남동생
namdongsaeng[na̠mdo̞ŋsʰɛŋ]
The Korean phrase for 'little brother' is 남동생 (namdongsaeng).
남동생 is used to refer to a male sibling who is younger than the speaker. Unlike in English, where you might call your brother by his name, in Korean you often refer to him by his relationship title or use his name followed by a title when speaking about him to others.
How does it change in a sentence?
Korean nouns do not typically change form to indicate plurality. The context or a counter determines if 남동생 refers to one or multiple little brothers.
How do you pronounce it?
namdongsaeng
Did you know?
- In Korean culture, the term 동생 is often used for close friends or acquaintances who are younger than the speaker, even if they are not related by blood.
- The word 남동생 is a compound of two Hanja characters, where 동생 (同生) literally translates to 'born together'.
- Korean has distinct words for 'older brother' depending on whether the speaker is male (형) or female (오빠), but only one word for 'little brother' (남동생).
Examples in context
- 동생, 숙제 도와줄래?Dongsaeng, can you help me with my homework?
- 우리 막내 정말 재능 있어!Our maknae is so talented!
- 남동생이 있어요.namdongsaeng-i isseoyo.I have a little brother.
- 남동생은 학생이에요.namdongsaeng-eun haksaeng-ieyo.My little brother is a student.
- 제 남동생은 키가 커요.je namdongsaeng-eun ki-ga keoyo.My little brother is tall.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Jihun are talking about their families.
- 서연 Seo-yeon지훈 씨는 형제가 있어요?Jihun ssineun hyeongjega isseoyo?Jihun, do you have any siblings?
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 남동생이 한 명 있어요.ne, namdongsaengi han myeong isseoyo.Yes, I have one little brother.
- 서연 Seo-yeon남동생은 몇 살이에요?namdongsaengeun myeot sarieyo?How old is your little brother?
- 지훈 Ji-hun열두 살이에요.yeoldu sarieyo.He is twelve years old.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 남동생, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 남동생, CC BY-SA 4.0.
