What does 아저씨 (ahjussi) mean?
- 아저씨ahjussi
Mister / middle-aged man
Fine in most situations
아저씨 (ahjussi) means "mister" or "middle-aged man." Koreans use it to talk about or call out to a man who is roughly in his forties or older and is not a relative.
Where it comes from
아저씨 is a native Korean word. It was once used for male relatives such as uncles, and today it mostly means an adult man in general.
How to use 아저씨
You will hear it for shopkeepers, neighbors, delivery workers, or any older man whose name you don't know. Children also call their parents' male friends 아저씨.
It is not rude in itself, but younger men may not like being called 아저씨 because it makes them feel old. For taxi drivers, 기사님 is more polite, and for shop owners many people say 사장님.
아재 is a slangy form, and 아재 개그 means a corny "dad joke."
Examples
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Buying fruit at a market stall
Asking a friend about a man outside
Explaining where a gift came from
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 아저씨들 | men / ahjussis | Plural. |
| 옆집 아저씨 | the man next door | Very common way to refer to a male neighbor. |
| 아재 | middle-aged guy (slang) | Casual, often humorous. |
| 아재 개그 | dad joke | A corny pun. |
Questions learners ask
Is ahjussi rude?
No, it is a normal word. It can bother a man who thinks he is too young to be an 아저씨, so with younger men or professionals, a job title like 기사님 or 사장님 is safer.
What age is an ahjussi?
There is no fixed age, but it usually means a man in his late thirties or older, or anyone who looks like a grown-up to the speaker.