History UsefulNotes / KoreanHonorifics

* Seonbae (선배): Equivalent to Japanese ''[[SenpaiKohai -senpai]]''. Used in a company for senior employees, or in schools for those in higher classes. May be used as both an honorific and a title.
* Hubae (후배): Equivalent to Japanese ''[[SenpaiKohai -kohai]]''. Junior; may be used as an honorific or a title.

The following are honorifics that are used to address family members or individuals that the speaker is close with. They can be attached to the end of a person's name, or can be used as standalone titles. The usage of these pronouns depends on both the age and gender of the speaker ''and'' the addressee; males will never use female pronouns, an individual would never use a pronoun designated for older figures to address a younger person, and so on and so forth. However, they can still be used as titles by a third party. For example, a dad might ask his younger daughter, "Where is your Unni?" referring to his older daughter, using the term his younger daughter would use to refer to his older daughter (similar to English where the dad might ask his children "Where's Mom?" to find out where his wife is, even though he's not actually asking for ''his'' own mother, (ie the children's grandmother)).

* Seonbae (선배): Equivalent to Japanese ''[[SempaiKohai -senpai]]''. Used in a company for senior employees, or in schools for those in higher classes. May be used as both an honorific and a title.
* Hubae (후배): Equivalent to Japanese ''[[SempaiKohai -kohai]]''. Junior; may be used as an honorific or a title.

* Seonsaeng (선생): Very respectful, commonly translated as ''master'' or ''teacher''. On its own, it is applied to doctors, teachers, and some historical figures (e.g. Kim Ku ''seonsaeng'') or artists. Shares the same Chinese characters as the Japanese word ''sensei''.

* Oppa (오빠): Used by a female to address an older male. It can be used for the female's actual older brother/male relative, or for other older men (but not ''that'' much older) that she trusts. Women often use it for their (older) significant others as well.

* Gun (군): Used similarly to ''Ssi'' but applied to unmarried men/male minors only. Usually used by old people when addressing teenagers or young adults, such as when professors address their students, or when referring to the groom in weddings. Otherwise only used in formal writing, such as newspaper articles or in letters.
* Yang (양): Used similarly to ''Ssi'' but applied to unmarried women/female minors only. Usually used by old people when addressing teenagers or young adults, such as when professors address their students, or when referring to the bride in weddings. Otherwise only used in formal writing, such as newspaper articles or in letters.

* Seonbae (선배): Used in a company for senior employees, or in schools for those in higher classes. May be used as both an honorific and a title. Equivalent to Japanese ''[[SempaiKohai -senpai]]''.
* Hubae (후배): Junior; may be used as an honorific or a title. Equivalent to Japanese ''[[SempaiKohai -kohai]]''.

* Imo (이모): Uset to adress women who are too old to be an unnie or nuna, but too young to be a grandma. Sometimes used to call waitresses and store clerks.

The following are honorifics that are used to address family members or individuals that the speaker is close with. They can be attached to the end of a person's name, or can be used as standalone titles. The usage of these pronouns depends on both the gender of the speaker ''and'' the addressee; males will never use female pronouns, and vice versa. However, they can still be used as titles by a third party. For example, a dad might ask his younger daughter, "Where is your Unni?" referring to his older daughter, using the term his younger daughter would use to refer to his older daughter (similar to English where the dad might ask "Where is Mom?" to ask his children where his wife is, even though he's not actually asking for ''his'' mother, ie the children's grandmother).

* Gun (군): Used similarly to ''Ssi'' but applied to unmarried men/male minors only. Usually used by old people when addressing teenagers or young adults, such as when professors address their students, or when referring to the groom in weddings. Only used in formal writing, such as newspaper articles or in letters.
* Yang (양): Used similarly to ''Ssi'' but applied to unmarried women/female minors only. Usually used by old people when addressing teenagers or young adults, such as when professors address their students, or when referring to the groom in weddings. Only used in formal writing, such as newspaper articles or in letters.

!!Pronouns
The following are pronouns that are used to address family members or individuals that the speaker is close with. They can be attached to the end of a person's name, or can be used as standalone titles. The usage of these pronouns depends on both the gender of the speaker ''and'' the addressee; males will never use female pronouns, and vice versa. However, they can still be used as titles by a third party. For example, a dad might ask his younger daughter, "Where is your Unni?" referring to his older daughter, using the term his younger daughter would use to refer to his older daughter (similar to English where the dad might ask "Where is Mom?" to ask his children where his wife is, even though he's not actually asking for ''his'' mother, ie the children's grandmother).

* Hyung/Hyeong(형): Used by a male to address an older male. It can be used for the male's actual older brother/male relative, or for other older men (but not ''that'' much older) that he trusts.
* Unnie/Eonni (언니): Used by a female to address an older female. It can be used for the female's actual older sister/female relative, or other older women (but not ''that'' much older) that she trusts.

* Gun (군): Used in the same context as ''Ssi'' but applied to unmarried men/male minors only.
* Yang (양): Used in the same context as ''Ssi'' but applied to unmarried women/female minors only.
* Seonsaeng (선생): Very respectful, commonly translated as ''master'' or ''teacher''. On its own, it is applied to doctors and teachers. Shares the same Chinese characters as the Japanese word ''sensei''.

* Gakha (각하): Reserved for high-ranking government officials, including the president. Equivalent to ''His Excellency''. This honorific is no longer used in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) nowadays as it is the equivalent of the Japanese honorific ''Kakka'' and considered an unpleasant reminder of the Japanese rule.

* Nim (님): Reserved for anyone of a higher station than the speaker, or those whom the speaker holds in high regard. For example, students may call their upperclassmen ''Seonbae-nim''. It may be dropped if the parties involved are close enough that such formalities are unnecessary, such as with family and close friends. However, this honorific is mandatory for the formal use of the word ''Seonsaeng'': ''Seonseang-nim'' is respectful, but just ''Seonsaeng'' is considered (in some cases) very rude.

* Oppa (오빠): For a female's older brother (literally and figuratively) and for older (but not ''that'' much older) men whom the women trust. Women often use it for their (older) boyfriends as well. The sister equivalent is "Unni" (언니). Men never use either of these, except when using it as a title. For example, a dad might ask his younger daughter, "Where is your Unni?" referring to his older daughter, using the term his younger daughter would use to refer to his older daughter (similar to English where the dad might ask "Where is Mom?" to ask where his wife is when speaking to his children, even though he's not actually asking for ''his'' mother).
* Hyung(형): From the perspective of a male speaker, the male's older brother (literally and figuratively) and for older men that they're close to/respect. The sister equivalent is "Nuna" (누나). Women never use either of these.

*

* Oppa (오빠): For a female's older brother (literally and figuratively) and for older (but not ''that'' much older) men whom the women trust. Women often use it for their boyfriends as well. The sister equivalent is "Unni" (언니). Men never use either of these, except when using it as a title. For example, a dad might ask his younger daughter, "Where is Unni?" referring to his older daughter, using the term his younger daughter would use to refer to his older daughter (similar to English where the dad might ask "Where is Mom?" to ask where his wife is, when speaking to his children).
* Hyung(형): For a male's older brother (literally and figuratively) and for men they're close to/respect. The sister equivalent is "Nuna" (누나). Women never use either of these.

* Oppa (오빠): For a female's older brother (literally and figuratively) and for older (but not ''that'' much older) men whom the women trust. Women often use it for their boyfriends as well. The female equivalent is "Unni" (언니). Men never use either of these, except when using it as a title. For example, a dad might ask his younger daughter, "Where is Unni?" referring to his older daughter, using the term his younger daughter would use to refer to his older daughter (similar to English where the dad might ask "Where is Mom?" to ask where his wife is, when speaking to his children).
* Hyung(형): For a male's older brother (literally and figuratively) and for men they're close to/respect. The female equivalent is "Nuna" (누나). Women never use either of these.

* Hubaei (후배): Junior; may be used as an honorific or a title. Equivalent to Japanese ''[[SempaiKohai -kohai]]''.

* Gun (군): Used in the same context as ''Si'' but applied to unmarried men/male minors only.
* Yang (양): Used in the same context as ''Si'' but applied to unmarried women/female minors only.

* Si (씨; pronounced ''shee''): When appended to a full name or personal name, it indicates that the speaker considers the speakee to be of the same or a higher social level than themselves, and is most commonly used to refer to strangers or acquaintances. When appended to a surname, it indicates that the speaker considers themselves to be of a higher station than the speakee, and has a "distant" connotation that is considered rude if applied to elders.

* Dongmu (동무; "[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Tongmu]]" according to the [=McCune=]-Reischauer transliteration used in North Korea): The Korean equivalent to the word "comrade". In North Korea, just like in [[SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn the Soviet Union and many other Eastern Bloc countries]], this word replaced most of the existing titles and honorifics as a standard form of address meaning "fellow revolutionary", whereas in the South it has mostly gone out of use due to its association with the DirtyCommunists.

* Gakha (각하): Reserved for high-ranking government officials, including the president. Equivalent to ''His Excellency''. This honorific is no longer used in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) nowadays as it is the equivalent of the Japanese honorific ''Gakka'' and considered an unpleasant reminder of the Japanese rule.

* Oppa (오빠): For a female's older brother (literally and figuratively) and for older (but not ''that'' much older) men whom the women trust. Women often use it for their boyfriends as well. The female equivalent is "Unni" (언니). Men never use either of these.