noona

Noona is Korean for “older sister,” used by boys and men. It’s also an affectionate word for any woman a bit older than the speaker.

What noona means

In Korean, noona (누나, also spelled nuna) is how a male speaker addresses an older sister. Wiktionary records the extended use: an affectionate term of address for an older sister or a somewhat older woman. Korean uses these sibling words for friends, coworkers and even strangers, so a young man might call a female friend two years older than him noona.

The female equivalent is different. A woman calls her older sister unnie, not noona.

K-pop fans hear it constantly in songs and variety shows, where younger male idols use it for older female stars and hosts.

Examples

• “Noona, can you help me with my homework?”
• “He calls her noona, but everyone knows he has a crush on her.”
• “The youngest member always calls the female MCs noona.”

Where it came from

It’s a borrowing of Korean 누나. Wikipedia’s article on Korean honorifics explains the system behind it: Koreans use different words depending on whether the other person was born before or after them, with oppa and hyung for an older brother, noona and eonni for an older sister, and dongsaeng for anyone younger.

Related terms

• Oppa: older brother, said by a woman.
• Hyung: older brother, said by a man.
• Unnie: older sister, said by a woman.
• Maknae: the youngest in a group.

See more terms like this in our K-pop slang guide.