Hey there Korean learners! We’re back today with a new “how to” article over the word “you”. “You” in Korean is quite complicated. If you’re a beginner, you should avoid it altogether.
But in today’s article, we will learn about the reasons why “you” in Korean is complicated, and ways to use it correctly.
You in Korean
Okay so let’s start by some basics about Korea and Korean.
In Korea, age and the sense of hierarchy are important, as you might already know. As we’ve seen in previous articles (such as ways to say mom in Korean, or dad), politeness and respect are important. You will always try to elevate the person you’re talking to.
This is prevalent when we’re talking to people who are older than us (even just one year older). This is why you have terms like 오빠 (woman calling an older man), 언니 (woman calling an older woman), 형 (man calling an older man), 누나 (man calling another woman) and many others.
You’re expected to treat people who are older than you with respect.
Now why is it important to learn how to say you in Korean ? This is important because the ways to say “you” in Korean don’t elevate the person you are talking to. For this reason, you have to be careful when you’re trying to address someone with “you”.
But let’s dive in with more details.
당신 – The “You” You Should Avoid
당신 is a special word you should basically avoid saying. When you look up the word for “you” in the dictionary, you will find 당신 as the translation.
As a Korean learner, you probably won’t encounter a situation in which you’ll have to use 당신.
당신 is only used between spouses (and even that form has disappeared over the years). Other than that, the word is used when one’s angry at someone, or in jarring situations. 당신 can be seen as rude, even though it is originally a formal term. It can also be used ironically. The term is quite complex to understand and use.
And even though you’ve probably heard it in k-dramas or Korean songs, you shouldn’t use it in daily conversations. We will see later in this article that you have alternatives to address someone.
In dramas and songs, the term is used theatrically and doesn’t reflect the daily speech.
You might also have heard it if you live in Korea and someone addresses you. It’s a common phenomenon. Koreans will try to mimick your mother tongue’s structure to help you understand theirs better, and use a Korean that is not natural at all to natives.
너 – The Casual Way to Say You
너 (neo) is the casual way to say “you” in Korean. You will use 너 only with close friends and younger people. You should not use it in other situations (e.g. your teacher, someone you just met, your parents…). It is used with the casual speech (반말).
Note: for people slightly older than you, you’ll use their “title” as a replacement for “you” (오빠 (woman calling an older man), 언니 (woman calling an older woman), 형 (man calling an older man), 누나 (man calling another woman) rather than 너.
Ways to Say “You”
As we know now, there are various ways to say and replace “you” in casual settings :
오빠 : used if you are a woman calling an older man (even one year older)
언니 : used if you are a woman calling an older woman (even one year older)
형 : used if you are a man calling an older man (even one year older)
누나 : used if you are a man calling an older woman (even one year older)
But since you shouldn’t use 당신, how do you say “you” politely?
Well, you don’t, in most cases.
In polite settings, “you” is provided by the context, verbs, and grammar structures. As we saw in the article “How to say please in Korean”, the same goes for this situation.
Example
주스 사 드릴까요?
Shall I buy (you) juice ?
In this sentence, the “you” is implied :
- The first hint you can get from this sentence is the ending form “요”. This means you are being polite and elevating the listener.
- The second hint is the use of the verb “드리다”. 드리다 is the honorific version of the verb 주다 (to give). By using the honorific version, you elevate the beneficiary of the action
- The context in which you’re in will also imply “you”.
- If the juice wasn’t bought for “you” but for another person, it would be said in another manner, example :
할머니께 주스를 사드릴까요? Shall I buy juice for grandma ?
You can also say “you” politely by using the person’s name or work title.
We’ve already seen some casual terms to address people more casually, now let’s see some of the most common ones in formal settings.
Other terms to address people politely in Korean
- 씨 is the most common name marker (in polite speech). To use it, you add 씨 to the name of the person you’re talking to.
Example : 민우 씨 - 님 is widely used by employees of a store, in hospital settings, etc. when addressing customers (e.g. 고객님). It is also used in internet-speak.
But you don’t usually address someone “higher” than you directly by name, so there are many other terms to call people.
- 선생님 : teacher
Example : 선생님 잘 지내셨어요 ? How have you been doing ? (addressing this sentence to the teacher) - 아버님 : polite term to address one’s father
- 어머님 : polite term to address one’s mother
- 기사님 : for taxi driver, bus drivers
- 이모 : to address an adult female working at a restaurant (not a young one. the term lit. meaning is “maternal aunt”)
- 회장님 : to address your company’s chairman
- 팀장님 : to address your team head
How to Say “And You?” in Korean
Just like you will use the work titles and special terms to say “you” in Korean, you will also use them to say “and you?”.
To form “and you?” in Korean, you will add the particle “는/은” to the term you’re using. (and optionally 요, depending on the speech used)
Example :
- 오빠는 ? = What about you ? (talking as a woman, addressing an older man)
- 선생님은요 ? = What about you ? (addressing your teacher)
- 어머님은요 ? = What about you ? (addressing your mother in law, for example)
- 민우 씨는요 ? = What about you, Minwoo ?
- 너는 ? = What about you ? (casual speech)
Wrap Up
Okay that’s it for today ! You’ve learned more about “you” in Korean and ways to say it. How was it ? Not too complicated, I hope.
There is more to say about it but I wanted to lay the most important in this article. Hopefully it was of help for you!
Happy learning! 🙂
