걔는 내 제일 친한 친구야
gyaeneun nae jeil chinhan chingguya
To say "she is my best friend" in Korean, you use 걔는 내 제일 친한 친구야 (gyaeneun nae jeil chinhan chingguya).
This phrase is used to identify a female person as your closest and most trusted friend. While it is often translated as "best friend," the Korean expression specifically emphasizes the degree of closeness by describing her as a "most close friend."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down literally as 걔는 (she (contraction) + topic marker), 내 (my), 제일 (most), 친한 (close), 친구 (friend) and 야 (is (informal)).
How does it change in a sentence?
The sentence concludes with the informal ending 야 (ya), which is appropriate for speaking to friends or people younger than you.
How do you pronounce it?
gyaeneun nae jeil chinhan chingguya
Did you know?
- In Korea, a 'best friend' of the same gender is often called a 베프 (be-peu), which is a shortened version of the English loanwords 'best friend'.
- The informal ending 야 is so casual that using it with someone who is even one year older than you could be seen as rude, regardless of how 'best' the friendship is.
- The word 걔 used for 'she' is a contraction of 그 아이, which literally means 'that child'.
Examples in context
- 그녀는 나의 진짜 베스트 친구야.She is my real best friend.
- 걔는 내 제일 친한 친구야.gyaeneun nae jeil chinhan chin-guya.She is my best friend.
Example conversation
Jihoon and Jieun are talking about a girl named Minji at a cafe.
- 지훈 Ji-hun민지 알아?Min-ji ara?Do you know Minji?
- 지은 Ji-eun응, 걔는 내 제일 친한 친구야.eung, gyaeneun nae jeil chinhan chin-guya.Yes, she is my best friend.
- 지훈 Ji-hun정말 친한가 보네.jeongmal chinhan gabone.You two must be really close.
- 지은 Ji-eun응, 아주 오래됐어.eung, aju oraedwaesseo.Yes, it has been a very long time.
