For example, when addressing me, my Korean friends would refer to me as either their older sister (unnie from a female speaker or nuna from a male speaker) or younger sister (dongsaeng from both male and female speakers) if we are not exactly the same age, as a sign of respect.
Another interesting thing about the Korean language is that age also determines how you would address someone. For example, there are different words for older brother, younger brother, older sister, and younger sister:
Older brother: hyeong 형 (male speaker); oppa 오빠 (female speaker)
Younger brother: namdongsaeng 남동생 (both genders)
Older sister: nuna 누나 (male speaker); unnie 언니 (female speaker)
Younger sister: yeodongsaeng 여동생 (both genders)
If you are interested in how to pronounce these words, check out this website!
It's a bit complicated, right? Did the word oppa (meaning older brother) sound familiar to you? If so, it might be because you are familiar with a well-known song called Oppa Gangnam Style. In Korean, oppa also means very close friend who is older (but not much older!), romantic interest, boyfriend, and sometimes even husband.
