Oppa? Hyung? Eonni? Nuna? What are the differences among them?

 

I’m back to explain this confusing word –for you who are not familiar with these words-. Maybe you often hear these word in korean movie or drama and from your friends who are fangirls 😂. 

For the first, let’s learn by seeing the meaning

오빠 (oppa) = older brother

형 (hyeong) = older brother

언니 (eonni) = older sister

누나 (nuna ) = older sister

That’s all have similar meaning. The difference is a person who call them. Look the explanations below:

1.             오빠 (oppa) = older brother

This is used when a girl (or woman) calls her older brother or her boyfriend. You can also address a person (a boy/man) who is older than you. In the simple way,  female to male.

2.             형 (hyeong) = older brother

This is the same with "oppa", but person who calls the older brother is a male. In the simple way, boy to boy.

3.             언니 (eonni) = older sister

This is used when a girl (or woman) calls her older sister or a person (female) who is older than her. To make it simply, just call it “girl to girl” address.

4.             누나 (nuna ) = older sister

This is the opposite of “oppa”. A boy uses this to greet his older sister. This is a greeting from a boy to a girl.

Now, you can distinguish the use of them, can’t you? All of these words are used in casual situation. You should not address a person whom you just met or person who doesn’t close to you. If you do the opposite, they will assume that you are a rude or strange person and it will bother them. 

Happy learning and see you~

날 기다려, 안녕~