How to Say “Boyfriend” in Korean

Learning how to say “boyfriend” in Korean can be quite useful. That’s because, in Korea, one of the most common questions people get asked is, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

It also makes it easier to remember the word since it comes up often. You’re likely to hear it in Korean movies, dramas, and everyday life in Korea.

One of the ways that Koreans often meet their girlfriends or boyfriends is through their friends. Therefore, if you want to get a boyfriend, then learning to say “I want a boyfriend.” is also very useful. We’ll give you examples like that below.

Let’s jump right into it and learn how to say “boyfriend” in Korean!

“Boyfriend” in Korean

The word for “boyfriend” in Korean is 남자친구 (namjachingu). This is pretty easy to learn. It is made up of two words: 남자 (namja), which means “man,” and 친구 (chingu), which means “friend.” Korean words like these are great when you’re learning Korean or if you’re living in Korea since you’ll likely hear them all the time.

This word is simple to use but might feel a little bit longer. If you want to shorten it, you can take the first syllables of each word to make a shorter, two-syllable word. In this case, that word is 남친 (namchin).

This method of shortening words is quite common in Korean. If you are aware of it, then it could make studying a little bit easier for you.

Sample sentences

Here are some examples of how you can use “boyfriend” in Korean sentences.

Example (Formal):

남자친구 있으세요? (namjachingu isseuseyo)

Do you have a boyfriend?

Example (Standard):

남자친구는 어떤 사람이에요? (namjachinguneun eotteon saramieyo)

What is your boyfriend like?

당신*의 남자친구가 되고 싶어요. (dangsinui namjachinguga doego sipeoyo)

I want to be your boyfriend.

* 당신 (dangshin) means “you,” but instead of using 당신 (dangshin), you should replace it with the person’s name.

Example (Informal):

남자친구 있어? (namjachingu isseo)

Do you have a boyfriend?

남자친구는 어떤 사람이야? (namjachinguneun eotteon saramiya)

What is your boyfriend like?

네 남자친구가 되고 싶어. (ne namjachinguga doego sipeo)

I want to be your boyfriend.

“Boyfriend” in Korean: Limits on Use

In English, the word “boyfriend” is usually only used to refer to your partner. Likewise, in Korean, this word is usually only used to refer to your partner. If you want to refer to a male friend who you are not dating, then you must use a different word.

One way of doing this is to use the word 남성 (namseong), meaning “male,” instead of 남자 (namja). This makes the phrase 남성 친구 (namseong chingu). The slang version is 남사친 (namsachin).

Be Careful When Using Romanization

Romanization means writing a Korean word in English letters. When first learning Korean, romanization can help you learn new words quickly. But after a while, it can start to slow down your Korean study. If you really want to learn Korean, then it pays to learn to read Hangeul (the Korean alphabet) as soon as you can.

It only takes a couple of hours to learn Hangeul, but the benefits to your Korean learning are massive. It can speed up your learning by helping your reading, writing, pronunciation, and memorization. You can learn how to read Hangeul today by following this guide.

Wrap Up

Now that you know how to say “boyfriend” in Korean, talking about your relationships (or hopes for a relationship) should be a lot easier. Who knows, maybe someone may even say 너의 남친이 되고 싶어(neoui namchini doego sipeo) to you.

Let us know your favorite phrase that uses the word “boyfriend,” or make your own Korean phrase in the comments below!