What is Hyung?

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What is Hyung?
By the sound of the term Hyung alone, you will already have the idea that it is a Korean word. Well, if this is what you think, you are definitely right. It is really a Korean term, which means older brother. Now, aside from Hyung as an older brother, it has also been used as a name for several Koreans.

Basically, this term implies respect to people older than them in Korea. For example, there are two siblings in a family. The younger one will call the older brother a Hyung instead of addressing him immediately with his first name.

Though this is as easy as it sound, this is still quite confusing for those who are non-Koreans. This is because of the other term for respect to older men, which is Oppa. Well, to clarify the difference, both oppa and hyung can be used for addressing older males. However, only girls can use the term oppa and only guys can use the term hyung.

In fact, this has an equivalent for females. To treat an older sister with respect, younger girls would use the term unni. However, for guys with older sisters, they have to use the term nuna. In short, both have appropriate terms for addressing the right person.

To sum it all up, the use of oppa, hyung, unni, and nuna only shows how Koreans revere and give respect to people older than them. It might just be a simple term for some, but it has already rooted in their cultures, values, and belief. Koreans are very respectful and it really shows even in their use of words.

Well, the next time you watch Korean movies or go to Korea itself, you must already know when to use the terms mentioned in this article. Hopefully, this clears everything out.

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