Marriage & Long-Term Relationships: Korean Commitment Vocabulary

Once a relationship moves from dating toward something more permanent, a new layer of vocabulary comes into play — meeting the family, moving in together, engagement, and marriage. Here’s the vocabulary for that whole stage of a relationship.

Meeting the Family

Korean	Romanization	English
부모님께 인사드리다	bumonimkke insadeurida	To formally greet/meet someone’s parents
시댁	sidaek	Husband’s family home/in-laws (used by the wife)
처가	cheoga	Wife’s family home/in-laws (used by the husband)

Cultural note: Korean has separate, specific terms for “in-laws” depending on which side of the family and who is speaking — this reflects how significant and formally recognized the in-law relationship is within Korean family structure, more distinctly than a single catch-all English term like “in-laws” suggests.

Engagement and Proposal Vocabulary

Korean	Romanization	English
청혼	cheonghon	Proposal (marriage)
저와 결혼해 주시겠어요?	jeowa gyeolhonhae jusigesseoyo?	Will you marry me? (polite, formal)
약혼	yakhon	Engagement
약혼자	yakhonja	Fiancé(e)

Marriage Vocabulary

Korean	Romanization	English
결혼	gyeolhon	Marriage
결혼식	gyeolhonsik	Wedding ceremony
남편	nampyeon	Husband
아내	anae	Wife
신혼부부	sinhonbubu	Newlywed couple

Living Together Before Marriage

Historically less common than in many Western countries, cohabitation before marriage (동거, donggeo) has become increasingly common among younger generations in Korea, though attitudes still vary significantly by family and region. It’s a useful cultural note if you’re navigating a real relationship rather than just building vocabulary — expectations here can differ noticeably from Western norms depending on the families involved.

Korean	Romanization	English
동거	donggeo	Cohabitation / living together
같이 살자	gachi salja	Let’s live together (casual)

Marriage & Long-Term Relationships

Talking About the Future Together

Korean	Romanization	English
평생 함께하고 싶어요	pyeongsaeng hamkkehago sipeoyo	I want to be with you for life
우리 가정을 꾸리자	uri gajeongeul kkurija	Let’s build a family together

See the Full Guide to Learning Korean →

This wraps up the Dating & Relationships cluster — head back to the dating vocabulary pillar guide for links to every post in this series, from falling in love through to this final commitment stage.

Cultural attitudes toward marriage and cohabitation vary significantly by generation, region, and family. Pronunciation audio uses your browser’s built-in text-to-speech.