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Whether you’re the youngest or oldest person in a group, you’re expected to behave in a certain way in South Korea. For example, it’s important to show respect to someone who is older or of higher status than you by following expected protocol. This blog will guide you through how to use Korean honorific names and offer you cultural insights, so that you don’t offend Koreans next time you travel to South Korea! 1. Master List of Korean Honorific TitlesBefore we begin, did you know that Korean and International age are different? Try to calculate your 한국 나이 (“Korean age”) the way that Koreans would. Also, keep in mind that there’s numerous ways to address someone who is older than you. Definition of Each Korean Title:
To add a Korean title is very easy. What you need to do is ask a person’s Korean age and her/his name. After that, just add Korean honorifics after their names. For example:
In general, don’t use 여동생 (yeodongsaeng) or 남동생 (namedongsaeng) to call someone who’s younger than you. Call them by their name, such as 지민아 (jimina), 혜지야 (hyejiya). If you don’t have a Korean name, there won’t be any 아 or 야 after your name, so it will be only 제이슨 (jeiseun), 테레사 (teresa), 민탕 (mintang), 리하오 (rihao). For those who don’t know how to write your own name in Korean or want to have a Korean name, KoreanClass101 has a page dedicated to writing Korean names. In Korea, when you meet someone for the first time, the conversation below is often: 소희: 소연 씨는 한국 나이로 몇 살이에요? 소연: 한국 나이로 25살이에요. 소희: 아, 난 올해 26살인데! 소연: 아, 그렇군요, 앞으로 소희언니라고 부를게요. A. Cultural Insight: What it Means to be OlderIn Korea, age is important and addressing someone with an appropriate title is crucial. Also, you need to show respect to someone who is one year older or even just a few months older than you. This might sound crazy at first, but if you happen to be older than other fellows, there are many benefits you can enjoy: 1- Benefits of Being Older in Korea1. You can order 동생 (dongsaeng) “young fellows” to do things for you. 2. Others will show respect to you by bowing to you. 3. People will speak to you with formal language. Let’s see if you can distinguish the difference: A: 효린아, 안녕. 주말 잘 보냈어? B: 효린 언니/누나, 안녕하세요. 주말 잘 보내셨어요? Which sentence uses formal language? Which one uses informal language? That’s right. A is informal language and B is formal language. Here’s another example. Let’s say that you’re working on a group assignment and you found out that you’re the youngest in the group. Which expression is most likely used by you? A: 나 지금 어디 빨리 가야 해서, 나중에 얘기하자. B: 선배님, 그럼 연락처 알려주시겠어요? 2- Disadvantages of Being Older in KoreaHowever, regardless of how you can take advantages of these things mentioned above, there are also downsides about being older in a group: 1. You are expected to pay for the
lunch/dinner. (You ordered some food at a café and 선배님 wants to pay for you.) 선배: 내가 오늘 한턱 쏜다!
후배: 우와, 선배님 짱! 감사합니다! 2. You need to lead the group. 3. It might become difficult for you to make friends. B. Cultural Insight: What it Means to be YoungerIf you’re younger or the youngest in a group, there are a number of things you’ll need to do for older people, including: 1- Use formal language/bow every time you meet them. A lot of students who are learning Korean struggle with 존댓말 (jondaenmal) “formal language,” but don’t worry, it takes time to get used to these Korean honorifics. If you’re able to use Korean honorific expressions when speaking to people in Korea, they will be surprised at first (because you’re fluent in Korean!) but they’ll also show great respect to you in return. Let’s try to learn a few different Korean honorifics: – When you speak to a professor: – When you speak to a male who’s older than you – When you speak to someone who’s the same age as you 2- Unless they allowed you to do so, never use informal language. 2. Business/Work TitlesWe’ve learned from the list of Korean honorific titles that if there’s someone who is older or has higher status than you at work, he or she will most likely call your name by [name]씨. There are many other titles that you can use in the workplace. For instance, if you want to call your colleagues and superiors, you can use [name]님 or [name]대리님 or another work title accordingly. Here’s a list of commonly used work titles in Korea (ordered from higher status to lower status):
If you want to call someone from your work, simply add an appropriate title after his or her name. For example:
Keep in mind that not all Korean companies strictly follow these rules. Other (foreign) companies 외국계 회사 (oegukgye hoesa) “a foreign-affiliated firm” or start-up companies use either English names or 님 to everyone to allow for flat organization. 3. Be Careful When You Use Korean Honorific Titles!It can be difficult to learn at first because there are many rules that you need to remember. Here are some tips for you to memorize so that you don’t make these mistakes in the future! To call a taxi driver: To
call an old lady: To call an old man: To call a grandfather: 4. KoreanClass101 Can Help You Improve Your KoreanKoreanClass101 has a lesson that discusses Korean honorifics in detail, so please check out our free Korean lesson “Show People Respect with Korean Honorific Speech.” Even if you can read and understand Korean well, it can be problematic if you can’t pronounce the language properly. We have a free lesson on “How to Sound Like a Native: Korean Pronunciation” as well, so please check it out! If you have any questions regarding the Korean language, culture, and more, check out our KoreanClass101 forum. 감사합니다 (polite form of “thank you” in Korean). We hope that you learned a lot of Korean honorifics today! Go put them to good use on your next visit to Korea! What do Koreans call boys?Minjung October 4, 2022. Oppa is the chameleon of Korean words. You can call the same guy oppa and the meaning changes based on your relationship.
How do you address a Korean man?Here are some of the most common Korean honorifics you'll need to know.. 씨 (shi) When added to a name, this essentially means Mr./Mrs./Miss. ... . 군 (goon) This honorific is not as common as 씨, but it basically means the same thing. ... . 양 (yang) ... . 님 (nim) ... . 선배 (sun-bae) ... . 후배 (hu-bae) ... . 귀하 (gwi-ha) ... . 아 (ah). What do you call a younger Korean boy?동생 (dongsaeng) Literal meaning: “younger sibling” Is used to call: A younger male or female sibling or any friend who's younger than you (as a female/male)
What is opposite of oppa?누나 (noona) to address a female friend who is older. Nuna is the opposite of oppa. While oppa is used exclusively by females when addressing older males, nuna is used exclusively by males when addressing older females. You may also see 누나 spelled as “Nuna.” Nuna is used in place of a person's name.
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