Age-related Terms: Baby to Elderly

🎯 Big Picture

📖 Core Vocabulary Family

1. 아기 (Baby)

• 아기가 자고 있어요. (The baby is sleeping.)

• 아기는 아직 못 걸어요. (The baby can't walk yet.)

2. 어린이 (Child)

• 어린이는 호기심이 많아요. (Children are very curious.)

• 어린이날은 5월 5일이에요. (Children's Day is May 5th.)

3. 학생 (Student)

• 저는 학생이에요. (I am a student.)

• 학생들이 공부해요. (The students are studying.)

4. 어른 (Adult)

• 어른이 되면 책임이 많아요. (When you become an adult, you have a lot of responsibilities.)

• 어른한테 인사해요. (Greet the adults.)

5. 노인 (Elderly Person)

• 노인을 공경해야 해요. (We should respect the elderly.)

• 노인이 많아요. (There are many elderly people.)

🗣️ How They Work in a Sentence

1. 아기는 아직 못 걷지만 어린이는 걸을 수 있어요. (Babies can't walk yet, but children can.)

2. 학생은 공부하고 어른은 일해요. (Students study and adults work.)

3. 노인은 경험이 많아요. (The elderly have a lot of experience.)

🧱 General Formation Rule

• 아기/어린이/학생/어른/노인 + 이다 = to be a baby/child/student/adult/elderly person: 저는 학생이에요.

• Rough life-stage progression: 아기 → 어린이 → 학생 → 어른 → 노인.

• 어른 vs. 성인 — 어른 emphasizes maturity/social role; 성인 is the legal/biological term (19+ in Korea).

• 노인 vs. 어르신 — 노인 is descriptive/neutral; 어르신 is the polite term used when addressing or referring to an elderly person directly.

🔁 Synonym Alert

1. 아기 vs. 애기 — 아기 is the standard written form; 애기 is a common spoken variant, often considered informal in writing.

2. 어른 vs. 성인 — 어른 ("adult") emphasizes maturity and social responsibility as a native Korean word; 성인 is the Sino-Korean legal/biological term (e.g., age 19+).

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

1. 어린이 vs. 아이 — 어린이 is the more formal/respectful term for "child" (used in official contexts like 어린이날); 아이 is the general, casual term.

2. 노인 vs. 어르신 — 노인 is neutral/descriptive (used in statistics, signs); 어르신 is the polite term used when speaking to or about an elderly person directly.

3. 학생 isn't limited to school-age — 대학생 (college students) and adult learners can also be called 학생 in a learning context.

4. 어른 doesn't strictly mean "old" — it means "adult/grown-up," which could apply to anyone 19+ (or younger, if mature).

5. To describe someone AS a baby/child/etc., use 이다: 이 사람은 아기예요 (not just placing the noun alone).

Exercise 1 — Translate It 📝

Exercise 2 — Match English to Korean 🔗

Exercise 3 — Life Stage Ordering 📈

Exercise 4 — Fill in the Right Term 🗣️

Exercise 5 — 고유어 (Native Korean) or 한자어 (Sino-Korean)? 🤔