Korean word

처남

Pronunciation

Romanizationcheonam

Meaning

  • nounbrother-in-law

Example

다음 주에 처남이 결혼해요.ta eum chu e cheo na mi kyeol hon hae yo

My wife's younger brother is getting married next week.

Illustration for 처남 (brother-in-law)

More examples

처남과 사이가 좋아요.cheo nam gwa sa i ga cho a yo

I have a good relationship with my wife's younger brother.

Core concept

A wife's brother identified through the marriage relationship rather than through the speaker's own family.

Common phrases

  • 처남과 사이cheo nam gwa sa i

    relationship with one's brother-in-law

  • 처남에게 부탁cheo na me ge pu tak

    a favor asked of one's brother-in-law

Similar words

매형maehyeong: A wife's older brother is a brother-in-law through marriage.
처형cheohyeong: A wife's older sister is a sister-in-law through marriage.

Definition in Korean

아내 쪽의 남자 형제를 일컫는 친족 호칭a nae jjo gui nam ja hyeong je reul il keon neun chin jok ho ching

Word origin

처남 (cheonam, "wife's brother") combines 처 (cheo, "wife") and 남 (nam, "man"), creating a compact kinship term for a wife's male sibling.

Usage tips

  • The relationship is defined from the speaker's marriage, so the same man can have a different Korean kinship title when described by another family member.

Related words

  • 처남댁cheonamdaekbrother-in-law's wifenoun

Word lists with this word