

-Ssi (-): You use this when you’re talking about someone you don’t know that well, it’s formal. (ex. Dongwoo-ssi (동우씨) is a nice person.)

-Nim (-): Often used when talking about someone online that you don’t know at all. Or when you’re being super formal. For example, if you are talking to someone online, they often say ‘Nim is very kind’ or ‘Nim clearly doesn’t have a good ear for if a song is live or not’. 'Nim' is added behind a lot of words to make them more formal as well, for example 'seonsaengnim' (선생님) has the 'nim' behind it, 'seonsaeng' is the informal version.

Sunbae (선배): You use this to refer to someone who is your senior in school (even if they did not go to that school while you did-even if they went to your school ten years before you did). Also used for people who are your senior (or joined earlier) in clubs, or in a company or structured society like the entertainment world.

Hoobae (후배): You use this to refer to someone who is your junior in school (even if they did not go to that school while you did-even if they went to your school ten years after you did). Also used for people who are you junior (or joined later) in clubs, or in a company or structured society like the entertainment world.

You don’t use this as an honourific-if you are talking to someone your junior, you would usually just talk to them informally or call them ‘-ssi’ if you’re really polite. They’ll probably just tell you to drop the formalities, though. (Some people find it burdensome, especially if you are their senior).

Seonsaengnim (선생님): Teacher, like noted above. Or a really respected elderly person.

Ssaem (): The shortened version of teacher, used for teachers you are close with, very casual.

Gyosunim (교수님): Professor.

Umma (엄마): Mom.

Umonim (어머님)/Umoni (어머니): Mother. If you are really polite, you can call your mom this, though few people do. The first one is more formal than the second, the ‘nim’ makes things more formal. You can also call older females this, especially if you are being polite (or if they are your mother in law). Though the official mother in law term is Si-umoni (시어머니), no one really calls them that. Just call them ‘umoni’ or ‘umonim,’ if you want to be super formal.

Appa (아빠): Dad.

Abonim (아버님)/aboji (아버지): Father. If you are really polite, you can call your dad this, though few people do. The first one is more formal than the second, the ‘nim’ makes things more formal. You can also call older males this, especially if you are being polite (or if they are your father in law). Though the official father in law term is Si-aboji (시어버지), no one really calls them that. Just call them ‘aboji’ or ‘abonim,’ if you want to be super formal.

Yeobo (여보): An endearing term used for your husband/wife.

Jagi (자기): Now, many people think it's Jagiyah (자기야), but like I mentioned in the last chapter, you add 'yah' when addressing someone, and this was added because it doesn't end in a consonant.

Ahjumma (아줌마): A term used for older women who are not related to you. It’s pretty informal, you can call older women waitresses at a not that fancy restaurant this, or the older woman who is doing your hair, etc.

Imo (이모): A term used for younger (late 20s to late 30s) women. Also pretty informal. Also the term for an aunt on your mother’s side who is blood related to your mother.

Imo-bu (이모부): Your uncle on your mother’s side who is not blood related to your mother (the husband of an imo).

Samchon (삼촌): A term used for younger (late 20s to late 30s) men. Also the term for an uncle on your mother’s side who is blood related to your mother.

Sukmo (숙모): Your aunt on your mother’s side who is not blood related to your mother (the wife of an samchon).

Gomo (고모): Your aunt on your father’s side who is blood related to your father.

Gomo-bu (고모부): Your uncle on your father’s side who is not blood related to your father (the husband of a gomo).

Keun aboji/appa/abonim (큰아버지/아빠/아버님): The direct translation is big father/dad. Your uncle on your father’s side who is blood related to your father (and a hyung to him-older than him).

Keun umoni/umma/umonim (큰어머니/엄마/어머님): The direct translation is big mother/mom. Your aunt on your father’s side who is not blood related to your father (the wife of a keun aboji/appa/abonim).

Jageun aboji/appa/abonim (작은아버지/아빠/아버님): The direct translation is small father/dad. Your uncle on your father’s side who is blood related to your father (and younger than him).

Jageun umoni/umma/umonim (작은어머니/엄마/어머님): The direct translation is small mother/mom. Your aunt on your fahter’s side who is not blood related to your father (the wife of a jageun aboji/appa/abonim).

Halmoni (할머니): Grandmother. Once again, you can use this term for any elderly women, but it is kind of formal.

Haraboji (할아버지): Grandfather. Once again, you can use this term for any elderly men, but it is kind of formal.

Chingu (친구): Meaning friend, or sometimes to mean someone your age. For example, when you first meet someone and then you find out you’re the same age, someone can say, “So you guys are chingus!” or “So you guys are dongkap!”

I’ve seen some fics say “Myungsoo chingu!” or whatever, but let me just tell you that that is totally incorrect. It’s like saying “Bob friend!” You could say, “My beloved chingu Myungsoo! (내가 사랑하는 친구 명수!)” but you would never use it as an suffix. This is a noun.

Dongkap (동갑): Someone in the same level of you (as opposed to sunbae or hoobae) or the same age as you. You would say, "Jimin and I are dongkap," or something like that. This is a noun.

Dongsaeng (동생): Someone younger than you, and usually close to you. Once again, you don't use this as a suffix. This is a noun.

Maknae (막내): The youngest of a group of people. This is a noun.

Mathyung (맏형): The oldest boy of a group. This is a noun.

Matunni (맏언니): The oldest girl of a group. This is a noun.

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xiu_mine
#1
Chapter 1: Hey this is brilliant! I have been interested in learning your language in the last 3 years but couldnt move past learning the alphabet and some of the phrases I hear from dramas so I really appreciate you trying to make it easy for us. Sometimes books dwell too much on grammar when what we actually need are those which we can put to use while talking in Hangeul. Will definitely read this to learn. Thank you!
itztae
#2
i love this! im not korean but i go to a korean international school so im pretty fluent and some of the korean on this site kills me a little bit on the inside
Nami98
#3
Chapter 2: Wow! This is really helpful! I like the fact that you have taken inititaive and are willing to help others! :D I am actually studying Korean, and I don't have any friends who speak Korean (but they are Korean. Such a bummer!), so I will definitely come back to this "fanfic" and ask you for some guidance xD Thanks again for this! Totally awesome!!