Korean Family Words You’ll Use Every Day: 가족 Vocabulary for A1

Want to talk about your family in Korean? Great choice! Family words pop up in everyday chats, introductions, and small talk. In this lesson, you’ll learn the most common family vocabulary, simple sentence patterns to use them, and culture tips that make your Korean sound natural—from 우리 엄마 to choosing between 오빠 and 형.

Meet the family: Core words you’ll say often

Below are the most common Korean family words. Read the meaning, then check the example to see how it’s used.

가족
family
noun
우리 가족은 네 명이에요.
My family has four people.
부모님
parents (polite)
noun
부모님은 부산에 계세요.
My parents live (hon.) in Busan.
엄마
mom (casual)
noun
엄마는 요리를 잘해요.
My mom cooks well.
아빠
dad (casual)
noun
아빠는 운동을 좋아해요.
My dad likes exercise.
어머니
mother (formal/polite)
noun
어머니는 회사에 다니세요.
Mother works at a company (polite).
아버지
father (formal/polite)
noun
아버지는 선생님이세요.
Father is a teacher (polite).
할머니
grandmother
noun
할머니는 집에 계세요.
Grandmother is at home (hon.).
할아버지
grandfather
noun
할아버지는 산책을 좋아하세요.
Grandfather likes taking walks (hon.).
남편
husband
noun
남편은 음악을 들어요.
My husband listens to music.
아내
wife
noun
아내는 일본 사람이에요.
My wife is Japanese.

Brothers and sisters (important and easy!)

Korean has specific words for older and younger siblings—and they depend on the speaker’s gender.

오빠
older brother (for female speaker)
noun
저는 오빠가 있어요.
I (female) have an older brother.
형
older brother (for male speaker)
noun
저는 형이 있어요.
I (male) have an older brother.
언니
older sister (for female speaker)
noun
저는 언니가 두 명이에요.
I (female) have two older sisters.
누나
older sister (for male speaker)
noun
저는 누나가 있어요.
I (male) have an older sister.
동생
younger sibling (any gender)
noun
동생은 학생이에요.
My younger sibling is a student.
Korean
제 가족은 다섯 명이에요.
My family has five people.

엄마는 요리를 잘해요.

제 가족은 세 명.

🔠 Put the words in order

Say “I have a younger sibling.”

Mini conversation: Introducing your family

Put the lines in the right order.

💬 Family small talk

Culture notes: Respect and titles

  • Use 부모님 (with 님) to show respect to parents. You’ll often hear 부모님 more than just 부모.
  • For grandparents and parents, honorific verbs are common: 계세요 (be/stay), 드세요 (eat), 편찮으세요 (be ill). At A1, you can start by recognizing them.
  • Choosing sibling titles depends on the speaker:
    • Female: 오빠 (older brother), 언니 (older sister)
    • Male: 형 (older brother), 누나 (older sister)
  • Koreans often use kinship terms to address family directly (e.g., “엄마,” not the person’s name).

우리 은 대학생이에요. (male speaker)

🧠 Quick check: Family words
🔠 Put the words in order

Talk about the number of people in your family.

나의 엄마는 학생이에요. → 우리 엄마는 학생이에요. 우리 + family sounds natural and warm in Korean. 남자가 오빠라고 말해요. → 남자가 형이라고 말해요. A male uses 형 for his older brother.
가(家) house (Sino-Korean root) 족(族) clan/tribe (Sino-Korean root)

Put it together: Easy patterns you can use today

Here are simple sentence frames. Try swapping in your own words!

  • 우리 가족은 [number] 명이에요.
  • 저는 [오빠/형/언니/누나/동생]이 있어요.
  • 부모님은 [city]에 계세요.
  • [엄마/아빠/할머니/할아버지]는 [job/interest]을/를 좋아해요.
  • [남편/아내]은/는 한국 사람이에요.

Examples:

Korean
저는 동생이 두 명 있어요.
I have two younger siblings.
Korean
부모님은 서울에 계세요.
My parents are in Seoul (hon.).
Korean
우리 아빠는 엔지니어예요.
My dad is an engineer.

Quick grammar tip: 이에요 vs 예요

  • Noun + 이에요 (after a consonant): 학생이에요, 스페인 사람이에요, 네 명이에요.
  • Noun + 예요 (after a vowel): 의사예요, 아내예요. Practice one more:

할아버지는 집에 .

Summary and your turn

  • Family words: 가족, 부모님, 엄마/아빠, 할머니/할아버지, 남편/아내, 오빠/형, 언니/누나, 동생
  • Natural phrasing: 우리 + family; 제 is polite in self-introductions
  • Counting people: [native number] + 명 + 이에요/예요
  • Respect: 부모님 with 님; learn honorific verbs like 계세요

Try saying these out loud:

  1. 우리 가족은 몇 명이에요?
  2. 저는 동생이 있어요.
  3. 부모님은 어디에 계세요?

Keep listening for these words in K-dramas and daily conversations. The more you hear them, the more natural they’ll feel. 화이팅!