How to Say Friend in Korean(Right Meaning of 친구 (Chingu))

You may be looking to make new friends or want to say hello to new acquaintances.

But How to address your friend in Korean

After all, a friend in need is a friend indeed!

Friendship is one of the most important aspects of life.

So it’s no surprise that a lot of words describe friends in Korean depending on the persons’ age or situation you are in.

Let’s take a look at how to say “friend” in French and explore the different options is okay for interacting with and referring to our friends, and how to use it with interesting examples.

Alright world, let’s dive in (to the core)

How to say friend in Korean| The meaning of 친구 (chingu)

how to say friend in Korean

Friend in Korean is literally translated to 친구 (chingu).

Note

Age is very important in Korea. So It sounds rude to call someone who is older than you “chingu”. You can only use Chingu” with people of a similar age or with close friends.

Example

We have a mutual friend.

우리 둘 다 아는 친구가 있어.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

어려울 때 친구가 진정한 친구다.

He’s a friend of a friend. 

그는 내 친구의 친구야.

We met through a friend.

우린 친구 통해서 알게 되었어.

Is he a friend of yours? 

그 사람이 당신 친구인가요?

This is my friend Tom. 

여기는 제 친구 톰입니다

My daughter’s spending the night with a friend. 

우리 딸은 친구와 함께 밤을 보내고 있다

friend in korean

The correct meaning of best friend in Korean

friend in korean

The most common way to say best friend in Korean is 베프 (bepeu) but there are other ways to say “best friend which is 가장 친한 친구 [ga-jang chin-han chin-gu] and 절친 [jeol-chin].

 It’s also possible to use the Konglish expression 베스트 프렌드 [be-seu-teu-peu-ren-deu] which means best friend.

If you want to say “great friend.” in Korean, you can say 절친 (jeolchin), shortened from 절친한 친구 (jeolchinhan chingu)

베프 (bepeu) is the Korean slang word for friend in Korean. It’s a cute version. 

Example

I’m about to have dinner with my best friend. 

나는 베프와 이제 막 저녁을 먹으려던 참이야

How are things going with your new best friend? 

너의 새로운 베프와는 어떻게 되고 있니?

My best friend keeps trying to set me up on dates. 

내 베프가 계속 소개팅을 주선해줘.

You’re my buddy, my pal, my best friend. 

나는 내 친구, 내 동료, 내 베프야

Who is your best friend? 

누가 너의 제일 친한 친구니?

Are Dogs Really Man’s Best Friend? 

개는 정말 인간의 가장 좋은 친구일까?

James is my best friend. 

제임스가 제일 친한 친구에요

I fought with my best friend. 

나는 제일 친한 친구와 싸웠다.

I lost my temper and punched my best friend. 

화가 나서 내 단짝 친구를 한 대 쳤어.

How to address your friend in Korean

When you know someone but are not friends yet, you can address them as 아는 사람 (aneun saram) means “a person I know”

It is similar to the English word  “an acquaintance”

Unlike English, In Korea, you can refer to someone as a friend if you are close with them and you both are of the same age (donggab/동갑).

how can you introduce them?

When to add ‘-ah’ after someone’s name

If your friend is the same age or younger than you, you can say their name in Korean add “ah/아” or “yah /야” to the end of the name.

  • If their name ends at a consonant, add 아 at the end of their name 
  • If their name ends with a vowel add “yah /야” at the end of their name

Example

 정수 (Jungsoo)becomes 정수야

 혁재(Hyukjae)becomes 혁재야

 동해(Donghae)becomes 동해야

이특(Leeteuk)becomes 이특아

은혁(Eunhyuk)becomes 은혁아

도윤(Do-yun)becomes 도윤아

However, if your friend is older than you, you need to address them with different titles like noona, huyng,unni, and oppa in Korean

So the Korean words below can be used to address your older “friend” in if you’re speaking to your female or male friend like this

  • Someone younger than you- 동생 (dongsaeng)
  • If you are a male and A male who is older than you-형 (hyeong)
  • If you are a male and A female who is older than you- 누나 (nuna)
  • If you are a female and A male is older than you- 오빠 (oppa)
  • If you are a female and A female who is older than you-언니 (eonni)

Example

TAEHYUN oppa is here

태현이 오빠 왔어요.

Jiyeon-unni!,i love you

지연 언니! 너무 사랑해요.

Hyori-nuna i miss you

효리누나 보고 싶어요

JinSoul oppa, buy me this

진소울 오빠, 이거 사줘.

Here’s another way you can address a person is to call them sunbae/선배 means senior at school or the workplace. 

Say hi to your friends| Korean conversation

안녕 (annyeong) is the informal way of saying hi in Korean language means peace.

 You can only be used it when talking to someone you’re close with, friends, or people younger than you.

So when you are saying hello to your friend in Korean, just say 안녕 친구 means hello, friend or you can use their name and say hello.

Additionally, 안녕 (annyeong) is an informal way to say “goodbye” in Korean

Example 

Hello, friend

안녕 친구

Or you can use their name and say hello 

안녕 민지

annyong minji

Close Friend In Korean

friend in korean

Everybody needs a friend with whom they share their feelings. And close friends are indeed the right fellows for that.

But how are you going to address them if you have a close friend in Korea?

친한 친구 [chin-han chin-gu] means “Close friend” in Korean 

Example

Jo is a very close friend. 

조는 아주 친한 친구이다.

We are great friends. 

우리는 아주 친한 친구 사이이다.

Lesley is my close friend. 

레슬리는 제 친한 친구예요

She is my bestie from elementary school. 

그녀는 초등학교 때부터 내 친한 친구이다.

She and I were once close friends. 

그녀와 나는 한때 친한 친구였다

He’s been my best friend since high school. 

그는 고등학교 때부터 내 제일 친한 친구다.

I had a terrible argument with my close friend. 

난 가장 친한 친구와 심한 언쟁을 벌였어요.

My Friends In Korean

friend in korean

What if you have more than one friend in Korea? 

After all, more is always merrier. 

If you want to refer to all of your friends, you can say “My friends”. 제 친구들 [je chin-gu-deul]  is translated as My friends in Korean.

Example

These are my friends.

제 친구들이고요.

I wanna hang out with my friends. 

전 제 친구들과 시간을 보내고 싶습니다.

However, if you want to talk with someone else about your friend,  you probably want to say “My friend” in Korean.

Example

Minho is my friend.

민호는 제 친구예요 [min-ho-neun je chin-gu-ye-yo]

Example sentences 

I’m staying here with my friends. 

전 제 친구들과 함께 여기 머무를거에요

My friends went to Korea today. 

제 친구들은 오늘 한국에 갔어요

You hang out with my friends? 

제 친구들이랑 어울리나요?

My friends are really your fans. 

제 친구들이 정말 당신의 팬이에요.

Most of my friends are married and I’m still flying solo. 

제 친구들 대부분은 결혼했는데 전 아직 혼자에요

I don’t want to leave my friends. 

전 제 친구들을 떠나고 싶지 않아요.

I can keep in touch with my friends, too. 

제 친구들과도 연락을 할 수 있어요.

All of my friends are taller than me. 

제 친구들은 모두 저보다 키가 크답니다.

My hobby is playing computer games with my friends. 

저의 취미는 제 친구들과 컴퓨터 게임을 같이 하는거에요.

We are just friends in Korean

friend in korean

You seem so close to your friend, and someone wants to confirm whether she /he is your boyfriend/ girlfriend.

You can just make it clear by saying “No, we are just friends” not lovers

Here’s how to say We are just friends in Korean. If you’re a girl, you can say “걔는 남사친이야.” where 남사친 means the friend who is just male(남자 사람 친구).

And if you’re a boy, you can say “걔는 여사친이야.” where 여사친 is translated as “the friend who is just female”.

And if you just want to say commonly, you can just say “우린 그냥 친구야.”

Other ways of saying We are just friends in Korean are

We’re just friends with each other

우린 서로에게 그냥 친구이야

We’re just friends

우린 그냥 친구의 사이인데

Boyfriends in Korean| the meaning of 남자 친구[ namjachingu]

friend in korean

To call someone your boyfriend, you can use 남자 친구[ namjachingu]. It comprises two Korean words i.e. 남자 [namja] means “man” and 친구[chingu]  means “friend”. 

남친 (“nam-chin”) also mean boyfriend, where you just take the first syllables of “namja” and “chingu.

But Korean also call their partner, Oppa this can mean “boyfriend” or older brother. But Husband” in Korean is 남편[nampyeon].

Example

Do you have a boyfriend? 

남자친구 있어요?

She’s just broken up with her boyfriend. 

그녀는 얼마 전에 남자 친구와 헤어졌어.

I can’t wait to see my boyfriend. 

남자 친구를 보고 싶어 미치겠어.

My boyfriend and I hardly ever go on dates any more. 

내 남자친구랑 나는 더 이상 거의 데이트를 하지 않아

My boyfriend and I are on the ice. 

남자친구랑 내가 사이가 좀 그래.

My boyfriend’s proposal made my heart flutter. 

남자 친구의 청혼에 심쿵했어요.

I have been with my boyfriend for 3 years. 

나는 남자친구와 연애한 지 3년 됐어요.

How did you meet your boyfriend? 

남자 친구는 어떻게 만났니?

I had a big fight with my boyfriend. 

남자 친구와 심하게 싸웠어.

He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend of mine. 

그는 내 남자 친구가 아니라 그냥 친구다.

The guy with a baseball cap is my boyfriend. 

야구 모자를 쓰고 있는 사람이 내 남자 친구야.

Girlfriend in Korean- What is yeojachingu?

friend in korean

To refer to a woman as your girlfriend, say 여자 친구[yeojachingu]. Similarly to “boyfriend”, “girlfriend” in Korean is also a combination of “girl” or “female” –yeoja (“woman”) andchingu (“friend”).

For a woman who’s really just a friend, you might use 여자 사람 친구 (“yeo-ja-sa-ram-chin-gu”), which means as “female person friend.”

Example

I’ve got a girl friend. 

나 여자 친구 생겼어.

You hear he’s dumped his girlfriend? 

그가 여자 친구를 차 버렸단 얘기 들었니?

I ended up breaking with my girlfriend.

나 결국 여자친구랑 헤어졌어.

I broke up with my girlfriend. 

제 여자 친구와 절교했어요

I’m so angry that my girlfriend ghosts me. 

여자친구가 잠수 타서 너무 짜증나요.

He has a new girl friend. 

그는 새 여자 친구가 생겼다.

I have a date with my girlfriend tonight. 

오늘 밤 여자 친구와 데이트가 있다

I’m waiting for my girlfriend. 

여자 친구를 기다리고 있어요.

What’s your new girlfriend do? 

새로 사귄 여자 친구는 직업이 뭐야?

I went to a zoo with my girlfriend. 

나는 여자친구랑 동물원에 갔었어.

Are you making progress with your new girlfriend? 

새 여자 친구랑 진도 나가는 건 잘 돼 가?

Old Friend In Korean

friend in korean

If someone is being your friends for a long time, you can address them as your “old friend”. 

Here’s how to say “old friend in Korean”.

“Old friend” in Korean is 오랜 친구 [o-raen chin-gu] where 오랜 means “Long” and 친구 [chingu] means “friend.”

Example

Paul is an old friend of mine. 

폴이 제 오랜 친구거든요

She’s an old friend of mine. 

그녀는 나의 오랜 친구이다.

I’ve been friends with him for years. 

나는 그와 오랜 친구다.

Mi-ran is an old friend of Nam Do-il. 

미란은 남도일의 오랜 친구이다.

I visit an old friend.

오랜 친구를 방문한다.

I ran into an old friend of mine. 

오랜 친구를 우연히 만났다.

He and I are old friends. 

그와 나는 오랜 친구이다

He’s my old friend. We’ve been friends for 15 years.

제 오랜 친구, 15년 친구를 만났는데요.

She is my long-time friend and colleague. 

그녀는 나의 오랜 친구이자 동료다

How to say Friendship in Korean

friend in korean

Friendship in Korean language is 우정 (ujeong). You’ll be able to appreciate this term more once you’ve met Korean friends of your own.

Example

I formed several lasting friendships at college. 

나는 대학 시절에 몇 명과 지속적인 우정을 쌓았다

We went to Rome for our buddymoon. 

우리는 로마로 우정 여행을 떠났다.

He is a very friendly person. 

그는 우정이 깊은 사람이다

Jealousy can harm friendships. 

질투는 우정에 해를 끼칠 수 있다

Their friendship blossomed into love. 

그들의 우정은 사랑으로 피었다

Your friendship is very important to me. 

당신과의 우정은 제게 아주 중요합니다.

Friendship is a two-way process. 

우정은 상호[쌍방]의 노력이 있어야 진행된다.

How to learn the word Friend in Korean easily?

I know saying “Friend” is a bit confusing and so many ways makes it even harder to remember 

but with practice and time, you can be as good as native Korean speakers.

After all, when it comes to fluency, practice is the key.

Here’s how I did it.

I hope these resources will help you master the word “friend in Korean” in no time.

Anki Isn’t The Only Game In Town. 

Did you know you can learn how to say “friend” in Korean by watching a mini-series?

Well, what could be better than that?

Here is how Koreans do it all the time (now you can do it too!!!)

Use Flashcard And Test

Maybe drama is not your thing. What about flashcards?

I know it’s an old thing(you might be using Anki too)

But When it comes to mastering Korean vocabulary, you will never regret using these fellas. 

Here is a list 

https://quizlet.com/17939758/saying-Friend-in-Korean-flash-cards/

https://quizlet.com/514370767/how-not-to-say-Friend-in-Korean-flash-cards/

https://quizlet.com/144883165/Korean%EC%A0%9C%EB%B0%9C-jebal%EA%B3%A0%EB%A7%88%EC%9B%8C-go-ma-wo-Friendthankyou-flash-cards/

Conclusion

Great job. You finally know how to say friend in Korean.

Now you’ve got all these phrases, what’s your next step?

You can now use them in your conversations with friends and family. Continue to use these phrases to remember them more easily and build friendships with ease.

Looking for more Korean phrases and when to use them you can check out our other articles on this topic.

Here are some recommended lessons:

How did you address your friends in Korean? How did you made friends in korea? 

Share your special experience with us in the comment below.

Are there any other ways to say friend in Korean that we didn’t mention here?

We challenge you to write them in the comment below.

We can’t wait to hear from you 

Thank you for reading this post. I wish you a great day. I hope to see you at the next Korean lesson.

friend in korean

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