What it Means to Be Oppa, Unnie, Hyung, Noona (Older in Korea)
– Noona (누나) = Older sister (used by males)
– Hyung (형) = Older brother (used by males)
– Unnie (언니) = Older sister (used by females)
Tip: To first understand this post properly, you’ll have to know your Korean age. Koreans calculate age by birth year (not the actual birthday). And this means even if you’re only 1 month older than someone, but born in a different year (i.e. December 1987 vs January 1988), you’re still considered older. Just think of January 1st as a line that isn’t crossed; you’re either on one side or the other.
Here’s what to expect once you’ve figured the other people’s age:
Same Age = Friend (친구)
Being the same age in Korea means you’re equals, and you’ll be instantly labeled a friend. It doesn’t matter if you’re a very unpleasant person, and the other person hates you. For people of the same age, the actual term used in Korean to refer to people of the same age is “friend” (친구 – chingu). And although most Koreans will use honorific language to show respect to people that they don’t know too well, many Koreans will drop the cumbersome honorific language and use casual Korean once they find out they’re the same age as you. And it’s not just language. Finding out that someone is the same age automatically makes Koreans a little more comfortable as there aren’t any expectations that are associated with being younger or older.
Tip: Dropping honorific language is common for younger Koreans. But the older you get, the less professional/mature you look by speaking casual Korean, even if you’re the same age.
Being Older (Oppa/Unnie/Hyung/Noona)
Since Korean culture is heavily influenced by Confucianism (some say more than China), being older, even by 1 year, automatically means you’ll be getting what Aretha Franklin wanted: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. That doesn’t mean you’ll be getting 90 degree bows (an ultimate sign of respect) from someone that’s only a few months younger than you. But you’re definitely higher up than the other person, and that generally means your opinions are more respected as you’re older and wiser (at least theoretically). So that means even if you’re 35 years old, jobless and in your mom’s basement for the last 7 years, it wouldn’t be right for your 21 year old tech start-up CEO cousin to give you advice. In Korea, it’s just not her place to tell you how to shape up. (That’s why things can get tricky when a boss is younger than his/her workers.)
Being Younger (Dongsaeng)
Being younger doesn’t mean you have to shut up and be quiet, however. Being younger has many perks. Because you’re younger in Korea, many older Koreans will generally feel the need to “take care” of you, which can mean a number of different things. If you’re hanging out with Koreans, an older Korean friend might feel the need to go out of his/her way to drive you home, even if you’re at the opposite end of the city. If you’re having a hard time at work, your older Korean coworker might feel the need to treat you out to a relaxing spa. Sometimes being cared for means you’ll be treated out to a meal. Being younger than everyone can be pretty awesome in Korea. But remember, you’re always older than other people too, so pay it forward.
When Age Doesn’t Matter (as much)
– Generally, the closer the age (+/- 1 to 3 years), the less these views hold true. You’ll still be older, but only by a little. And that means you’ll be close enough to be friends (chingu).
– The closer the relationship, the less age matters. If you’re very good friends with a younger/older Korean, a lot of the hierarchy goes out the window, and you just end up being friends.
– For business relationships, Koreans may try to be understanding of other cultures and will not put so much emphasis on age.
– The older you are, the less age matters. A 1 year age difference is huge for a teenager, but doesn’t mean much for a senior citizen.
Do you have your own experience with oppa/unnie/hyung/noona? Let us know by writing in the comments!
227 Comments
uhmm, hi i just want to know something coz i hve a friend on facebook he’s indian and i call him oppa bcoz he’s older than me i’m 16 and my friend is 27
the n
just call him bhaiyya
-love from india
Hey u need not to call him oppa just ‘bhai’ or big brother.
I’m also Indian, and if you really want to call him as a big brother, it really depends on the language he uses. I can only tell you what to call him if he speaks Tamil (Anna is how you address an older brother in Tamil), but you would probably have to ask him if you really wanted to know.
Or (sorry huge BTS fan I love them) Jiminie
yass i love BTS who is your Bias. My Bias is RM and my Bias Wrecker is Jungkookie
AH my bias is chimchim🖤
OMGOMGOMG yessssssss I LOVE BTS 💗 my bias is SUGA I love him 😍
OMG he’s my bias too!
Omg the ARMY is literally everywhere!
Yeah! ??
Well I jisy seen your guys comments and had to put in my two cents? my bias in Tae 김태형 and bias wrecker in Jin 김석진 ?????♀️
I wrote this so fast bcos I was too excited??? my bad
Kim Namjoon, Kim-seokjin, Min-yoongi, Jung hoseok, Park JImin, Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungkook…BTS!
Bruh literally MEEEE!😂
I am not allowed to have a bias, because all of BANGTAN is biases because they all are my life.
Bangtan Saranghaeyo !!!
I honestly do love our A.R.M.Y fam that are everywhere.
Like FWIGHTING !!! ✊ 💗💕💘
Haha! Yes, it seems ARMY is everywhere! My bias is Yoongi! And the rest are my bias wreckers! Haha! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Haha yess
stop
My bias is Yoongi and my bias wrecker is all of them, i love them so much i cry about it <3333
XD Love BTS sooooooooooooo much too but in this case wouldn’t he call him Jin?
ARMY IS EVERY WERE
NO WAY OF RUNNING FROM IT!😂😊❤❤❤
Hahahahah XD the ARMYs cannot be stoped
They are everywhere XD
YESSSSS By the way I am ARMY and bias is Yoongi hyung… and bias wrecker is technically the whole maknae line but probs jiminie
You can call him bhaiya or bhai
hi! i just want to know something bcoz i have a friend on facebook and he’s indian but i called he’s oppa bcoz i just give him respect in korean way bcoz i am a kpop fan specialy to shinee , and he’s 27 and i’m 16 then what my friend should be call to me is it unnie or noona???.. please kindly read my question kamsahamnida . 🙂
Well, you’re younger than him so he doesn’t need to call you Noona. And Unnie is only used by females to their older sister. I’m sorry if I’m wrong…
You’re right I think, but isn’t unnie used by a girl for anyone older who demands respect? So it means your older sister but actually it’s respectful to call someone older than you that as it shows you respect them as someone older than you.
But what should a girl suppose to call a younger boy in korean…??
You are dongseang
your younger so it must be dongsaeng/saeng
he should call you like that 🙂
well…if neither of you are korean there isn’t a lot of point in you two giving respect in the ‘korean way’. unless you’re korean or your friend is..or if you are in korea…i don’t see any reason for you to be calling your friend oppa.
Agreed. No point, doesn’t make sense. And why does a 16 year old have a 27 year friend?
why not i’m 19 and i have a 10 year old friend
But you are 19 so you’re an adult you can do whatever you want. no one really cares! But if you’re 16 and you are friends with someone who is 11 years older it’s different because you’re still a child when you’re 16 also in what social circumstance would a 27-year-old want to hang out or be friends with a 16-year-old. it doesn’t happen. Also it’s kind of predatory behaviour wanting to talk too A young girl when the guys so much older
Lololol she shouldn’t be using Facebook if she’s 16 lol.
why not im 16b and i use facebook lol i use it to contact all my family
he shud call u dongsaeng
Um…well if you read, Unni or Nunna is actually for women older than men so unfortunately, he can’t call you Unni/Nunna. What he should call you is more like Dongsaeng (for older people to younger people).
?
Unnie* / Noona*
If your friend is an Indian, there is no need to address him as oppa. We Indians don’t follow any particular way of addressing except when the person is much elder to us. If the guy is your friend, then you can call him by his name.
Actually I’m also Indian and I would love it if she called me oppa! >_<
It’s ok m also Indian there is no problem u can call him
Well you are older than me so do you mind if I call you noona? And I have been a K-Pop fan for 6 years I have been one group in 2011 and Im really hooked on BTS since2013 K-Pop is what I live for.
I love BTS, and I’m really confused on saying ‘hey’ in a certain way to hyungs (the ‘of course’ game with BTS) and jungkook says ‘hey’ to jin which is supposed to be disrespectful. Do you know what that’s about??
So what do older males call younger females?
I’m pretty sure that there isn’t an honorific as such for younger people. Officially they are a dongsaeng but you wouldn’t call them that – I think you use their name and if it ends in a consonant you add an “-ah” but if it’s a vowel you add a “-yah” – hope this helps 🙂
or “-ie” like for example (sorry bts fan) “jungkook-ie” or “jungkook-ah” either one would work
Great example. 🙂 He is the youngest in the group so they can all call him that, but he can’t call them anything similar unless they say it’s okay (or if he is purposefully disrespecting them to be funny). He has to call them Hyung.
so many armys here
OH MY GOD MY HEART IS… MY HEART IS… OH MY GOD. WASSUP FELLOW ARMY!!!
Or (sorry huge BTS fan I love them) Jiminie
I discovered Korean dramas through a friend and fell in love. It made me want to learn more about Korean language and culture. I was really struggling to figure out why some people in the dramas called others unnie, oppa, noona, etc. Your blog made that so simple and clear. I didn’t see sunbae mentioned, but from watching shows it seems to me like something you’d call a student in a higher grade? That’s my best guess, and if there’s more to it I’d love to learn.
Thank you for creating such a well designed and informative blog. Your writing style is SO easy for other Americans to relate to and understand.
That’s what brought me here tooo, k dramas ?
Sunbae is like Senpai. It’s someone who’s been in a profession longer than you. If you were in a musical group, you would call a group who debuted before you your Sunbaes.
yes sunbae is for people in a lower schooling year level than you
“I discovered Korean dramas through a friend and fell in love. It made me want to learn more about Korean language and culture. I was really struggling to figure out why some people in the dramas called others unnie, oppa, noona, etc. Your blog made that so simple and clear.”
My feelings exactly, except I found K-drama on my own. This blog has helped me better understand the nuances of Korean culture as presented in the shows I watch. The shows and locations also make a visit to Korea especially appealing to me. Here’s hoping one day I’ll get there.
Same 😁
Does this mean that you can’t date someone older or younger?
i don’t think so
As far as I know you can date someone older than you (otherwise dating would be much more difficult lol). Just because Korean has an honorific system it doesn’t mean you can’t get close to people that differ in age to you. I think (and I highly encourage anyone to correct me if this is wrong) that in more serious romantic relationships then titles (hyung, oppa, unnie, noona) can act almost like pet names? I’m probably wrong on that though hah.
Lol kind of true lol. Although it is extremely rare for a man to date a woman older than himself in Korea…
Anyways, as far as I know, girls do call their guys ‘oppa’…
Marriage in South Korea is a union between a man and a woman. A man over 18 and a woman over 18 years old may marry with their parents’ or guardians’ consent, and a person over 20 may marry freely.
Very informative especially to us who loves watching Korean drama.
Nice blog & article, still you should work at your menu, it slips out on different resolutions you can use a drop down button if the resolution is under 900px
What does an older woman call a young man who has superior status?
“sunbae” is what you use when someone is more experienced than you at something regardless of their age, like for example they’ve been working for 2 years and you’re a new employee 🙂
Hello! I’m In Myanmar(Burma). My girl friends called me ‘OPPA’. Cause, How can I call to her as Korean.
Dongsaeng probably
low
I’ve been enjoying some very meaningful Korean dramas. Started with Empress Ki bcs I read in some drama blog that it’s very good. It gave me a tiny peepatKorean history. Indeed I found the main and even the supporting cast really highly accomplished. I used to dislike the Korean language as it sounded rough to me (and a little like Tamil,an Indian dialect). I was wondering what hyung,oppa,unni etc meant. Thanks for the explanation. I don’t really go for those mushy romantic dramas but I’ve fallen in love with some Korean actors/actresses. They are so talented and good-looking. They could act,sing,dance etc.
10 years ago my son was working for a few months in Seoul while on practical training in the beginning of his third year engineering course. A Korean colleague liked him and I was worried he might end up marrying a foreigner. He did not pursue the girl bcs he thought a long-distance relationship would not work. Now I wished I had encouraged him LOL. Now after watching a few Korean dramas I understand why he likes Korean culture so much. he was very well-treated by his senior colleagues at the company where he was attached to for those few months.
Again,thank you Keith.
annyong!!! bangawo, hangugeo jogeum halsu isseoyo,yeong-eo haseyo????ihae doeseyo???hehehehehe…….mianhae mian hamnida jeongmal mianhapnida!!!!!!!hehehehehe….gomawo dae dahee gamsahamnida mianhae jalga anionghi gaseyo annyong geseyo jal it ssoe!!!!BYE!!!!!
Did u know that there’s a Korean keyboard on phones? Go into your settings and add it
koreaboo lmao
i-
So if someone is a little older than me, but only for a few months let’s say my birthday is on august and that person birthday is on april. We’re still friends or i have to use a honorific?
It depends on your relationship with that person. Since the example shows that the age difference is only by a few months, it doesn’t really matter as it say in the article. If you are good friends, then its no need as it says in the article.
If you two are born in the same year (for example, April 2000 and August 2000), you have equal status. No honorifics.
No offense, but maybe learn to spell and speak correct English first before learning another language.
For example, saying “My birthday is on August” does not make sense you can’t be on a month but, your birthday can be “in August.” Also, the sentence that says “We’re still friends” is not a complete sentence its a statement but, it sounds like your asking a question so it should be written as one. As in “Are we still friends?” and lastly, the sentence that begins as “Or I have to use honorific?” is also not a correct grammar. Since you are asking a question you need to start with a question word like i.e: “Do I have to use honorific?” Please don’t get mad at me I just want to help you with your grammar so you can get your point across better. If you were rushing while typing or was a typo than I apologize in advance. 🙂
If you feel the need to start your comment with no offence you should probably just keep it to yourself
hello! i’m just asking for example when to an older brother. when I’m addressing with him on a text, let’s just call him mark, should i type “mark hyung’s” or “mark’s hyung”?
It depends if you are a girl or a boy. If you are a boy talking to another boy which is your brother you address him with hyung. Hope you find this helpful.
You should type “Mark Hyung’s”. Since you’re talking about what your hyung owns, you put the “apostrophe-S” after his name and title. That’s why you say “my friend’s”, instead of “my’s friend”, or “Sean McLoughlin’s” instead of “Sean’s McLoughlin”. “Mark’s Hyung” would be adressing the hyung of Mark. “Mark Hyung’s” is about Mark, who happens to be the hyung of Jeno, and possesses something. I hope this is helpful.
What if I have a twin? I am only younger by a minute…if I spoke korean and maybe lived in korea would I refer to her in a certain way?
Im not sure but I will give you a few options.
1. You two have a close relationship so you can consider her/him your friend so no need
2. Its only by a minute so I don’t think it counts, but if it does
3. Call him/her hyung/noona/unnie
I hope you find this helpful, and im not sure that this is correct. So you can just look up more websites about this. Im just trying to help.
No. Honorifics are only used if the person is, at the very least, one year older than you. So, an example. If your brother was born o 1999 and you were born in 2000, then you call him “hyung” (if you’re a boy), or “oppa” (if you’re a girl). But if it’s your twin, then you don’t have to. If they’re only months older than you, you don’t have to use honorifics either. Also, you would have a pretty close relationship with your twin brother-sister, so it wouldn’t be required.
I thought the honorifics still apply in this situation because the said person is the little brother/sister?
Sorry if I’m wrong though.
I love K dramas, movies and series…everyone is either gorgeous or handsome and they are exceptionally great actors/esses.I am hooked on everything K. This explanation comes in handy since my buddies and I in college have taken up the habit of using K expressions when referring to each other. none of us are Korean. I think am transethnic….lol
How do I know if the guy are oppa or ahjussi? Where is the line?
Oppa, is used for an older guy than you but still young (between High school/College age and to Late 30″s) roughly I think. Ajeossi or Ahjussi, is what you call a much older person than you (40’s yrs old but, not elderly because you would call them Grandmother/Granny or Grandfather) usually used in referring to other male family members or other males who are friends with your parents etc. you would call them Uncle. For an example, a child would refer to their Father’s friend as “ajeossi /ahjussi or Uncle.” I could be wrong but, I believe this is the distinction between the two hope this helps.
Imagine you are 20 old girl. Than can you date with 25 boy? Yes. 30 man? Umm… Maybe? 40? No. Normally until about 30 old young man. Of course if you are 40 old woman, can call oppa to 45 old man playfully.
I’m a huge kpop and kdrama fan and I have picked up a few words/phrases in Korean but I want to learn more. Where can I learn how to speak Korean?
Google Play has several korean language learning apps, and there are many people on Youtube offering free language learning tutorials to teach the basics and you can always find blogs online to help as well.
I am learning on Memrise and it is really great so far! it has little games ans quizzes to make sure you remember what you learned before and you can repeat things too. I learned the alphabet on an app specifically meant to teach you the letters though and I made myself flash cards. I also like EggBun because it’s like you’re chatting with someone who teaches you letters and then shows you what words you can spell with the letters you know!
There are many options, so try different ones until you find one that seems to help you remember the best. Also, you could try this on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/seemile/playlists?sort=dd&view=50&shelf_id=5
This is just one of many. Hope this helps!
LOOK UP …TALK TO ME IN KOREAN. YOU WILL FIND FREE AUDIO COURSES, WORKSHEETS, PLUS THEY HAVE HUNDREDS OF CLASSES ON YOUTUBE. KOREAN UNNIE AND SWEETANDSASSY TV ON YOUTUBE ARE ALSO REALLY GOOD TOO.
Is it weird I call my older guy friend Hyung even though I’m a girl. Cause Oppa sounds more like a relationship name.
Yeah, because huung is what a guy uses to address and older guy. If he is okay with you calling him hyung then I doubt that would be an issue. I can see where you’re coming from with how Oppa sounds like a relationship name, because we mainly hear it in things as a girl addressing her boyfriend as oppa. Just make sure to remember if you talk to any other older Korean guys (that sounded weirder than I intended) to call him Oppa. 🙂
The correct spelling using Latin alphabet is oppa, hyeong, eonni and nuna. Better to use the official romanization!
I’m female and I call people hyung, oops
I’m female and I call people hyung, oops and wow too
I’m not sure about this, but is it okay if you say their nickname and then use honorifics? For example, then name is Jackson. And their nickname is Jacky. Is it okay to say:
Jacky-oppa??
Can i call my frnd who is younger than me as unni
what to say them when they call you oppa.
Hy I have a Korean friend who is 3 yrs older than me I don’t suppose him as brother he is more like my crush so what should I call him by oppa is generally refered for brother right?
Is it true that some girls can call an older boy hyung rather than oppa?
Most girls calling a older guys are Hyung and Oppa
I’m a little confused, I thought that oppa was another word to call your boyfriend? Or is it based on how your relationship is?
When should you start calling someone hyung or unnie? When you first meet or after you’ve known each other for a while?
When can you start calling someone hyung or unnie?