KIIP Level 5 - Chapter 2 English Review

KIIP level 5 chapter 2 : 한국의 가족

The Korean Family

 

Vocabulary

1. 연령 - age
2. 대체로 - Generally
3. 취업 - Employment
4. 경우 - Case
5. 일반적이다 - Commonly
6. 키우다 - Raise
7. 장남 - Eldest son
8. 모시다 - Respectfully serve
9. 산업화 - Industrialization
10. 간섭받다 - Interference
11. 점차 - Gradually
12. 부모 - Parents
13. 미혼 - Unmarried
14. 핵가족 - Nuclear Family
15. 홀로 - Alone/solo
16. 1인가구 - 1-person family

Section 1 한국의 가족은 주로 어떤 형태일까?

What kind of Families does Korea have?

In South Korea, marriage typically takes place when they are in their late 20s to early 30s, but recently, the age at which people get married is gradually increasing. Generally, the groom is about 3 to 4 years older than the bride, and couples usually have 1 to 2 children (자녀). In Korea, it is common for children to live with their parents until they get married, except in cases where they need to live far away for studies or work.

In the past, it was common for Korean families to have multiple children, and the eldest son, known as the "장남," would continue living with the parents even after marriage, while the other children would move out after getting married. However, it was not mandatory for the eldest son to live with the parents. In some cases, other sons would also live with the parents. As a result, it was common to see multi-generational families(여러 세대 의 가족) living together, including grandparents (조부모), parents (부모), and children (자녀), all under one roof.

With industrialization (산업화), many people started living separately from their parents to pursue their careers, leading to a decrease in the number of eldest sons living with their parents after marriage. Nowadays, nuclear families, consisting of parents and unmarried children, are becoming more common as people prefer to have less interference in their lives.

Additionally, among young individuals, there is a growing trend of either not getting married at all or choosing not to have children even if they get married. This has led to an increase in single-person households or couples-only households.

 

Section 2 한국의 가족과 친족은 서로를 어떻게 부를까?

Family Relations, how relatives call each other

In Korea, when a couple gets married, they often address each other as "여보" or "당신." However, when they have a child, they may use the child's name and say "◯◯ 아빠 (dad), ◯◯ 엄마(mom)." The wife refers to her husband's parents as "아버님" (father-in-law) and "어머님" (mother-in-law), while the husband addresses his wife's parents as "장인어른" (father-in-law) and "장모님" (mother-in-law). Before having a child, a daughter-in-law is usually called "(새) 아가" (daughter-in-law). After having a child, the 며느리 (daughter-in-law) is sometimes called "엄마" and the son is called "애비야".

The wife's parents refer to their son-in-law with his name followed by "서방" (son-in-law). The wife addresses her husband's older sister as "형 님" and the younger sister as "아가씨". To the husband's older brother, she says "아주버님", and if the younger brother is married, she calls him "서방 님", and if unmarried, "도련 님".

The husband addresses his wife's older sister as "처형" and the younger sister as "처체". To his wife's older brother, he says "형 님", and to the younger brother, "처남".

In Korea, family relationships are often expressed through "촌수" (degrees of relationship). Parents and children are 1촌 (1st-degree relatives), while siblings are 2촌 (2nd-degree relatives). Since the husband and wife are considered in the same position, they do not count "촌수" between each other. Therefore, the child of my husband's younger sister and my child would be considered 4촌 (4th-degree relatives). Generally, the children of a husband's or wife's siblings are referred to as "사촌" (cousin). The cousin from the husband's older brother's side is called "고종사촌," from the husband's younger brother's side "친사촌", from the wife's older brother's side "이종사촌," and from the wife's younger brother's side "외사촌."