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언니

eonni

older sister (used by females for older females)

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What it means

언니 is used by females to address older female friends, sisters, or admired older women. It expresses closeness and a slight age hierarchy. Very common in K-pop and K-drama.

Nuance & when to use

Only females use 언니. Males use 누나 (nuna) for older females. Female idols call older female members 언니. 언니 can also be used flatteringly — calling a saleswoman 언니 to be friendly. In K-pop girl groups, the 언니 line (older members) vs 막내 (youngest) dynamic is a key narrative.

⚠ Common mistake

Males cannot use 언니 naturally — they use 누나. Using 언니 as a male sounds very unusual.

Example sentences

언니, 이거 어때요? Eonni, igeo eottaeyo? Unnie, what do you think of this?
우리 언니가 예뻐요. Uri eonni-ga yeppeoyo. My unnie is pretty.
언니처럼 되고 싶어요. Eonni-cheoreom doego sipeoyo. I want to be like you, unnie.

See also

누나 오빠 형
References Naver Korean Dictionary ↗ 국립국어원 표준국어대사전 ↗ Wikipedia ↗
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FAQ

When is this used?

Only females use 언니. Males use 누나 (nuna) for older females. Female idols call older female members 언니. 언니 can also be used flatteringly — calling a saleswoman 언니 to be friendly. In K-pop girl groups, the 언니 line (older members) vs 막내 (youngest) dynamic is a key narrative.

What's a common mistake?

Males cannot use 언니 naturally — they use 누나. Using 언니 as a male sounds very unusual.

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