ConnectreeKorean Family Titles: A Cheat Sheet for K-Drama Fans
Why does the wife call her husband's sister hyungnim? Isn't that for guys? Korean family titles depend on who is speaking. Here are the 31 titles you hear most in K-dramas, with romanization and meaning.
Three rules that explain most titles
- The speaker's gender. An older brother is oppa to his sister but hyung to his brother.
- Older or younger. A wife calls her husband's older sister hyungnim but his younger sister agassi.
- Which side of the family. Words for the mother's side often start with oe- (외), like oesamchon; a husband's words for his wife's family often start with cheo- (처).
One word, several meanings: 형님 (hyungnim)
- a wife → her husband's older sister
- a wife → the wife of her husband's older brother
- a husband → his wife's older brother
- a husband → the husband of his wife's older sister
A wife's in-laws (her husband's family)
The titles a married woman uses for her husband's family — the ones you hear most in family dramas.
아버님
Try it →abeonim
Your husband's father (father-in-law)
Used by a wife · when talking about them: 시아버지
어머님
Try it →eomeonim
Your husband's mother (mother-in-law)
Used by a wife · when talking about them: 시어머니
아주버님
Try it →ajubeonim
Your husband's older brother (brother-in-law)
Used by a wife · when talking about them: 시아주버니
형님
Try it →hyeongnim · also “hyungnim”
Your husband's older sister (sister-in-law)
Used by a wife · when talking about them: 시누이
Also used for other elder in-laws. See the FAQ below.
도련님 · 서방님
Try it →doryeonnim · seobangnim
Your husband's younger brother (brother-in-law)
Used by a wife · when talking about them: 시동생
Doryeonnim while he is unmarried, seobangnim after he marries.
아가씨
Try it →agassi
Your husband's younger sister (sister-in-law)
Used by a wife · when talking about them: 시누이
형님
Try it →hyeongnim · also “hyungnim”
Your husband's older brother's wife (sister-in-law)
Used by a wife · when talking about them: 동서
Also used for other elder in-laws. See the FAQ below.
동서
Try it →dongseo
Your husband's younger brother's wife (sister-in-law)
Used by a wife
Wives of brothers call each other dongseo; the elder one is called hyungnim.
A husband's in-laws (his wife's family)
The titles a married man uses for his wife's family.
장인어른 · 아버님
Try it →jangineoreun · abeonim
Your wife's father (father-in-law)
Used by a husband · when talking about them: 장인
Many husbands simply say abeonim (father).
장모님 · 어머님
Try it →jangmonim · eomeonim
Your wife's mother (mother-in-law)
Used by a husband · when talking about them: 장모
Many husbands simply say eomeonim (mother).
형님
Try it →hyeongnim · also “hyungnim”
Your wife's older brother (brother-in-law)
Used by a husband · when talking about them: 처남
Also used for other elder in-laws. See the FAQ below.
처형
Try it →cheohyeong
Your wife's older sister (sister-in-law)
Used by a husband
처남
Try it →cheonam
Your wife's younger brother (brother-in-law)
Used by a husband
처제
Try it →cheoje
Your wife's younger sister (sister-in-law)
Used by a husband
형님
Try it →hyeongnim · also “hyungnim”
Your wife's older sister's husband (brother-in-law)
Used by a husband · when talking about them: 동서
Also used for other elder in-laws. See the FAQ below.
동서 · ○서방
Try it →dongseo · ○seobang
Your wife's younger sister's husband (brother-in-law)
Used by a husband
○ is his family name, e.g. Kim-seobang.
Older siblings — it depends on who is talking
Koreans call older siblings by title, not by name. The word changes with the speaker's gender.
Your older sibling's spouse
Again, the speaker's gender decides the word.
형수님
Try it →hyeongsunim
Your older brother's wife (sister-in-law)
Used by males · when talking about them: 형수
새언니 · 언니
Try it →saeeonni · eonni · also “sae-unnie · unnie”
Your older brother's wife (sister-in-law)
Used by females · when talking about them: 올케
매형 · 자형
Try it →maehyeong · jahyeong
Your older sister's husband (brother-in-law)
Used by males
형부
Try it →hyeongbu
Your older sister's husband (brother-in-law)
Used by females
Aunts and uncles
Korean has a different word for each side of the family. ‘Oe-’ (외) marks the mother's side.
큰아버지
Try it →keunabeoji
Your father's older brother (uncle)
Used by anyone
작은아버지
Try it →jageunabeoji
Your father's younger brother (uncle)
Used by anyone
Called samchon before he marries.
고모
Try it →gomo
Your father's sister (aunt)
Used by anyone
이모
Try it →imo
Your mother's sister (aunt)
Used by anyone
외삼촌
Try it →oesamchon
Your mother's brother (uncle)
Used by anyone
Sadon — your child's in-laws
When two people marry, their parents become sadon to each other. English has no word for this.
Not on the list?
Tap the relations in order — like Husband → Older sister — and the calculator gives the Korean title, romanization and meaning.
Open the calculator →FAQ
Why does a woman call another woman “hyungnim” in K-dramas?
Hyungnim (형님) is not only for men. A wife uses it for her husband's older sister and for the wife of her husband's older brother. A husband also uses it for his wife's older brother and for his wife's older sister's husband.
What is the difference between oppa and hyung?
Both mean “older brother”. Females say oppa (오빠), males say hyung (형). In the same way, females call an older sister unnie (언니) and males call her noona (누나).
What is the difference between doryeonnim and seobangnim?
Both are a wife's words for her husband's younger brother. Doryeonnim (도련님) is used while he is unmarried, seobangnim (서방님) after he marries. Many families today simply use his name with “-ssi” instead.
What does sadon mean?
Sadon (사돈) is what the families of a married couple call each other. The father of your child's spouse is sadoneoreun (사돈어른) and the mother is sabuin (사부인).
Does every Korean family use these exact titles?
No. These follow the National Institute of Korean Language's standard etiquette guide, but titles vary by family and region, and many younger couples use names more often.
Notes
- Titles follow the National Institute of Korean Language's standard etiquette guide. They can vary by family and region.
- Romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean. Common fan spellings (hyungnim, unnie, noona) are shown as “also”.
- Spotted a mistake? Email vibe.lab.crew25@gmail.com.
- Last updated 2026-10-21