Chapter 24
People & Relationships
Learn the most common Korean words for people and relationships. These nouns appear constantly in simple introductions and everyday conversations.
Core pronouns and people words
| Korean | Meaning | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 나 | I / me | Casual (informal) | |
| 너 | you | Casual (informal) — use carefully | |
| 우리 | we / our | Often used for ‘my’ (우리 엄마) | |
| 사람 | person | General word | |
| 친구 | friend | Common and flexible | |
| 선생님 | teacher | Also used to address instructors, tutors | |
| 가족 | family | Family as a group |
Family basics
| Korean | Meaning | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 엄마 | mom | Casual | |
| 아빠 | dad | Casual | |
| 부모님 | parents | Polite / respectful | |
| 형 | older brother (male speaker) | Used by men | |
| 오빠 | older brother (female speaker) | Used by women | |
| 누나 | older sister (male speaker) | Used by men | |
| 언니 | older sister (female speaker) | Used by women |
Family words depend on the speaker. For example, 형/누나 are used by men, and 오빠/언니 are used by women.
Relationship words (useful starters)
| Korean | Meaning | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 이름 | name | Used in introductions | |
| 남자 | man | Gender word (neutral noun) | |
| 여자 | woman | Gender word (neutral noun) | |
| 아이 | child / kid | Casual | |
| 학생 | student | Common noun |
Very useful sentence patterns
You can make many sentences with just nouns + 이에요/예요 (to be).
| Pattern | Example | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A예요/이에요 | 저는 학생이에요. | I’m a student. | |
| A는/은 B예요/이에요 | 이 사람은 선생님이에요. | This person is a teacher. | |
| 누구예요? | 저 사람 누구예요? | Who is that person? | |
| A 있어요 | 친구 있어요. | I have friends / I have a friend. |
Quick practice
Read these aloud. Try to respond quickly using the pattern words.
| Prompt | Answer (example) | Focus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Say: I’m a student. | 저는 학생이에요. | A이에요 | |
| Say: This is my friend. | 이 사람은 제 친구예요. | noun + 예요 | |
| Ask: Who is that? | 저 사람 누구예요? | 누구예요? | |
| Say: I have family. | 가족 있어요. | 있어요 |
Chapter goal: recognize core people words and build simple identity/relationship sentences with 예요/이에요.