Know Your Drama Words: Friends and Family

KOCONUTS! There has been a HUGE debate over on TikTok on closed captioned subtitles versus translation subtitles, and it made me realize something. Knowing even just a few Korean words can help you understand the meaning of a scene SO MUCH BETTER! Therefore, I am here to guide you. Let’s learn some simple Korean drama words, words that, with the right understanding, will help you separate brothers from boyfriends and sisters from friends. 

In my origin story earlier this year, I told you all about how I got into Korean entertainment. The most important thing to know is that I’ve only been watching dramas for about 4 years, and I haven’t taken any formal Korean lessons. Why is this important? Means I know about as much Korean as your average KOCONUT! 

But I did take the time to learn the following words, because they helped me understand the stories I was watching SO MUCH BETTER, especially because there’s usually not a simple English equivalent for these words. Without further ado, let’s discuss friends and family.

SIBLING OR FRIEND?

From what I can tell, Korean culture relies heavily on hierarchy. A Korean person will quickly figure out their position in their friend group or at work so that they know exactly how to address everyone they’re talking to. 

I DID NOT KNOW THIS AT FIRST. 

But now I understand that, I get that the different meanings of oppa, for instance, entirely depend on the context and the hierarchy of the situation. Let’s play with that, shall we?

Oppa and Hyung

Oppa:

1. A female’s biological older male sibling

2. An older male that a female is close to or wants to get close to

3. A woman’s boyfriend who is older than she is

I can totally see why translators have a hard time with this! For #1, the brother’s name is a good translation. Or, you know, “bro.” But for #2? How do you translate that? Oppa is basically a nickname! 

And then there’s #3, which has caused arguments among some of the kdrama fans I know. In my opinion, “babe” is actually a good translation for #3. 

Hyung:

1. A male’s older brother

2. A male’s respected older male friend (implies a close relationship)

I know these are harder to translate, and sometimes I wish translators would leave “hyung” in instead of replacing it with the person’s name. It’s a pretty easy term to pick up on, and the use of that one word tells a LOT of story. 

Noona and Unnie

Noona:

1. A male’s biological older sister

2. An older female that a male is close to or wants to get close to

3. A male’s girlfriend who is older than he is. 

Unnie:

1. A female’s biological older sister

2. A female’s respected older female friend (implies a close relationship)

You can see the parallels here, of course, because KOCONUTS are such lovely and intelligent people!

Younger siblings are simply called dongsaeng, and the youngest of a group — family or work or friends — is called maknae. 

The Rest of the Family…and some strangers, too

Here are a few more terms that helped me out:

Eomma – mom

Appa – dad

Imo – aunt

Samchon – uncle

Ahjumma – older woman a person is not close to

Ahjussi – older man a person is not close to

Halmoni – biological grandmother; term of respect for an elderly female

Haraboji – biological grandfather; term of respect for an elderly male

Now you know why Ji Sung calling Park Seo Joon oppa in “Kill Me, Heal Me” is hilarious, and how using one term or another can tell you VOLUMES about how two people view their relationship with each other.

What drama words do you know, KOCONUTS? How have they changed the way you understand a story? Drop down in the comments and let me know!