Korean family words — mom, grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins (엄마, 할머니, 이모)

The short answer: Mom is 엄마 (eomma), dad is 아빠 (appa), grandma is 할머니 (halmeoni) and grandpa is 할아버지 (harabeoji). The big difference from English: aunts and uncles have different names on mom's side and dad's side. Mom's sister is 이모, dad's sister is 고모.

English has one "aunt." Korean has at least two. That sounds like extra work, but it's actually useful. One word tells you exactly who someone is.

The easiest way to learn them is to meet them. So imagine it's a holiday, and your Korean friend has brought you along to a big family dinner.

At the door: mom, dad and grandparents

엄마 and 아빠 aren't only for kids. Adults use them too. A 2020 guide from Korea's culture ministry says 엄마 and 아빠 are fine to use anytime, but in formal settings 어머니 and 아버지 are better. So in a wedding speech, go with 어머니.

Wait, why are there two grandmas?

Because there are two sides. Traditionally, Korean adds a little word in front:

• 친할머니 (chinhalmeoni): dad's mother. 친 means "close" or "of your own blood."
• 외할머니 (oehalmeoni): mom's mother. 외 means "outside."

Yes, "outside" grandma. Many Koreans today feel that sounds unfair. That same 2020 government guide says the 친/외 split comes from old social customs. It suggests a friendlier way: name grandparents by where they live, like 서울 할머니 (Seoul halmeoni, "Seoul grandma").

In everyday talk, most people just say 할머니. The 친/외 words come out when you need to explain which one.

At the table: aunts and uncles

Here's the full map. Dad's side first, then mom's side.

See the trick? Add 부 (bu) and you get the aunt's husband. 이모 becomes 이모부, 고모 becomes 고모부.

큰 means "big" and 작은 means "small." So big father is the older uncle, and small father is the younger one. Korean family words love age order. It's the same idea behind oppa, hyung, unnie and noona.

At the kids' table: cousins

사촌 (sachon) means cousin. The 촌 is a unit of family distance. You and your parent are 1촌. You and your sibling are 2촌. Your cousin is 4촌, so 사촌, "four steps away."

To be more specific, Koreans add a sibling word. An older female cousin can be 사촌 언니 if you're a woman, or 사촌 누나 if you're a man. In daily life, many people just call cousins 언니, 오빠, 누나 or 형, like real siblings.

Easy mistakes

Calling every aunt 이모. If she's dad's sister, she's 고모. It's a small slip, but family members will notice.

Using names. In Korea you almost never call an older relative by their first name. You use the family word. Calling 고모 by her name sounds very strange.

Forgetting the polite verb. Talk to grandparents with respect. You don't say 밥 먹었어? to 할머니. Our guide to "have you eaten?" shows the polite version.

Why so many words?

Korean family words carry three facts at once: which side, older or younger, and how close. In English you'd need a sentence: "my mother's younger sister." In Korean, it's 이모.

This matters at big family events like 추석 (Chuseok) and 설날 (Seollal), when all the sides gather in one house. Everyone knows where they sit in the family by the word you use for them. Read about those days in our guides to Chuseok and Seollal.

Quick check

1. Your friend's mom has a sister. What does your friend call her?
2. What does 고모부 mean?
3. Your friend says, "That's my 사촌." Who is it?

Answers: 1. 이모. 2. The husband of dad's sister. 3. A cousin.

There's family Korean in the daily game, too. Try today's 5.

In one line: 엄마, 아빠, 할머니 to start; then 이모 for mom's sister, 고모 for dad's, and 사촌 for cousins.