# "You" to a younger friend



## coffee99

I was wondering how best to address Korean friends that are younger than me.

For example, if I am addressing a female friend who is older than me I would say "언니"...how should I call a friend who is younger than me? (I am female).

I feel that "당신" is very polite and not quite right, but is "너" a little rude? Is it rude if I just use their name? Or are there other words (maybe more colloquial words) that are used frequently in conversation?

Thanks


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## maghanish2

From my experience you would just use their name and 너.  That is what I use with my friends who are younger than me.


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## hogeun78

Assuming you and your friends are very close, you can just call their names.
Using "너" for friends younger than you is not rude at all. 
However we don't use "너" to call someone, not like "언니." 
You should just call their names.

"너" can be used as subjects or objects of sentences in your conversation. 
For example, you can say
"민정아 (name), *너* 뭐해?" or "민정아, 선생님이 *너*를 찾으신다"

You can use "야" to call your friends younger than you. (in a case that you forget the name)
For example, "야, 너 뭐해?" or "야, 선생님이 너를 찾으신다"
However "야" might be considered as being rude in some situations. 
So use "야" only for very close friends younger than you. 
Also, calling their names or nick names will sounds more friendly. 

If you want to call someone not very close to you, you need to add "씨" after his/her name no matter whether he/she is younger than you. 
For example,
"민정씨 지금 뭐해요?" or "민정씨, 선생님이 민정씨를 찾으세요"

If you don't know his/her name, then you can just say, "저기요"
"저기요" is similar to "excuse me" in the sense that it raises someone's attention.


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## coffee99

잘 설명 해서 너무 감사해요 

Thanks!!


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## luana Cheong

"당신" 이라는 표현은 부부사이에 많이 습니다.

나이 많은 여자한테는 "언니"라고 하고, 나이어린 여자 한테는 "너"라고 합니다.

하지만 "언니"라는 표현도 어느 정도  친해져야 사용합니다

나이어린 여자한테도 친해져야 "너"라는 표현을 쓰므로, 처음 만났을때는

이름 다음에 "씨" 를 넣어 부르시면 됩니다

"지영씨" or "선영씨"

감사합니다~


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## y5choi

I spent most of my life in Korea and I still find pronouns hard... Very difficult to know what and how to call or refer to someone, especially if you don't know the age or how serious of a person it is that you are dealing with.

To be honest, I just use polite words to everyone- can't go wrong with that.


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## 코미디 갤러리

It's always best to stick to "~씨" if you meet someone for the first time.

They will perhaps tell you how they would like to be addressed. If not, ask.


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## coffee99

Thanks!! 

How can I ask how I should address someone in Korean? (I often want to ask this question!) Do the below sound strange?:

당신은 어떻게 부르면 좋아요?

당신은 어떻게 부를까요?

당신의 호칭을 어떻게 부를까요?

Thanks for your help!


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## 코미디 갤러리

저기, (with a little pause) 뭐라고 부를까요?

or

언니라고 불러도 되죠?

the three alternatives don't sound right to me.


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## coffee99

고마워요!! That sounds much more natural...the alternatives I gave really were only guesses!


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## branchsnapper

I often feel awkward because I don't know (or have forgotten) the name or title of the senior person I am dealing with - what is a good way to ask about that? It drives me nuts that in that situation it is rude to use a simple "you", and I end up saying 선생님 a lot. With women I don't know what to say at all.

(When dealing with juniors it doesn't matter quite so much to do everything correctly anyway, I think!)


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## nhk9

In this case you don't even need the pronoun:

실례하지만은, 성함이 어떻게 되세요?  or 다시 한번 성함을 알려주시기 바랍니다. (when you've gotten it)

I think it's OK to use 당신 in some situations, such as in relative clauses.  Just remember not to use it directly at somebody

(당신이) 아까 하신 말씀에 찬성해요  (might need to say this when you meet several people for the first time and you cannot possibly remember the names of everyone)
당신, 지금 뭐해요?


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## geniustylist

실례하지만은, 성함이 어떻게 되세요? or 다시 한번 성함을 알려주시기 바랍니다.
I would change into 실례지만 성함이 어떻게 되세요 ? or 성함을 다시 한번 말씀해 주세요.
But, if you want to use an informal form to whom especially younger than you.
미안하지만 이름이 뭐죠 ? or 이름을 다시 말해 줘요.
When you ask someone how to address in Korean, you could say ;
1.    존함이 어떻게 되시온지요 ?   It's very polite way of 'What is your name ?'
2.    성함이 어떻게 되십니까 ?   It's still polite but not to the extreme
3.    이름이 뭐예요 ?    It's between informal and formal
4.    이름이 뭐니 ?    It's informal and friendly


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