Korean word

부모님

Pronunciation

Romanizationpumonim

Meaning

  • nounparents

Example

어제 부모님에게 전화드렸어요.eo je pu mo ni me ge cheon hwa deu ryeo sseo yo

I called my parents yesterday.

Illustration for 부모님 (parents)

More examples

주말에 부모님과 식사했어요.chu ma re pu mo nim gwa sik ssa hae sseo yo

I had a meal with my parents over the weekend.

Core concept

Father and mother gathered under one respectful family term.

Common phrases

  • 부모님과 식사하다pu mo nim gwa sik ssa ha da

    have a meal with one's parents

  • 부모님께 감사드리다pu mo nim kke kam sa deu ri da

    thank one's parents

  • 부모님 댁에 가다pu mo nim tae ge ka da

    go to one's parents' house

Similar words

부모pumo: The ordinary term for the adults responsible for a child's care and education.
엄마eomma: A warm, familiar term used to call or speak about one's mother.
아빠appa: A warm, familiar term used to call or speak about one's father.

Definition in Korean

아버지와 어머니를 높여 이르는 말로, 다른 사람의 부모나 자신의 부모를 공손하게 가리키는 명사a beo ji wa eo meo ni reul no pyeo i reu neun mal lo ta reun sa ra mui pu mo na cha si nui pu mo reul kong son ha ge ka ri ki neun myeong sa

Word origin

부모 (bumo, "parents") is the Sino-Korean compound for father and mother, and 님 (nim, "honorific suffix") adds respect.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may expect one form for all situations, but Korean commonly uses this respectful form for both one's own parents and other people's parents.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word