You can use this word even if you’re not talking directly to them or even if they’re not present in the conversation. If you’re a female, you can use this to refer to your sisters or female friends. Unnie (언니) is used when you’re a female and talking to other older females. You can call your older male friends “oppa”, even if you’re not talking to them directly. If you’re a female, you can use this to refer to your boyfriend, brothers, or friends. Oppa (오빠) is used when you’re a female and you’re talking to or about older males. On the other hand, if you are in a Korean restaurant, even if the (usually older female) waitresses are strangers to you, it’s not weird for men to call them by 누나 (noona) and women by 언니 (unnie), regardless of the age difference. You might want to refrain from using oppa, hyung, noona, and unnie when meeting people first. Whenever you refer to them in a conversation with someone else, you should attach one of these terms after the person’s name you are talking about. If there are decades worth of age differences between you two, these terms are less likely to be used.Įven if you’re not talking directly to the people you call oppa, hyung, noona, and unnie. In romanized English, you can spell the word as “ noona.” However, you may also see 누나 in romanized English as “nuna.” When To Use Oppa (오빠), Unnie (언니), Hyung (형), and Noona (누나)
#Talking alphabet how to#
Listen here: 누나 (noona) = older sister (males speaking to older females) How to write noona in Korean The Korean word for “older sister” can be pronounced as noona (누나). If you’re a woman and an older sister of a male sibling, your younger brother will also call you noona. So, if you’re a man who has a female friend older than you are, you call her noona. For example, 누나 (noona) is used to address an older female for males, even if she is not your sister by blood. Koreans use this word to refer to their actual brothers, family members, or friends.Ĭheck out the video below to learn more about the word Hyung (형):Ī younger brother or a younger man will use the Korean word 누나 (noona) to address a female friend who is older. Hyung (형) means “older brother” and is used by males to call other males.
#Talking alphabet pdf#
Get The Meaning of Oppa, Hyung, Noona, Unnie Free PDF Hyung (형) in Korean The most common way to write 언니 in romanized English is “ unnie.” If you follow the romanization rules, it is spelled “ eonni.” Less commonly, you may also see the word written as “ oni” or “ uni.”
Listen here: 언니 (unnie) = older sister (younger female speaking to an older female) How to write unnie in Korean Like “oppa,” it is also pronounced exactly how it’s spelled. You can say “older sister” in Korean as unnie (언니). You can use this to refer to your actual sister, family member, or to an older female friend. The Korean word 언니 (unnie) is used if you are a woman talking to another older woman, even though that person is not related to you. You’ve probably heard this before in Korean Dramas, K-Pop Idols, or among your Korean friends.īefore we get into the details, watch this video below:
Oppa (오빠) is a commonly used term in Korean. However, the meaning of these terms expands much further than just your blood-related siblings. The words oppa (오빠) and hyung (형) mean “older brother.” Meanwhile, the Korean words noona (누나) and unnie (언니) mean “older sister.” Get The Meaning of Oppa, Hyung, Noona, Unnie Free PDF The Meaning of Oppa (오빠), Hyung (형), Noona (누나), and Unnie (언니)