[Ask Hyojin] How To Address Strangers in Korean

In our last Ask Hyojin video, we talked about how to address someone you know.
In this video, we continue to talk about how to address or call people in Korean but this time we talk about how to address strangers.
Again, Hyunwoo joined to explain the topic with Hyojin.
After watching this video, you will now know how to sound more polite and natural when addressing not only your friends but also anyone on the street or in any other places!
Enjoy! ^^
Learn Korean with Talk To Me In Korean! ❤️🇰🇷
Make a free account: talktomeinkore...
Connect with us!
/ ttmik
/ ttmik
#LearnKorean #TTMIK #한국어

[@skiantozza]

It's hilarious for me to acknowledge that the words you mentioned I know them all thanks to the dramas.

[@DeevenaJemima]

So true..me too..:)

[@leonelapontes1206]

"학생 you drop your wallet" "학생 I drop my wallet" that just made my day 😂😂😂😂😂 and, I got to learn this new expression 😄

[@nnn-v6w]

I usually hear my mum say 고객님 when she’s mad or when someone’s complaining lol.

[@talktomeinkorean]

She has a good sense of humor! :)

[@tuyaaana]

"pick it up for me" LMAO

[@keymohamad]

Actually in malaysia environment.. people in the cloth shops or any shop's owner also call us as unni , like "Kakak", or oppa "Abang". Its normal. :) Hyunwoo Sun Hyojin An

[@chacha-kt3bh]

Indeed. Being a Malaysian and a Chinese I found Korean culture quite easy to relate to.

[@kg4565]

in Philippines too :)

[@Rolfi9]

I really love your work and can't wait to be able to actually use everything I have learned when I arrive in Korea! 감사합니다!

[@ramentaco9179]

This is the single most helpful video on Korean I’ve ever seen

[@LexieLyn]

Thanks for the lesson, it was very informative! omg, I LOVE 아저씨! They gave the title a different name in English for some reason. It's called The Man From Nowhere.

[@futureygtrainee2643]

this is actually really helpful

[@SweedRaver]

Hi! Do you generally treat public figures that you follow (artists, youtubers, streamers, etc) as strangers or as friends when addressing them?

[@peachyblushes]

Eric That's what I ask myself too ㅠㅠ Since I'm in most cases youngee than them, I have to use formal speech anyway.

[@petshopagogos]

okk, I will stay with 저기요 😂 btw who watch this in 2017 ?

[@danijeld8669]

ㅋㅋ Hyunwoo님 seems to has been quite picky in terms of using these terms ㅋㅋㅋ I can understand the 'labeling' can be a 'sticky' issue....ㅋㅋ

[@kawyasavindi]

Here i 'm watching this in 2021..❤ It s fun learning with you ❤

[@kimmrcs75]

How do you address someone you don't know, but you are pretty sure you are the same age?

[@HaejinLeeCryptoAnalyst]

I've often heard: 아기 엄마! Mother of baby! Also when I go to stores, I'm often called 손님 (guest, customer); but nowadays 고객님.

[@jiyeonj]

How do we adress idols?Some idols hate being called oppa like Jungkook.....I think its weird to call Lee Dong wook who is 39 years old ahjussi when he looks like 25 TT

[@an8202]

In Germany we have the term "Fräulein" for a unmarried woman but we don't use it anymore.

[@minimay1969]

Thank you so so much for every vedio^^

[@anahitaparsikia5990]

Thank you. I really found it helpful.

[@icynok]

hi i know this video was posted over 3 months ago but i would like to know if you can make a video or even just reply with helpful hints on how to remember korean words more effectively, I seem to have ALOT of trouble trying to remember just about any word in korean to string together any type of sentence yet other languages are easier for me so confuses me i am having trouble with korean :(

[@chloe2258]

I know this was posted 3 years ago but try memrise lol if you're still learning

[@lmo222]

So how do you call a guy in his twenties who is not married if you don't want to use that old term which only grandmas use?

[@another_bites_the_crust_pizza]

Great video guys

[@winterwaffle16]

Could you list the names and who you use them for in the description, so if we want to review, we can just quickly read them over? That would be really helpful. Thank you!

[@Mario-on2bv]

Magnifico el video como siempre !!!

[@MarijaEnchantix]

Totally non-related question - since Koreans all age on January 1st, do they congratulate each other on that date or do they say "happy birthday" on the actual birthday?

[@Inawri]

im not korean but since im asian and we 'age' in the new year, we'll say sth like 'ohh i feel old now' n u will only say hpy bday on the actual bday

[@Oomsham]

@A. Sebastian Rolando: Is your comment set to not accept replies? It's a part of the new commenting system. It might be your default. I can't reply to you. Anyway, here's my input: I'm 27 (Korean age), but am often mistaken for a college student. If I make it clear that I'm 27 and not a college student, they will be like "Oh he's an 아저씨." I've been called 아저씨 and 학생 most often, but I had never heard of 총각 until this video, so maybe someone has called me that too but I didn't realize it. I've also been called 친구 twice recently -once at a pub by the bartender and once at a Chinese restaurant haha -maybe that's because I'm not Korean? haha Even though I'm not Korean, I thought sharing might be helpful.

[@monsterkukie7678]

How about addressing a stranger who's the same age?

[@talktomeinkorean]

+Vixxfinitee Their name + -씨 :)

[@monsterkukie7678]

TalkToMeInKorean Ah okay. What if I don't know their name?

[@toby7059]

+Vixxfinitee U would address them by their age. Vixx and infinite r bae

[@monsterkukie7678]

흔들어내 마음을 Their age? I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Can you give me an example? Yes, they are XD Love them. Your biases?

[@toby7059]

+Vixxfinitee Yongguk, GD, Tao, Abajee is wut u can use to address a female, Sonyeon is wut u can use to address a male

[@SarahHatKeineHobbies]

Oh Hyunwoo, you stole my heart

[@ASu-qf4ud]

Hi Hyojin! do you have videos on comparisons between "formal" Korean and "casual", as in talking to superiors vs. inferiors or equals? Also I love that there are side comments (usually Hyojin's) in Korean (as I like hearing the Korean language) but it would be nice to understand them, if even a rough English translation ;)) thanks!! :D Also you mentioned ending Korean names with "=ya" or "-a". Could you say more about Korean names? Thank you :D

[@karenchristyy]

Let me help.. I think -ya is used after a name that ends with vowel alphabets (a/e/i/o/u). Meanwhile -a is used after a name than ends with consonant alphabets

[@ASu-qf4ud]

+Karen Christy thank you :))) I also found out Hyojin has other videos addressing this :D but thanks!

[@satrianusantara6608]

안녕하세요 쌤

[@xavierx93]

That is a lot of video cuts, i would like to see the raw version with bloopers or something. haha

[@soorin6423]

I am a bit still confused with 아저씨.please help!!😊

[@CrixusHeart]

Ahjumoni, to my foreign ears sounds like giving the respect of omoni (don't know if I spelled that right).

[@kazueteresagalgo5779]

It happened to me in korea i was passing by the road and the halmoni just called me haksing mind you i alreay in my 30. Why do you think she called me that

[@shekharspeaks129]

Is she Gong Yojin from Love in Pasta, korean drama?

[@plumeriahahn5309]

what would I address my boyfriend's parents as?

[@LLLadySSS]

Riaa Siolo omoni? Like mother father if they're ok with it

[@fofalooza]

Would it be safe to call all women, even someone who may clearly be an "ajumma", an "agashi"? At least where I'm from, most older women are never unhappy being referred to as someone younger. That sounds so lazy of me, but I'm super paranoid about screwing up my honorifics. I wouldn't want to come off as disrespectful but I am curious how some older Korean women might feel about that

[@talktomeinkorean]

If someone is "clearly" an ajumma, it wouldn't be such a good thing to call her an agassi - we recommend just using 저기요 :)

[@AdrianaB]

These terms, "agashi" and "ajumma", remind me of the "señorita" and "señora" terms in Spanish. Women don't usually like to be called "señora" because you're implying that they're old and if you call "señorita" to a young lady they would look weird at you because is not used that much nowadays, not in Spain at least. So, yeah, as in Korean, is better to use "perdone" when calling a stranger. It's the safest option :D

[@marouanakaz5627]

사랑해요 😘😘

[@starcool926]

how to ask a selfie in korean?

[@asero82.]

I have just one little thing that I still don't get well. I'm 31 western :-P years old guy, so I'm kind of 아저씨 it's okay to address someone that looks like my age as 아저씨? thanks a lot for your work...

[@staciecasoyla3538]

Hi! I have a question to ask, if you don't mind. If you go on a taxi, how would you call the driver in Korean? :)

[@toby7059]

택시 운전사 (taegsi unjeonsa)

[@staciecasoyla3538]

흔들어내 마음을 고마워요 😊😊😊😊

[@toby7059]

+Andrea Dobii 문제 없어! ^^ kpop I luv xD

[@staciecasoyla3538]

+흔들어내 마음을 (Painted Smiles) ㅎㅎㅎ! I love KPop as well.. I wish I could come to Korea soon and meet new people 😊😊😊

[@toby7059]

+Andrea Dobii Same!!! I don't wanna live in Canada anymore x'D

[@xXxHaifaxXx5]

Thank you so much I've learned so many new words ^^

[@estrellaho]

Hi Hyojin, I was at the Jeju airport a few weeks back and heard some announcement to call for a particular passenger to board the plane. I heard them said XXX (name) OO님. I couldn't catch what they were exactly calling the passenger. Any idea?

[@talktomeinkorean]

Estrella Ho They probably said "승객님" (passenger)

[@Mr787957]

but how do i call the staff who working in the store, shop.......?

[@LLLadySSS]

Noeung Channin saram. People lol

[@ChinaPrincessDoll]

Hi :)

[@SchmausiMausi]

학생, I dropped my wallet

[@dman0044]

This is informative but you use Hang -gul need translation/longhand

[@pragnyapink]

I can't be the only one who slightly ships it

[@summe1972]

Your videos about Korean culture are brilliant. So very helpful, and super informational. Thank you so much, for everything that you, as a group, do. You're a great help to me......

[@73581111]

Justin Summersell

[@reemaaaa10]

Your videos are beyond helpful. I can't thank you enough for the effort you put into them! They are detailed, honest, yet very easy to comprehend ^_^. May I know please when your TTMIK books (all of the 4 levels) will be back in stock? I'm so excited to have them :( And have you considered making the lessons that accompany the books in video format? Having the audio/video options will be brilliant! 감사합니다

[@talktomeinkorean]

reemaaaa10 Thank you so much for studying with us :) We are not sure when we will have our books back in stock (publisher issues), but we'll try to get them back on our store as soon as we can. And also you can find the accompanying audio lessons here: talktomeinkorean.com/curriculum :)

[@InvisibleRen]

If 총각 is only used by 할머니, then how are young men (unmarried, out of college) usually called? I'm a female in her early 20s; it's not weird to use 언니, right? But it's weird to call a male stranger 오빠. Do I always have to use 저기요? At age 30 do you suddenly become an 아저씨? And what is the etiquette for touching people to get their attention?

[@nnn-v6w]

You’re usually an 아저씨 when you’re a married man or reach a certain age like 40 or 50 idk

[@JustinK0]

whats wrong with being like.. 야!!

[@nnn-v6w]

Only say 야 to someone you’re close with or if you want to fight them^^

[@svimarie6844]

Justin Caleb I mean, unless you wanna fight.

[@qtee]

Can you make a video on homonyms (words with the same spellings and different meanings)?

[@rozenknopje100]

There is a video about that. search on youtube. 'kwow homonyms'

[@jannesong7804]

I haven't been to Korea in a while, but I am going next year, and I just wanted to add that I've always been comfortable calling shop ladies 이모. I really hate the term 아줌마 for some reason, and refuse to call anyone that (God forbid if someone tries to call my mum an 아줌마! :P) but I think 이모 and even Auntie, in common English usage, is a suitable affectionate term for a older female whom you know/want to be friendly with, even if you're not related to them by blood. And like I said, you can see it in English, too - as children, you might have known an Auntie Emily or Aunt Sophie as a child, who weren't your mother's sisters, but friends. The reason for using 이모 as opposed to 고모, I think, is because, at least in cultures such as that of Korean and Jewish, you feel more familiar and more affectionate towards your mother's side of the family, than your father's (generally speaking).

[@jannesong7804]

When it comes to 고객님, I think I agree with Hyunwoo - it does conjure up images of pushy department store salespersons! Calling people 'customers' isn't unique to Korean, in other languages where there are clearer polite/familiar linguistic boundaries than in modern English, it is used, such as in German - 'Kunde/Kundin'. :) The 언니/오빠 thing is a bit weirder, I admit, but then, with the same kind of people who would call you 언니/오빠 in Korean, you could just as easily imagine them calling you 'hon/hun (short for honey)', 'sweetie/sweetheart', or 'darling' in English!

[@ktibers5776]

가르쳐 주셔서 감사합니다!!! Very useful! ;0

[@misayellow]

Hi! I just discovered this video so I am very late hahaha. So I met this Korean at work, he's around 50 years old. He was talking in Korean because he couldn't speak English and I answered in Korean and he was so happy he started talking to me in Korean. He talked about his work and other things and at the end of the conversation he asked for my number and name so that he could contact me. I gave him and soon he contacted me. We talked through chat and he once called me. The problem was, I didn't know how should I adress him. He's obviously way older than me but I thought it was rude to call him ahjussi. He's not really my senior so I thought it would be weird to call him sunbaenim. So I addressed him sunsaengnim. My question is, was that a good way to address him? If not, how should I address him? I hope somebody notices this comment and will answer this question :)

[@omglykmybffjill]

I really liked shopping at this one clothing shop, but the worker there called me eonni. I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Its nice to be called sister but I thought it meant that I looked older than her lol I wish I saw this video before

[@shookydeliciouscookie0309]

I know this vid is from years ago, but I have questions as a foreigner. * If 총각 is usually said by elderly to young men in their 20s, how do Koreans in their late 20s or early 30s (or foreigners) address 20-ish men when getting their attention? Will "저기요?" suffice? * When do you usually start calling a student as "학생" instead of "애들아" or "꼬마야?" So, if a child looks older enough even though he's still 9years old, can one already call the kid as "학생"?

[@jennsoojinny]

I found an auntie's wallet in the restaurant from where she got off... Me : 아줌마아아... She : turning around and giving me this look 🧐 Me : I mean 아줌마니이이이...! She : What??! Me : (I'm dead today) 🤐🤐 (Quietly walking away after putting her wallet on the table) DASHI RUN RUN RUN!!!

[@laksanagp]

Wow, very informative and interesting video! 거객님, this word remind me of a Korean comedy show which has parody of 'voice phising' using catchphrase "거객님 당황하셨어요...?" :D

[@svkdtvarma1615]

I have a doubt, Why do People show there phone to another stranger. I mean, putting your phone on my phone. Is that is a scanning to know phone number. I so curious that you will reply. Please reply. It's a huge request from so many of them. By the way I'm an Indian 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳and exited to know about Korean people 🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷🇰🇷 and learn korea language. It's my dream to go to 🇰🇷 korea. (my favorite places in the world are:india and korea).😊😊😊😊

[@bluefeels]

so what's the difference between 애들아 and 얘들아 ? And also 애야 with 얘야? I'm sorry I'm not really clear with the video

[@ZilLonO]

This question is not to address strangers, but I wanna ask here since we're talking about addressing someone. How Korean calls the mom/dad of friends? Is there any different when you address parents of close friends and parents who you meet the first time or not so close? Is 이모/아저씨 ok?

[@leyteneostv436]

how can i call my new co worker,younger than me..he is 31 years old maybe.. i dont know his name..

[@yoongiwifeinthenextlife]

What if you are a woman in your 40s/50s and addressing someone else around the same age?

[@evanR09-2]

How about an older man? 아주머니 is for female but for males?

[@LarnHBrown]

Hyunwoo has a quick wit. So clever!

[@NarutoFreak1]

아줌마 just sounds super old.

[@fmondays100]

Hyojin looks beautiful as always!

[@pujaroy8808]

This was interesting 💝

[@SondraJonesKittySpeaks]

How come you guys didn't say what sunnim and koganim mean? 🤔Sorry about spelling but the spelling on screen wasn't in a version I can read...yet.😉

[@shopperholicmom]

hahhahaa..im not korean..when i was in korea ..younger people called me ajjumma i cringe..for me ajumma is for more older people than me..even though im in the 40's...hahahaha

[@richardperegrino3547]

I tried to find whose Hyojin seonsengnim. Even in Google its hard to find because this Channel had a many video's. I heard her voice in the podcast since 2010. Now I see who is Hyojin and she's so beautiful ❤️ . I hope she will be guest at TTMIK.

[@aishayas2]

if I took a quiz on thi viedo. I would have gotten 80% .. well well. thank u TTMIK. I learned a lot from u guys as well

[@littlelilly8211]

Can I call people in uniform 학생 if I myself am a 학생? Or is it weird? What about calling older people 아가씨 and 아저씨?

[@GhostTheHost713]

huh this is so different compared to where I live we just call everyone, who is older than us, by like 10 yrs, Auntie or Uncle if not a high status person or teacher... but for clearly older but young ppl we call them Jie Jie or ko ko . Then their name or just their name, if we know them. if it is a friend we just use their names and for our relatives we just just call them like how our parents told us to do so..... its so different 😅

[@jpark7514]

I think the title like "꼬마야," sounds rude to me. Addressing them with the title like "친구야" is good. I guess it's a matter of personal preference. Overall, you did a good job.

[@tvtoms]

This was a really helpful video. I've often wondered how exactly I should call a stranger or worker in a shop when I want something.

[@ashleyvz8755]

In South Africa, we sometimes call people aunty too. In Afrikaans culture it is polite to call a woman older than you "Tannie" which mean aunt (It is a respectful or affectionate title).

[@twilightcovensaga]

I was called 아기씨 by the 아줌마 at the korean market. I felt really nice when she called me that cause I felt like I got closer in terms of a relaionship to her. ^_^

[@RuDeCookie7]

I got a question about adressing a letter for a Korean person. Do I need to write the name of Korean person in Hangul or in Roman letters?

[@armitong9893]

You have mentioned something about that its scary to approach high shool students. why is that?

[@Mr787957]

thank you very much for very nice lesson ! I really like your teaching......

[@renchang9]

안녕하세요. 제가 이 프로그램으러 많이 배우고 있어서 감사합니다

[@johndoe3949]

Oh no for that grey haired guy... that must’ve been awkward haha

[@aWavesong]

Boy, when you put it that way, it sure seems dangerous to call somebody with a title! xD

[@aryamaryvarghese8592]

감사합니다 ttmik for posting this very useful lesson

[@rbx211]

Thanks for the great video. Very informative.

[@alliahrose2878]

How do we address some guy whose age is between 20-30?

[@mahalolovesyou]

this is very helpful!!! thanks!

[@daydreamer6666]

In korean aai means child and in my language it meams mom

[@seoulist8346]

LOVE getting called hakseng on the street!

[@who7782]

Why there is no Arabic translation💔?

[@heejungkim2479]

for me as a teen and a Korean I find the word 학생 offensive

[@b.a.p.4718]

13:50 Lotte is a horse. ㅋㅋㅋ (“Kids these days.”)

[@kaitietravels6239]

This was super helpful! Thank you!

[@thebestlifeflytothewayyouw2888]

How to say " And you " in Korean?

[@TranLe-ki3no]

very useful for me to learn Korean

[@nellyareshetova7026]

안녕하세요. 도와주세요. Tell me please, which site I can practice with native speakers? I'm Russian. I study Korean language. 감사합니다.

[@talktomeinkorean]

Try sayspeaking.com :)

[@chrisclay6]

Super helpful, thank you!