대가족
daegajok
The English phrase extended family is 대가족 (daegajok) in Korean.
대가족 is the standard term used to describe the concept of an extended family structure. While its literal meaning is a 'large family', it is used to refer to families with additional members.
Meaning: family with additional members (noun)
Which one should you use?
In sociological or demographic contexts, 대가족 is often contrasted with 핵가족, which means nuclear family.
How do you pronounce it?
daegajok
Did you know?
- Korean kinship terms used in a 대가족 are so precise that they can describe exactly how a relative is related to you, such as distinguishing between a father's older brother and a father's younger brother.
- In many contexts, the term 집안 can be used to refer to one's extended family or clan, functioning as a way to talk about 'the house' as a collective unit of relatives.
- In a traditional 대가족, the term for 'grandfather' changes depending on whether he is the father's father 친할아버지 or the mother's father 외할아버지.
Examples in context
- 우리 집은 대가족이에요.uri jibeun daegajugieyo.My family is an extended family.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Minjun are talking about their family sizes.
- 서연 Seo-yeon민준 씨는 가족이 몇 명이에요?Minjun ssineun gajogi myeot myeong-ieyo?Minjun, how many people are in your family?
- 민준 Min-jun저는 대가족이라서 사람이 아주 많아요.jeoneun daegajogiraseo sarami aju manayo.I have an extended family, so there are a lot of people.
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말요? 정말 북적북적하겠네요.jeongmallyo? jeongmal bukjeokbukjeokhagetneyo.Really? It must be very lively.
- 민준 Min-jun네, 하지만 가끔은 조금 시끄러워요.ne, hajiman gakkeumeun jogeum sikkeureowoyo.Yes, but sometimes it is a bit noisy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “extended family” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
