What does oppa mean? 8 Korean words for who calls whom what
Korean does not have a neutral "you" for people you know. Instead you place them: older or younger, man or woman, family or close enough to count as family. The four words that do most of that work are the ones K-drama subtitles leave untranslated.
Who uses each one depends on the speaker's gender and the listener's gender and age. The list below gives the words first, then the two polite 요 questions that let you work out which one applies to you.
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오빠
oppa
Older brother; an older guy a woman is close to
Said by a woman to an older male: a real brother, a close friend, or a boyfriend. In dramas the first 오빠 is the moment the relationship changes, which is why it carries a charge in real life too.
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언니
eonni
Older sister; an older woman a woman is close to
Said by a woman to an older woman. It stretches far outside the family: a friend two years ahead, the owner of your regular cafe, the clerk at a cosmetics counter.
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형
hyeong
Older brother; an older guy a man is close to
Said by a man to an older male. It is the sound of male friendship in Korean, and 형님, the respectful version, is what you hear between colleagues of a certain type and in gangster films.
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누나
nuna
Older sister; an older woman a man is close to
Said by a man to an older woman. A younger man dating an older woman is a whole drama genre, so 누나 from a boyfriend has its own flavour.
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동생
dongsaeng
Younger sibling; someone younger you are close to
The word for the younger side, but it is not used as an address. You call a 동생 by their name (with 아 or 야 attached) while they call you one of the four words above.
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선배
seonbae
Senior (at school or work)
Based on who joined first, not on age, so a 선배 can be younger than you. The reverse is 후배. With 님 attached it suits the workplace.
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오빠라고 불러도 돼요?
opparago bulleodo dwaeyo?
Can I call you oppa?
Asking before you switch is normal, and the question itself signals closeness. Swap in 언니, 형 or 누나 as needed.
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뭐라고 불러야 돼요?
mworago bulleoya dwaeyo?
What should I call you?
The real-life fix when you are not sure of someone's age or how close you are. Koreans ask it too; it is not a learner question.
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Two things to hold on to. These words replace the person's name, so once someone is 언니 you stop saying their name at all. And the switch from name to 오빠 or 누나 is something you ask for or earn, not something you decide alone.