Kyuhyun has only one sister, Cho Ara. Kyuhyun's father is in the education business and owns an academy. Kyuhyun's mother also runs an art academy.

Kyuhyun was initially urged to study law and had stated that if he did not become a singer, he would have chosen to become a lawyer. His original plans were abandoned once Kyuhyun joined a band in high school, where he became more interested in music and singing. His father was against his dream of singing but soon made a deal with Kyuhyun; if Kyuhyun did well on his college entrance exams and was accepted into a university, he would be allowed to pursue music.

Kyuhyun was accepted into Kyunghee University and his father allowed him to continue with his musical career. He graduated fromKyunghee University with a major in Post-Modern Music.