Korean word

새어머니

Pronunciation

Romanizationsaeeomeoni

Meaning

  • nounstepmother

Example

아버지가 재혼해서 새어머니가 생겼어요.a beo ji ga chae hon hae seo sae eo meo ni ga saeng gyeo sseo yo

My father remarried, so I got a stepmother.

Illustration for 새어머니 (stepmother)

More examples

어제 새어머니께 인사했어요.eo je sae eo meo ni kke in sa hae sseo yo

Yesterday, I greeted my stepmother.

Core concept

A woman who becomes a child's mother after marrying the child's parent, without being the child's biological mother.

Common phrases

  • 새어머니께 인사하다sae eo meo ni kke in sa ha da

    greet one's stepmother

  • 새어머니에게 익숙해지다sae eo meo ni e ge ik ssu kae ji da

    get used to one's stepmother

Similar words

새엄마saeeomma: A casual family way to refer to a mother who joins the family after remarriage.
계모kyemo: A woman who fills a mother's role after the father remarries, especially in formal or written speech.

Definition in Korean

아버지나 어머니 가운데 한쪽이 재혼하여 새로 가족이 된 여성으로, 친어머니가 아닌 어머니를 이르는 말.a beo ji na eo meo ni ka un de han jjo gi chae hon ha yeo sae ro ka jo gi toen yeo seong eu ro chi neo meo ni ga a nin eo meo ni reul i reu neun mal

Word origin

The word is formed from 새 (sae, "new") and 어머니 (eomeoni, "mother"), highlighting that this mother is newly part of the family.

Usage tips

  • The word itself does not suggest a bad relationship, so Korean conversations use context and tone to show how the family members feel.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word