LEARN + KOREAN / 2 of 125 TOPIK I

This Is My Family 은/는

“As for my older sister, she’s a teacher”: 언니는 선생님이에요. 은/는 marks the topic—the person or thing you’re about to say something about. Use 은 after a consonant and 는 after a vowel.

저는 vs 제

jeoneun elliyeyo.

I'm Ellie.

je ireumeun elliyeyo.

My name is Ellie.

Notice the casual row changed more than the ending. 저 and 제 are the polite, lowered forms of “I” and “my,” the ones you use with strangers and teachers. Talking to a friend, they drop to 나 and 내.

This Is My Friend

이 사람 (this person) works like a placeholder you can swap for anyone. Once you’ve pointed at someone, 은/는 hands the topic over to their name, their job, or whoever they belong to.

i sarameun gasuyeyo.

This person is a singer.

je chinguneun yorisayeyo.

My friend is a chef.

je dongsaengeun haksaengieyo.

My younger sibling is a student.

In Real Life

씨 (attached to a full name or given name, like 안나 씨 or 지혜 씨) is the default polite title for another adult, roughly as neutral as “Mr./Ms.” But it only pairs with a given name. Attaching it to a surname alone, like 김 씨, sounds blunt or even a little condescending, the opposite of how “Mr. Kim” reads in English.

Yes, My Mother Is a Doctor

Family words swap out just as easily, though a few change entirely once you’re speaking casually. 어머니 turns into 엄마 the moment the conversation relaxes, the same shift English makes from “mother” to “mom.”

eomeonineun uisayeyo.

My mother is a doctor.

hyeongeun gasuyeyo.

My older brother is a singer.

i sarameun gyeongcharieyo.

This person is a police officer.

anna ssiui jigeobeun haksaengieyo.

Anna's job is being a student.

seoureun hangugui sudoyeyo.

Seoul is the capital of Korea.

In Real Life

Koreans essentially never call an older sibling by their first name, even as adults with kids of their own. A younger brother calls his older sister 누나 for life, not her name. It’s less like a nickname and more like the relationship itself replaces the name in conversation.

Vocabulary

Korean	English
어머니 eomeoni	mother (polite)
엄마 eomma	mom (casual)
아버지 abeoji	father
형 hyeong	older brother (said by a male)
누나 nuna	older sister (said by a male)
오빠 oppa	older brother (said by a female)
언니 eonni	older sister (said by a female)
남동생 namdongsaeng	younger brother
여동생 yeodongsaeng	younger sister
할아버지 harabeoji	grandfather
할머니 halmeoni	grandmother
삼촌 samchon	uncle
이모 imo	aunt (mother's sister)
고모 gomo	aunt (father's sister)
사촌 sachon	cousin
직업 jigeop	job, occupation
우리 uri	we, our (used for family instead of "my": 우리 엄마)
가족 gajok	family
막내 mangnae	youngest child or sibling
아기 agi	baby

YOUR PROGRESS

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