What do we say Unnie in Korean?
Meaning of Noona (누나) = older sister. Meaning of Unnie (언니) = older sister.
You can write “unnie” in Korean as 언니. The most common way to write 언니 in romanized English is “unnie.” If you follow the romanization rules, it is spelled “eonni.” Less commonly, you may also see the word written as “oni” or “uni.”
언니 [unnie] addresses a 'older sister' of a female speaker. 형 [hyung] addresses a 'older brother' of a male speaker. 누나 [noona] addresses a 'older sister' of a male speaker.
You can call older female relatives such as cousins, “unnie”. An older female cousin in Korean is “sa-chon unnie (사촌언니)”, but you don't call her that. Instead, you can call your sa-chon unnie by “name + unnie” or simply “unnie”.
여자친구 (“yeo-ja-chin-gu”) — Girlfriend
It's the combination of 여자 (“yeo-ja”) which means woman, and 친구 (“chin-gu”) which means friend.
Sister in Korean
It depends on the gender of someone addressing one's sister. For males, an older sister is addressed as 누나 (nuna). For females, an older sister is called 언니 (eonni). 누나 (nuna) and 언니 (eonni) can also be used when talking about one's older sister to others.
여동생 (yeodongsaeng) Literal meaning: “younger sister” Is used to call: A younger female sibling or any female who's younger than you (as a female/male)
- Younger brother: 남동생 (namdongsaeng)
- Younger sister: 여동생 (yeodongsaeng)
Does noona mean girlfriend? No, it simply refers to an older sister/woman in a friendly tone. Most guys who are or want to be in a relationship with noona don't want to call them noona, unless they want to be cute or ask for a favor.
The Korean word hyung has the same meaning as oppa above. It is also used to address an older brother or male friend. The key difference is that oppa is only used by girls, while hyung is only used by boys.
What does opa mean in Korean?
Borrowed from Korean 오빠 (oppa, “elder brother or close elder male friend (of a female)”).
Noona (누나): This is a term for older sisters of boys, but can also be used for an older female friend and even a girlfriend, who is older than the boy.

Using a kinship term: 언니 (eonni, "older sister" if speaker is female), 누나 (nuna, "older sister" if speaker is male), 오빠 (oppa, "older brother" if speaker is female), 형 (hyeong, "older brother" if speaker is male), 아줌마 (ajumma, "middle-aged woman"), 아주머니 (ajumeoni, also "middle aged woman" but more polite), 아저씨 (ajeossi ...
누님 nunim. Older sister (of a male)
언니 (eonni, "older sister"), used by females to address a slightly elder female.
오빠 (oppa) is also a common term for girls and women to use with their boyfriends and husbands. The term, 오빠 (oppa), is used both directly with your partner and when talking about him to others.
애교 (aegyo) – “Cute”
애교 (aegyo) is more a way of dressing and speaking than a slang term itself. But it means “lovely” or “cute.” Cuteness in Korean has its own culture, where you speak in aegyo with long drawn out syllables and exaggeratedly cute mannerisms. This is popular among Korean idols especially.
English | Korean (한국어) | Romanization |
---|---|---|
secret crush | 짝사랑 | jjaksarang |
couple | 커플 | keopeul |
kiss (quick peck) | 뽀뽀 | ppoppo |
kiss | 키스 | kiseu |
씨 (shi) When added to a name, this essentially means Mr./Mrs./Miss. It's the most common and general honorific, and your go-to for someone who you're unfamiliar with but is at a relatively equal social and conversational standing.
If you're referring to someone younger than you, the other person is your 동생 (dongsaeng). This term means both younger sister and little brother. However, if you want to put more emphasis on the gender of the 동생 (dongsaeng) you are talking about, you can add 여 (yeo) for girls and 남 (nam) for boys.
Why do Koreans say OMO?
“Omo” in Korean
The word “omo” is another common romanization for 어머. This word still means “oh my god” in Korean.
Noun. hoobae (plural hoobaes) An underclassman or junior, in the context of South Korea. quotations ▼ (South Korean idol fandom) A newer or less experienced idol.
The word "ahjussi" refers to a middle-aged man or uncle in South Korea.
/samonim/ lady. vocative noun. "Lady" is sometimes used by men as a form of address when they are talking to a woman that they do not know, especially in stores and on the street.
When talking directly to younger brothers and sisters, Koreans call them by their names. In the example above, Claire has only one “oppa”, but Mary has two. Mary would call both Michael and Bill “oppa”. Bill has two sisters but only one “noona”.
Noun. sunbae (plural sunbaes) An upperclassman or senior, in the context of South Korea. quotations ▼ (South Korean idol fandom) An older or more experienced idol, viewed as a veteran, mentor, or predecessor.
Does oppa mean boyfriend? Oppa simply refers to an older brother/man in a friendly tone. It can also mean a boyfriend or husband.
The two many ways to use aegyo in speech are to draw out the final vowel sound in a word or to add ㅁ (“m”) or ㅇ (“ng”) to the end of the word. Let's look at the first example. The most common aegyo word is probably 오빠 (oppa), which means “older brother” but is also used as a cute nickname for boyfriends and husbands.
대박 – (Daebak) Meaning: That's awesome! Stars in Korean dramas and variety shows use this word frequently.
Ssi (씨, 氏) is the most commonly used honorific used amongst people of approximately equal speech level. It is attached after the full name, such as 'Lee Seokmin ssi'' (이석민 씨), or simply after the first name, ''Seokmin ssi'' (석민 씨) if the speaker is more familiar with someone.
What is mean by daddy in Korean?
아빠 {noun} daddy (also: dad, pa)
Oi means cucumber, and muchim means mixed with seasonings. It's a simple side dish (banchan) you can make with any crunchy cucumbers such as Korean cucumbers, pickling cucumbers (aka Kirby), Persian, English, Japanese cucumbers, etc. It's delicious with any Korean meal and can be a quick kimchi substitute.
What is Omma Korean? 'Omma' or 'umma' 어머 means 'mother' in the Korean language. This would be used when addressing ones own mother, not when speaking to someone else's parent.
Female to older male = 오빠 사랑해요 (oppa saranghaeyo) Male to older female = 누나 사랑해요 (una saranghaeyo) 사랑합니다 (sarang-hamnida) = I love you (formal) The most formal I love you.
Recap: Words for “Older Sister”
“Unnie” ( ) is used between sisters. “Noona” ( ) is used between a brother and his older sister.
Both Noona and Unnie mean an “older sister” in Korean, but Noona is used by men and Unnie is used by women.
Noona (누나): This is a term for older sisters of boys, but can also be used for an older female friend and even a girlfriend, who is older than the boy.
– Noona (누나) = Older sister (used by males) – Hyung (형) = Older brother (used by males) – Unnie (언니) = Older sister (used by females)
Sunbae(선배, 先輩) is a word that refers to people with more experience (at work, school, etc), and hoobae(후배, 後輩) refers to people with less experience. Generally, hoobaes have to use jondaetmal(존댓말, honorific language) to sunbaes, meaning they have to speak very politely and treat them with respect.
Namjachingu – “Boyfriend”
To call someone your boyfriend, you can use namjachingu. Similar to the previous example, this term of endearment comprises two Korean words: namja (“man”) and chingu (“friend”).
What does Nuna mean?
Noun. nuna (plural nunat) Earth. country, land quotations ▼
The Korean word 친구 (chingu) translates to “friend,” but usage is a little bit different in Korean than it is in English. This is because Koreans generally only use the word for people of the same age or to refer to their close friends. The word 친구 (chingu) is quite easy to remember.
For younger siblings, the word is the same regardless of your gender: Younger brother: 남동생 (namdongsaeng) Younger sister: 여동생 (yeodongsaeng)