What Does “Sunbae” (선배) Mean & When to Use It?

What does “sunbae” (선배) mean?

The literal translation of “sunbae” is “senior.” Both men and women use “sunbae” to address or refer to someone who is older or more senior in school, work, or a specific field. The term shows respect and sometimes implies a mentorship between the two, with the older or more experienced person offering guidance to the younger or less experienced person. For example, a K-pop trainee might refer to an idol who has already debuted as “sunbae” because they have more experience. The idol may also offer advice or assistance to help the trainee perform better. In professional or academic settings, people use “sunbae” to refer to colleagues who started before them no matter how old they are. “Sunbae” is appropriate to use in formal settings or with a supervisor or teacher because it’s less familiar than family honorifics –like “oppa” or “unnie” – that are also used with close friends. Unlike age-based honorifics, “sunbae” emphasizes experience and seniority in a specific context. For example, someone might be your “sunbae” at work, but not in other settings. How to pronounce “sunbae”: It’s a 2-syllable word where the “sun” sounds like “sawn” and “bae” sounds like “bay.” How to write “sunbae”: Write “sunbae” in Korean as “선배.” In romanized letters, spell it as “sunbae,” but you may also see it written as “seonbae” or “sun-bae.”

How to Use “Sunbae” (선배)

Use “sunbae” to address a more experienced person. Use this term to refer to someone with more experience than you. Because it implies mentorship, it’s appropriate to use it when asking for help or advice from a more experienced person. However, it’s not strictly tied to age like other honorifics. The more experienced person may be younger than you. It’s also a good general term for anyone in a higher grade than you at school. A few examples of ways to use “sunbae”: “Sunbae, could you please review my work?” “Do you have a second to help me find my classroom, sunbae?” Remember, even though you may be owed respect as a “sunbae,” you’re still expected to show respect with other age-related honorifics, like “hyung” or “unnie.”

Say “sunbae-nim” for an even more polite version of “sunbae.” Adding “-nim” to “sunbae” makes the term more formal and respectful. Use it when you first meet someone more experienced than you to show them respect and acknowledge you don’t know each other well enough to drop the formality. “It’s very nice to meet you, sunbae-nim.” “Sunbae-nim, thank you for such valuable advice.”

Add “sunbae” or “sunbae-nim” to the end of a person’s name. While people often simply call a more experienced person “sunbae” or “sunbae-nim” it’s also used as a suffix to a person’s name. For example, “Yoon-gi sunbae” or “Ji-won sunbae-nim.” This can make the term feel more personal without affecting the formality. “Yoon-gi sunbae helped me with my homework and I got the highest marks in my class!” “Thank you for all your help with my project, Ji-won sunbae-nim.”

“Sunbae” (선배) vs. “Hubae” (후배)

“Hubae” is the opposite of “sunbae,” meaning a less experienced person. “Hubae” translates as “junior,” and older people use it to refer to younger people in a university setting or in business. They also use it to refer to someone with less experience in a field. Even though this term means you are less experienced, it doesn’t carry a negative meaning. “Hubae” is basically the opposite of “sunbae,” so age isn’t as important as experience. The suffix “-nim” can be used with “hubae” for a more formal title, just as with “sunbae.” For example, “Hubae, you did a great job on your project,” or “I’m so proud of you, hubae-nim.”

Other Korean Honorific Titles

Use the proper age and gendered titles to show respect in Korean. In Korean, many of the common honorific titles reflect the speaker's gender along with the relationship to the person they’re speaking about. For example, “hyung” is commonly used by men and boys to refer to other males. Here are a few other honorific titles used in South Korean culture: Oppa (오빠): Women and girls use “oppa” to refer to an older male they are close with. It translates to “older brother.” Orabeoni (오라버니): “Orabeoni” is another way for women and girls to refer to an older brother. It’s considered old-fashioned and is most often seen in historical K-dramas. Hyung (형): Men and boys use “hyung” to refer to or address older males they’re close with, such as an older brother, cousin, or friend. Unnie (언니): Women and girls use it to refer to an older female they are close with. It also translates as “older sister.” Noona (누나): Men and boys use it to refer to an older female they are close with. It translates to “older sister.” Abeoji (아버지): This is the formal way to say “father.” Koreans would more commonly use appa (아빠), which means “dad.” Eomeoni (어머니): This is the formal way to say “mother” in Korean. More commonly, Koreans would call their mother eomma (엄마), which means “mom.” Dongsaeng (동생): Males and females use it to refer to a younger person they are close with. It translates to “younger sibling.” Yeodongsaeng 여동생: This translates to “younger sister” and both males and females use it. Namdongsaeng (남동생): Both males and females use this word to talk about a younger brother. The translation is “little brother.” Chingu (친구): “Chingu” means “friend.” Use it to refer to someone who is the same age as you. Donggab (동갑): “Donggab” means “same age.” Use this word to identify that you were born in the same year as the other person, so you don’t have to observe the obligations and responsibilities to an older/younger person. Ajumoni (아주머니): This is translated as “middle-aged woman” and is a respectful way to address a woman in her 40s-60s. Ajusshi (아저씨): This is translated as “middle-aged man” and is a respectful way to address a man in his 40s-60s. Halabuji (할아버지): This is translated as “grandfather” and is a respectful way to address a man older than 70. This is a generic term that’s not necessarily used for your biological grandfather. Halmeoni (할머니): This is translated as “grandmother” and is a respectful way to address a woman older than 70. This is a generic term that’s not necessarily used for your biological grandmother. Agassi (아가씨): This is translated as “young lady” and is used to refer to an unmarried woman, similar to the English word “miss.” Imonim (이모님): The literal translation is “my aged aunt” and refers to a woman in her 50-60s in a casual setting. This is a generic term that’s not necessarily used for your biological aunt.

Add “ssi” (씨) or “nim” (님) to the end of a name to show more respect. In the Korean language, the suffixes “ssi” or “nim” are used in the same way English speakers use Mr. and Ms. These suffixes are gender-neutral and appropriate for anyone to use. Place them at the end of the full name. For example, Park Yun-ho-ssi in Korean would be Mr. Yun-ho Park in English. Place the “ssi” after the given name for a casual title that shows respect. For example, Yun-ho-ssi in Korean would be Mr. Yun-ho in English. The suffix “nim” is slightly more formal than “ssi,” and appropriate for more formal or professional settings. Koreans list their surname first and the given name second.

Add “ah” or “ya” to the end of someone’s name to show close relationships. When calling out to someone casually, add an “ah” (아) suffix to the person’s name if it ends in a consonant or a “ya” (야) suffix if it ends in a vowel. It doesn’t matter what gender the person is, only what letter their name ends with. For example, if you have a friend named Hyejin, you might call her Hyejin-ah. If you have a friend named Junseo, you might call him Junseo-ya.

Korean Honorifics for Business

Use titles based on age and experience to show respect at work. An older person will most likely call you by your name with “ssi” added to the end to show respect. However, many Koreans use work titles that refer to their status. Here are some of the more common work titles Koreans use with their English translations: Bujang-nim (부장님): Division Head Chajang-nim (차장님): Vice Head of a Division Daeri-nim (대리님): Assistant Manager Gwajang-nim (과장님): Head of a Unit Hoejang-nim (회장님): Chairman or Chairwoman Isa-nim (이사님): Director Jeonmuisa-nim (전무이사님): Sr. Managing Director Sajang-nim (사장님): President or CEO Sangmooisa-nim (상무이사님): Managing Director Sawon (사원): Employee Timjang-nim (팀장님): Team Leader

7 Levels of Korean Formality

Korean speech uses 7 different layers of formality. Koreans use 4 of these layers most often, and consider the others outdated. For formal speech, they use hasipsioche. Haerache, a plain yet formal way of speaking, is the most commonly used level. Haeyoche is an informal but polite way to speak with strangers, colleagues, and those of higher rank or older age. When speaking with friends or younger people, Koreans use haeche. Here are descriptions of all 7 of the speech levels, from the most casual to the most formal: Haeche (해체): Haeche is the most casual and informal level of speech that’s only used with siblings, close friends, relatives, and younger people. Haeyoche (해요체): Haeyoche is an informal but polite way of speaking that Koreans use in their everyday life. Haerache (해라체): This is a plain style that’s still formal. It’s commonly used in newspaper or magazine writing. It’s also how close friends or family members of a similar age speak to each other. Hageche (하게체): Haerache is a slightly outdated type of speech, mostly used by older people, that’s used with those of a similar or lower rank. Haoche (하오체): Haoche is a formal level of speech used with those who have a similar or lower social status. It’s more commonly used in historical dramas than in real life. Hasipsioche (하십시오체): Hasipsioche is 1 step down from hasoseoche and often used in public speeches, business, and by those in the service industry. It’s also the type of speech Koreans commonly use with elders, strangers, and those of higher rank. Hasoseoche (하소서체): Hasoseoche is the most formal and polite way of speaking. Koreans use it when speaking to a king, queen, or high official. It was mostly used in the past but is commonly seen in historical dramas.

Importance of Age in Korean Culture

Koreans use age to decide how formal their speech should be. When they first meet, Koreans often ask each other, “How old are you?” This helps them figure out how to speak and act appropriately toward one another. For example: Older people take on more responsibility and act as leaders for younger people. They’re also usually expected to buy meals. They may ask younger people to perform tasks for them. Younger people are expected to bow deeply, set the table, or pour drinks for older people.

Before 2023, Korean age was based on the number of new years plus 1. In South Korea, people used to have two different ages. They were considered 1 year old when they were born. Then, they turned 2 years old on January 1 of the year after they were born. At the same time, they used international age, which is the same as people use in the US. As of June 28, 2023, South Korea switched to the international system for counting their age. They no longer use the traditional age-counting system.