🙇 Address & Relationships
아줌마
A middle-aged (typically married) woman, and a blunt way to address one — for example, calling out to the woman running a restaurant. In pop culture the ajumma is a whole archetype: permed hair, sun visor, fierce bargaining skills, and zero fear. Anyone can say it, but whether you should is another matter.
Literally: A casual, shortened form of the politer ajumeoni (아주머니), a kinship-style term for a married woman of one's parents' generation.
아줌마, 여기 김치찌개 하나 주세요!
Ajumma, yeogi kimchijjigae hana juseyo!
→ Ajumma, one kimchi stew over here, please!
K-drama fans meet the ajumma archetype constantly — and also the classic scene where a character is outraged at being called one. That's the warning: to a woman who doesn't see herself as middle-aged, "ajumma" lands as an insult about her age and looks. Safer real-life options are jeogiyo ("excuse me"), imonim, or sajangnim; the polite form ajumeoni also softens it.
Oppa 오빠
The word a woman or girl uses for her older brother — and, by extension, for any older male she feels close to, including older male friends and boyfriends. Only female speakers use it; a man addressing an older man says "hyung" instead. Because it signals warmth and closeness, calling a non-relative "oppa" carries a flirtatious or affectionate undertone.
Unnie 언니
What a woman or girl calls her older sister, or an older female friend she's close to. It's strictly for female speakers; a man addressing an older woman says "noona" instead. It conveys affection and a sister-like bond rather than formality.
Hyung 형
What a man or boy calls his older brother, or an older male friend he's close to. It's for male speakers only; women use "oppa" for older males. Adding -nim ("hyungnim") makes it more deferential — or, in crime dramas, is how gang members address the boss.
Noona 누나
What a man or boy calls his older sister, or an older female friend he's close to. It's for male speakers only; women say "unnie" for older women. Like "oppa," it can carry romantic potential when used toward a non-relative.
Sunbae 선배
A senior at your school, workplace, or industry — someone who entered before you, regardless of their actual age. Both men and women use it, usually with the honorific suffix as "sunbaenim." The junior counterpart is "hoobae."
Hoobae 후배
A junior at your school, workplace, or industry — someone who entered after you, regardless of age. It's mostly used to describe the relationship rather than to address someone: you'd say "she's my hoobae," but call the person by their name. The senior counterpart is "sunbae."
Usage and nuance shift over time and between communities — treat this as a field guide, not a law book.