“How old are you?”
In Korea, age can be a little more complicated than in many other countries.
Legally, Korea now uses the international age system, just like most countries. This means your age increases on your birthday.
However, in everyday conversation, many Koreans are still familiar with what is often called “Korean age” or “counting age.”
So, what is Korean age?
In this system, a baby is considered 1 year old at birth. Then, everyone becomes one year older together on January 1st, regardless of their actual birthday.
For example, even if you were born on December 20, 2020, you would already be considered 2 years old on January 1, 2021, in Korean age.
Of course, when talking about very young babies, Koreans usually use months instead of age.
Because of this system, people born in the same year are often treated as the same age in Korea.
When the new year comes, friends may say things like, “We are N years old now!”
Age is also connected to the way Koreans address each other.
If someone is older than you, even by just one year, it can sound too casual or even rude to call them by their name as if they were your friend.
There are special words for older people.
If you are a woman, you can call an older man “오빠(Ob-ba)” and an older woman “언니(Un-ni)”
If you are a man, you can call an older man “형(Hyung)” and an older woman “누나(Nu-na)”
Because of this culture, even a one-year age difference can feel important in Korea.
The older person is not just older for now. They will always be older than you.
That is one reason why age can affect relationships, speech levels, titles, and the overall way people interact.
So in Korea, if it is not a business relationship, asking someone’s age when you first meet is not always considered strange.
Koreans may ask because they want to understand how to speak to you, what title to use, and how to define the relationship.
So if you come to Korea and a Korean person asks your age, try not to feel too offended.
They are probably not trying to invade your privacy.
They may simply be trying to understand the relationship better.
When you answer your age in Korea, it may be helpful to say:
“한국 나이로 N살이에요(Hankuk-na-ee-ro, N-sal-ee-eh-oh)”
This means, “I am N years old in Korean age.”
Koreans usually want to know your age in the Korean context. So if you are a foreigner, they may assume that you answered with your international age, not your Korean age.
That is why saying “in Korean age” can make things clearer.
But if you do not want to answer, you can just say:
“비밀이에요(Be-meal-ee-eh-oh)”
It means, “It’s a secret.”
Most people will probably laugh and move on.
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