Korean word

친어머니

Pronunciation

Romanizationchineomeoni

Meaning

  • nounbiological mother

Example

어제 친어머니와 이야기를 했어요.eo je chi neo meo ni wa i ya gi reul hae sseo yo

I talked with my biological mother yesterday.

Illustration for 친어머니 (biological mother)

More examples

주말에 친어머니를 찾아뵈었어요.chu ma re chi neo meo ni reul cha ja boe eo sseo yo

I visited my biological mother over the weekend.

Core concept

A mother connected to someone by birth and blood, rather than only by family role or care.

Common phrases

  • 친어머니께 전화하다chi neo meo ni kke cheon hwa ha da

    call one's biological mother

  • 친어머니와 통화하다chi neo meo ni wa tong hwa ha da

    talk with one's biological mother

  • 친어머니를 찾아뵙다chi neo meo ni reul cha ja boep tta

    visit one's biological mother

Similar words

엄마eomma: A loving everyday name for a mother.
어머니eomeoni: A courteous everyday word for mother.
어머님eomeonim: A respectful name for one's mother or another person's mother.
친엄마chineomma: An informal spoken name for a biological mother.

Definition in Korean

자신을 직접 낳은 혈연 관계의 어머니를 나타내는 명사.cha si neul chik jjeop na eun hyeo ryeon kwan gye ui eo meo ni reul na ta nae neun myeong sa

Word origin

친어머니 (chineomeoni, "biological mother") combines 친 (chi, "one's own or blood-related"), a Sino-Korean element, with 어머니 (neomeoni, "mother") to specify the mother linked by birth.

Usage tips

  • The added qualifier highlights the biological relationship, so this term is more specific than the usual everyday word for mother.

Opposites

  • 양어머니yangeomeoniadoptive mothernoun

Related words

  • 친부chinbubiological fathernoun
  • 친부모chinbumobiological parentsnoun

Word lists with this word