내 남동생
nae namdongsaeng
In Korean, "my brother" specifically refers to a male sibling who is younger than the speaker. The default form is 내 남동생 (nae namdongsaeng).
내 남동생 is used to refer to a younger brother. In Korean, the word for "brother" changes significantly depending on both the age of the sibling and the gender of the speaker. While 내 남동생 always refers to a younger brother, terms for an older brother are different. Additionally, when speaking to others about your younger brother, you may often omit the possessive "my" (내/제) if the context is clear, simply using 남동생.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 내 (my) and 남동생 (younger brother).
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, Korean uses different words for "brother" depending on whether the sibling is older or younger than the speaker. For an older brother, a male speaker uses 형, while a female speaker uses 오빠.
How does it change in a sentence?
In polite or formal speech, the word 내 (my) is replaced with 제 to say 제 남동생.
How do you pronounce it?
nae namdongsaeng
Did you know?
- While 내 남동생 means 'my younger brother', the word 동생 can be used to describe a close friend who is slightly younger, even if they are not related.
- The word 남동생 combines the word for 'male' with 동생, which is a gender-neutral term for any younger sibling.
- The syllable 내 is part of a large group of homophones in Korean, which is why the word for 'smoke' was replaced by a different term to avoid confusion.
Examples in context
- 사생활을 존중해줘서 고마워요, 오빠.Thank you for respecting my privacy, Oppa.
- 내 남동생은 학생이에요.nae namdongsaengeun haksaengieyo.My brother is a student.
- 내 남동생은 키가 커요.nae namdongsaengeun kiga keoyo.My brother is tall.
- 내 남동생은 요리를 잘해요.nae namdongsaengeun yorireul jalhaeyo.My brother is good at cooking.
Example conversation
Jihoon and Minji are talking about family photos.
- 지훈 Ji-hun이 사람은 내 남동생이에요.i saram-eun nae namdongsaeng-ieyo.This person is my brother.
- 민지 Min-ji정말 닮았네요!jeongmal dalmatneyo!You look really alike!
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 성격도 비슷해요.ne, seonggyeok-do biseuthaeyo.Yes, our personalities are similar too.
- 민지 Min-ji그렇군요. 아주 멋져요.geureokunyo. aju meotjyeoyo.I see. He is very cool.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 내, CC BY-SA 4.0.
