형제
hyeongje[çʌ̹ŋd͡ʑe̞]
The English phrase "brothers" is translated into Korean as 형제 (hyeongje).
형제 refers to male siblings who share the same parents. While it strictly means brothers, in certain contexts it is often used in a general sense to refer to siblings regardless of gender.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 형제 is a compound of two parts: 형, meaning older brother and 제, meaning younger brother.
How does it change in a sentence?
To explicitly indicate plurality, you can add the suffix 들 to the word to form 형제들.
How do you pronounce it?
hyeongje
Did you know?
- In historical Korean society, the 'first-born son' held a vastly different legal and social status than the other 형제, often inheriting the majority of the family estate and ancestral duties.
- In certain idiomatic expressions, 형제 can be used to describe two things that are remarkably similar or perfectly matched, similar to the English phrase 'like two peas in a pod'.
- The components of 형제 are Sino-Korean, meaning they originate from Chinese characters. This reflects the deep historical influence of Chinese vocabulary on formal Korean terminology.
Examples in context
- 톰이랑 존은 형제인 척 했다.Tom and John pretended to be brothers.The sentence using 형제 shows how to describe people pretending to be brothers.Tatoeba #4748305 by kimhkng, translation #2929283 by CK
- 우리 어머니는 남자 형제가 넷이다.My mother has four brothers.The sentence using 형제 is useful for stating how many brothers someone has.Tatoeba #11106173 by intertime, translation #320580 by CK
- "형제가 몇 명이나 있어?" "한 명 있어.""How many brothers have you got?" "One."The sentence using 형제 is a way to ask how many brothers someone has.Tatoeba #4765097 by kimhkng, translation #12774662 by sundown
- 저희는 형제입니다.We are brothers.
- 형제로서 항상 서로를 지지해야 합니다.As brothers, we should always support each other.
- 남동생이 생일선물로 뭐가 좋을까?What would be a good birthday present for my younger brother?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Dohyun and Jieun are talking about their family members.
- 도현 Do-hyeon지은 씨는 형제가 있어요?Jieun ssineun hyeong-je-ga isseoyo?Jieun, do you have any brothers?
- 지은 Ji-eun아니요, 저는 외동딸이에요.Aniyo, jeoneun oedongttal-ieyo.No, I am an only daughter.
- 도현 Do-hyeon저는 형제가 둘 있어요.Jeoneun hyeong-je-ga dul isseoyo.I have two brothers.
- 지은 Ji-eun정말요? 정말 부럽네요.Jeongmallyo? Jeongmal bureopneyo.Really? I'm so jealous.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 형제, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 형제, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
