I will explain Korean family titles divided into four levels: basic everyday terms, in-law terms, extended relatives, and rare complicated ones.
1. Basic Family Titles (Everyday Use)
- 엄마(모) – mom
- 아빠(부) – dad
- 부모(부모님) – parents
- 어머니 – mother (formal)
- 아버지 – father (formal)
- 형 – older brother (used by males)
- 오빠 – older brother (used by females)
- 누나 – older sister (used by males)
- 언니 – older sister (used by females)
- 동생 – younger sibling
- 남동생 – younger brother
- 여동생 – younger sister
- 할아버지(조부) – grandfather
- 할머니(조모) – grandmother
- 조부모(조부모님) – grandparents
- 외할아버지 – maternal grandfather
⚠️ Note: Because “외(外)” literally means “outside,” some people feel it implies the mother’s side is secondary. For this reason, there are people who prefer not to use “외-” terms and simply say “엄마 쪽(mother side).” - 외할머니 – maternal grandmother
- 아들 – son
- 딸 – daughter
- 자식 – child
- 조카 – siblings’ child(could be expended to cousins’ or child of your parent’s cousins’ child)
- 손자 – grandson
- 손녀 – granddaughter
- 가족 – family
- 본가 – one’s original home
Usually refers to the house where you were born and raised, especially when you live away from your parents. This can be used when you live away for any reason, living with your husband/wife or studying or working… - 친가 – paternal family
- 외가 – maternal family
2. In-Law Titles (Marriage Related)
- 시아버지 – husband’s father
- 시어머니 – husband’s mother
- 아주버님 – husband’s older brother
- 도련님 – husband’s younger brother
- 시누이 – husband’s sister
- 장인어른 – wife’s father
- 장모님 – wife’s mother
- 처남 – wife’s brother
- 처형 – wife’s older sister
- 처제 – wife’s younger sister
- 형수님 – older brother’s wife
- 제수씨 – younger brother’s wife
- 매형 – older sister’s husband
- 매제 – younger sister’s husband
- 시가 – husband’s family (남편의 본가)
- 시댁 – husband’s family (honorific)
Traditionally used to show respect toward the husband’s household.
⚠️ Modern note: Because it elevates only the husband’s side, this term is now avoided in favor of 시가 by some people. - 처가 – wife’s family (아내의 본가)
3. Extended Family (Common but Less Basic)
- 고모 – father’s sister
- 큰고모 – father’s older sister
- 작은고모 – father’s younger sister
- 고모부 – husband of father’s sister
- 이모 – mother’s sister
- 큰이모 – mother’s older sister
- 작은이모 – mother’s younger sister
- 이모부 – husband of mother’s sister
- 삼촌 – father’s brother
- 숙모 – wife of father’s brother
- 외삼촌 – mother’s brother
- 외숙모 – wife of mother’s brother
- 큰아버지 – father’s older brother
- 작은아버지 – father’s younger brother (alternative to 삼촌)
- 사촌 – cousin
- 사촌 형 – older male cousin (male speaker)
- 사촌 오빠 – older male cousin (female speaker)
- 사촌 누나 – older female cousin (male speaker)
- 사촌 언니 – older female cousin (female speaker)
- 사촌 동생 – younger cousin
- 고종사촌 – cousin through mother’s siblings
- 이종사촌 – cousin through father’s sisters
👉 These terms are often used in family gatherings and are good to know for real-life situations.
4. Rare and Complicated Titles (Extra)
There are countless detailed kinship terms, but they are not necessary for daily life. Even Koreans don’t know them all.
Some examples:
- 질녀(조카딸) – siblings’ daughter
- 증조할머니 – great-grandmother
- 증조할아버지 – great-grandfather
- 고조할머니 – great-great-grandmother
- 고조할아버지 – great-great-grandfather
- 큰할아버지 – grandfather’s older brother
- 작은할아버지 – grandfather’s younger brother
- 고모할머니(대고모, 왕고모) – grandmother’s sister
- 당숙(종숙) – father’s cousin brother
- 당고모(종고모) – father’s cousin sister
- 내당숙(내종숙) – mother’s cousin brother
- 내당고모(내종고모) – mother’s cousin sister
- 내내삼종고모할머니 – great-great-grandmother’s sister’s daughter’s daughter(I think)
👉 Some distant relatives or the ones that you will only see in genealogies (족보) or during ancestral rites. As you can see, you don’t have to know all.
5. Kinship Distance (촌, 寸)
In Korean, family relationships are sometimes explained with 촌 (chon), meaning the “degree of kinship.”
It counts the number of steps in family connections.
- 부모 (parents) – 1촌 (1 step away)
- 형제·자매 (siblings) – 2촌 (you → parents → siblings)
- 사촌 (cousins) – 4촌 (you → parents → uncle/aunt → cousin)
- 오촌 (fifth-degree relatives) – 5촌, for example father’s cousin
👉 Example:
- If your father’s brother = 삼촌 → he is 3촌 away.
- His child = 사촌 (cousin) → 4촌.
- Your father’s cousin = 오촌 당숙 → 5촌.
⚠️ Note:
This system is mostly used in legal or traditional contexts (like marriage law or genealogy). In daily life, Koreans usually don’t mention “촌수” explicitly except for 사촌 (cousins).
6. Birth Order Terms (출생 순서)
Korean has specific words for children’s birth order.
- 맏이 – eldest child
General word for the very first-born, regardless of gender. - 첫째 – first child
Neutral. Can be specified:- 첫째 아들 – first son
- 첫째 딸 – first daughter
- 둘째, 셋째, 넷째 … – second, third, fourth child
Neutral terms, only showing order. - 막내 – youngest child
Always means the last-born child.
Formal Variants (Sino-Korean style)
- 장남 – eldest son
- 장녀 – eldest daughter
- 차남 – second son
- 차녀 – second daughter
- 삼남, 사녀 … – third son, fourth daughter, etc.
- 장손 – eldest grandson
Refers to the very first grandson in the family line (usually the first son of the eldest son).
⚠️ Traditionally, the 장손 had a special role in Confucian culture, such as performing ancestral rites.
Today, the cultural weight is weaker, but the word is still commonly recognized.
⚠️ Important distinction:
- 첫째 = the first-born child overall.
- 장남 / 장녀 = the eldest son or daughter among that gender.
- Example: If the first-born is a daughter, then her younger brother can still be 장남, even though he is 둘째.
- Likewise, if the first-born is a son, then his younger sister can still be 장녀, even though she is 둘째.
✅ Summary
- Level 1 → Everyday essentials (parents, siblings, grandparents).
- Level 2 → In-law terms, necessary in married life.
- Level 3 → Extended relatives, including cousins, uncles, and aunts.
- Level 4 → Rare terms
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