What Does 형 (Hyung) Mean in Korean?
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · How we write & review
After this page, you can call an older male friend or brother 형 (hyung), and know when 형님 is the better choice.
10-second answer
What does Hyeong mean?
형 (hyung) is the word a male speaker uses for an older male he is close to — his older brother, an older male friend, or an older male he looks up to. Women do not use 형; they say 오빠 (oppa) instead.
Quick check — did that land?
1. Who normally uses 형?
형! It is not for just any older man. Who would you call 형?
Quick Examples
형, 지금 어디야?
hyeong, jigeum eodiya?
Hyung, where are you right now?
우리 형은 대학생이에요.
uri hyeong-eun daehaksaeng-ieyo.
My older brother is a university student.
형이 밥 사줄게.
hyeong-i bap sajulge.
I'll buy you food.
An older male can refer to himself as 형 when talking to a younger male — like "your hyung will buy."
See also: 오빠 (oppa) — what it means
Who Can Say 형?
| Speaker | Can use 형? |
|---|---|
| Man → older male | Yes |
| Woman → older male | Usually no (she says 오빠) — though some women call a male senior at school or work 형 |
| Man → older female | No (he says 누나) |
형 is not only for blood brothers. A younger man commonly calls an older male friend, senior, or even a favorite male celebrity 형 once they are close.
Women do use 형 sometimes. At school or at work, a female junior may call a male senior 형 instead of 오빠 or 선배 — a usage that's becoming less common. And 형님 has a completely separate job for married women: a wife calls the wife of her husband's older brother (her older 동서, dongseo) 형님.
형 vs 형님
형님 (hyeongnim) adds the honorific 님 and sounds more respectful or more formal. You will hear it toward a noticeably older man, a brother-in-law, in workplaces with strong hierarchy — and, in K-dramas, among gangsters, where it works like "boss." Married women use it too — for the wife of their husband's older brother.
형님, 먼저 드세요.
hyeongnim, meonjeo deuseyo.
Hyungnim, please eat first.
Respectful — note the polite verb ending.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Female fans calling a male idol 형
With a male idol, female fans use 오빠, not 형 — 형 from a woman sounds unnatural there (though some female fans do it jokingly on purpose, imitating male fans). The exceptions are a female junior calling a male senior at school or work 형, and a married woman calling her husband's older brother's wife 형님.
Mistake #2 — "형 = brother, so it's only family"
형 extends to close older male friends and seniors. In fact, being allowed to call someone 형 instead of a formal title is a sign the relationship has become close.
Mistake #3 — Calling any older man 형
A stranger or a much older man is not 형 — that would be 아저씨 or a proper title. 형 implies closeness and a relatively small age gap.
The Full Set of Sibling Terms
| Word | Used by | Refers to |
|---|---|---|
| 형 (hyeong) | Male | Older male |
| 오빠 (oppa) | Female | Older male |
| 누나 (nuna) | Male | Older female |
| 언니 (eonni) | Female | Older female |
| 동생 (dongsaeng) | Anyone | Younger sibling/friend |
To test yourself on 형, 오빠, 누나, and 언니, play the Family & Address Terms deck in Korean Word Match.
For the female side of the same split, see 언니 vs 누나; the more formal 형님 (hyungnim) has its own page too.
Mini Quiz
2. A 25-year-old man wants to address his 28-year-old close friend Minho. What sounds natural?
3. What does 형님 add compared to 형?
Related Knowledge
Learn Next
오빠 vs 형: Which One Should You Use?
The two words point at the same person — an older male — and the only thing that decides between them is who is speaking.
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