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Glite Dictionary
sunbae

sunbae

1 9.9
An older, more experienced person at school or work who helps and guides you
  • noun
  • Jargon
: sunbae
  • When I started my new job, my sunbae guided me through the onboarding process.

Examples

  • Lastly, IU and Eunhyuk are close sunbae-hoobae who have been close since IU's debut. Eunhyuk is close to the point that he has even dined with IU's mother.

    Blog text (33)

  • They were introduced to each other through mutual friends, and after having a sunbae/hoobae (senior/junior) relationship, they are now dating.

    Blog text (15)

  • - What about Sunbae Im?

    Beast (2018)

  • In the classroom, my sunbae often helped me understand complex topics.

  • As a junior, I admired my sunbae for their knowledge and experience in the field.

Synonyms

heynim
vssunbae
2 9.9

A polite word used in Korea to address an older person and show respect

describes someone older or more experienced in educational or professional contexts

How Experienced

veteran
152 4.1
sunbae
  • Jargon
1 9.9
senior
∞ 2.9
junior
131 2.4
novice
51 3.4

Surface Forms

sunbae singular
sunbaes plural

Etymology

Sunbae is a Korean word made from two Chinese characters: 先 meaning 'before' and 輩 meaning 'generation' or 'rank'. So a sunbae is someone who came 'before' you in age or experience — like a senior or mentor at school or work.