오빠 (oppa) in Korean — what it means and how idols actually say it
· 1 min read
오빠 (oppa) means older brother (said by a female). It is how a woman addresses an older man she is close to — and the word fans use for idols. In the 102 idol clips we have scripted, it appears 9 times — here is how it sounds in real speech, not a textbook.
What oppa means
오빠 = older brother (said by a female). The forms you will hear most: 오빠!, 오빠가, 수빈 오빠.
오빠 in real lines
오빠랑 아빠랑 연습하고 왔어요 나름 opparang apparang yeonseupago wasseoyo nareum I did practice with my brother and dad — LE SSERAFIM, Wherever EUNCHAE Goes, Victory Follows | LE PLAY · hear this line
내가 기대했던 건 오빠 뭐 해애애애애 naega gidaehaetdeon geon oppa mwo haeaeaeaeae I was expecting her to be like, "Oppa! What are you up to?" — SHINee, 살롱드립2 EP.29 — 샤이니 키 · hear this line
광수오빠한테 걸렸다 걸렸다. gwangsuoppahante geollyeotda geollyeotda. I got caught by bro Kwang-soo. — Running Man, Choi Min-soo the hunter — legend cuts (part 1) · hear this line
거기 있어요 오빠 팬레터? geogi isseoyo oppa paelleteo? Is that there, oppa, fan letters? — Running Man, Happy Kwangsoo Day + Revenge Maze — legend cuts · hear this line
How to say it
ㅃ is tense: o-ppa, with a hard stop before the second syllable. Not "opa" with a soft p. Check any line with the pronunciation tool.
Casual or polite?
A title women use for older men they are close to, including boyfriends. Fans use it for male idols.
What it pairs with in our clips
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