My American friend asked, “What’s your aunt’s name?” I froze. Which aunt?! 이모? 고모? 숙모? …English has ONE word for all of them?? 😅
I tried to explain Korean family words to my American friend.
Me: “이모 is my mom’s sister. 고모 is my dad’s sister. 숙모 is my uncle’s wife. 외숙모 is—”
Her: “…They’re all just aunt.”
Me: 🤯
Then came MY shock. She calls her uncle “Hey, Bob!” By his first name. Just… Bob.
In Korea, calling 삼촌 by his bare name? Unthinkable. In America? Totally normal — even sweet.
Two languages, two completely different family maps. 😄
🌍 Korea vs. America: Family Words
🇰🇷 Korea
Every relative has a precise title — it shows which side of the family, their age, and how you’re connected.
You call relatives by their title, not their name.
Calling an older relative by their bare name = very rude!
🇺🇸 America
A few words cover almost everyone: aunt, uncle, cousin.
“Cousin” has no number — 사촌, 육촌, all just cousin!
Relatives are often called by first names: “Uncle Bob,” or just “Bob.”
Grandparents get cute nicknames: Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa. 👵👴
😱 Family Words You Need
aunt → 이모·고모·숙모·외숙모 (전부!)
uncle → 삼촌·외삼촌·큰아버지·작은아버지·고모부·이모부 (전부!)
cousin → 사촌 (몇 촌이든, 남녀 구분 없이!)
niece / nephew → 조카 (여자 조카 / 남자 조카)
“on my mom’s side” → 외가 쪽 / “on my dad’s side” → 친가 쪽
✅ Quick Check
How do you say 외삼촌 in English?
✅ “My uncle” — and if you need to be exact: “my uncle on my mom’s side.”
That’s it. English keeps it simple! 😄
Korean draws the whole family map in its words.
English just draws the outline.
Different maps. Same family. 🌍
📖 한국어 번역 보기
훅: 미국 친구가 “너네 aunt 이름이 뭐야?”라고 물었는데 얼어붙었어요. 어느 aunt? 이모? 고모? 숙모? 영어는 전부 한 단어래요! 😅
에피소드: 이모·고모·숙모를 설명했더니 “다 aunt야”라는 답이. 반대로 그 친구는 삼촌을 “Hey, Bob!”이라고 이름으로 불러요. 한국에선 상상 불가, 미국에선 정겨운 일상!
한국: 모든 친척에게 정확한 호칭 (친가/외가 + 나이 + 관계 표시). 호칭으로 부르고, 이름만 부르면 무례.
미국: aunt·uncle·cousin 몇 단어로 끝. cousin은 촌수·성별 구분 없음. 친척도 이름으로 부름. 조부모는 Nana, Papa 같은 애칭.
단어: aunt(이모·고모·숙모 전부) / uncle(삼촌·큰아버지·고모부 전부) / cousin(사촌) / niece·nephew(조카) / on my mom’s side(외가 쪽)