In this article, we will see the main Korean honorific titles. You will see the meanings of nim; ssi; nuna; unni; hyung; oppa; ajumma; ajusshi; sunbae; hubae; seonsaeng; gun; yang; gaju and naeuri.
Korea, like Japan, also uses honorific suffixes. It is very important to follow these rules of using honorific names, after all, no one wants to make a blunder on their trip to another country.
What are Korean honorific titles?
The honorific title is generally used to refer to the person you are speaking to, or when referring to a third party. It is never used to refer to oneself, except for dramatic effect, or in some exceptional cases.
Honorific titles are equivalent to Mr., Mrs., Young, Master, Your Highness and similar words. The difference is that in Asian culture, these honorific titles are common and are part of the daily life of the population to use them.
It is impossible not to encounter the use of these titles in manhwa, novels, Korean literature, and even in K-POP. The practice of a country should not be neglected by a foreigner; this is a rule, it is etiquette.
Just like in Japan, there are titles that fall out of use because they are rarely used or because they have outdated meanings. But it is important to know even these, in case a situation of extreme formality occurs.
Main Korean Honorific Titles
– Nim: It is a formal way to address an older person or someone who is of greater respect than you. It is only a suffix.
– Ssi: Used formally to address an unknown person or to strangers to you. It is only a suffix.
– Nuna: It is a friendly, more intimate way, used only for women who are older than the man she is talking to. It can be used as a suffix or also as a vocative when addressing the woman.
– Unni: Unlike Nuna, Unni is used in the same friendly and more intimate way, but it is used for a woman to refer to another, if that one is older. It can be used as a suffix, but one can also directly call someone with it.
– Hyung: This is for men. A friendly way to address another man, as long as he is older. It can be used as a suffix, but one can also directly call someone with it.
What does Oppa, ajumma, and ajusshi mean?
Oppa: It is a friendly way to address a man who is older than you, use it if you are a woman. Even though it is not a synonym, it can be used to refer to your boyfriends. Similarly, it can be used as a suffix and also to be used directly.
– Ajumma: It is used to refer to middle-aged women, between 35 to 55 years old. Be careful when calling someone under 35 Ajumma, it can be offensive and rude on your part. It is more common to be used alone, but it can also be used as a suffix.
– Ajusshi: Used to refer to men of the same age range as Ajumma. Younger ones, in their 30s, prefer to be called hyung/oppa by those younger than them. It can be used as a suffix or to refer to someone directly.
What does Sunbae, Hubae, and SEONSAENG mean?
– Sunbae: It is used like the “Senpais”, used for older colleagues or people you see as helpers, advisors, or mentors. It can be used as a suffix or also used to refer to someone directly.
– Hubae: This is the opposite, it is used for younger ones, like Kouhai in Japanese. It is almost always used in the third person and rarely used directly to another.
– Seonsaeng: It is usually translated as teacher, however, it has much more formality, being used as a form of respect towards the person being addressed. It is common to add ‘-nim‘ to call the person. It is common to see children and teenagers adding ‘-ssem‘ to somewhat pronounce ‘seonsaeng–nim‘ more quickly.
What does Gun, Yang, gaju, and naeuri mean?
– Gun: Used moderately for occasions of extreme formality, such as weddings, it is usually used after the first name or full name. It is used exclusively and uniquely for men, mostly the host.
– Yang: Used moderately for occasions of extreme formality, such as weddings, it is usually used after the first name or full name. It is used exclusively and uniquely for women, mostly the hostess.
NOTE: These honorifics are falling out of use due to formality.
– Gaju: Used for clan leaders or for parents and heads of family. It can be used accompanied by –nim or alone.
– Naeuri: Used in the past to refer to people of the highest classes and status, but inferior to Your Excellency, used by commoners in the Joseon Dynasty.
Comparison between Korean and Japanese honorifics
You can see the list of Japanese Honorifics by clicking here. It can be stated that Korean and Japanese honorifics are completely different. Since there are few suffixes that resemble each other in the other language.
Korean suffixes are more difficult than Japanese, but of course, studying a language is never easy; it is a matter of practice and dedication. So, just like Japanese, it is possible to learn Korean, don’t you think?
However, it is widely used both in Korea and in Japan. As we have seen, there are also outdated suffixes over time, as there are in Japan. Despite being different, they are part of the culture of their people and it is also something that foreigners like us should learn.
Some similarities in the suffixes or their use are also due to Chinese culture and cultural influences spread throughout Asia. You might also want to see some similarities and differences between the Chinese, Korean, and Japanese languages.
I hope you enjoyed this article. If you liked it, share and leave your comments! Thank you and see you in the next article!
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