🙇 Address & Relationships
아저씨
A middle-aged man, and the default way to address an unrelated man of roughly that age — a taxi driver, a shop owner, a stranger on the street. It's the male counterpart of "ajumma." Anyone can use it, but it instantly frames the man as older and unglamorous.
Literally: Commonly said to have originally been a kinship term for an uncle-like male relative, later generalized to any middle-aged man (Revised Romanization: ajeossi; fans also spell it ahjussi).
아저씨, 이 버스 명동 가요?
Ajusshi, i beoseu Myeongdong gayo?
→ Ajusshi, does this bus go to Myeongdong?
Fans know it from the 2010 film "Ajusshi" (released in English as "The Man from Nowhere") and from countless dramas where kids call a grown male lead "ajusshi." Mild caveat: men in their late 20s or 30s often wince at being called one, since it implies they've aged out of "oppa" territory — related slang like ajae gag ("dad joke") plays on the same stereotype.
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.