Honorific forms
Korean uses special words and grammar, called honorifics, to show respect towards people who are older or of higher social status.
How It Works
In Korean culture, showing respect is crucial, and the language reflects this through a well-developed honorifics system. This system is used to show respect to the subject of the sentence, not necessarily the listener. This is different from politeness levels like -요 or -ㅂ/습니다, which show respect to the person you are talking to.
There are two main ways to use honorifics:
1. The Honorific Marker -시-
This is the most common way to make a verb or adjective honorific. You add -시- or -으시- to the stem.
- Stems ending in a vowel: Add -시- (e.g., 가다 → 가시다)
- Stems ending in a consonant: Add -으시- (e.g., 읽다 → 읽으시다)
This form is then conjugated as usual. For example, 가시다 becomes 가세요, 가십니다, 가셨어요.
2. Special Honorific Vocabulary
For some common words, there are completely different honorific equivalents. You must memorize these.
- Nouns:
- 밥 (rice/meal) → 진지
- 집 (house) → 댁
- 이름 (name) → 성함
- 나이 (age) → 연세
- Verbs:
- 먹다 (to eat) → 드시다 / 잡수시다
- 자다 (to sleep) → 주무시다
- 있다 (to be/exist) → 계시다
- 주다 (to give) → 드리다 (This is a humble form used when giving to a respected person)
- 아프다 (to be sick) → 편찮으시다
- Particles:
- 이/가 (subject) → 께서
- 은/는 (topic) → 께서는
- 에게/한테 (to) → 께
When an honorific verb like 드시다 or 주무시다 is used, you do not need to add another -시-. These verbs are inherently honorific.
Examples (4)
- 할아버지께서 신문을 읽으세요.
Grandfather reads the newspaper.
Word by Word: Grandfather (hon.) newspaper read (hon.).
The honorific particle '께서' is used for the subject (할아버지), and the verb 읽다 becomes 읽으시다 (conjugated to 읽으세요) to show respect.
- 선생님, 진지 드셨어요?
Teacher, did you have your meal?
Word by Word: Teacher, meal (hon.) ate (hon.)?
This sentence uses the honorific noun '진지' instead of '밥' and the honorific verb '드시다' instead of '먹다' to respectfully ask about the teacher's meal.
- 어머니는 집에 안 계세요.
My mother is not at home.
Word by Word: Mother (topic) home at not exist (hon.).
The honorific verb '계시다' is used instead of '있다' to talk about where the mother is.
- 사장님께 이메일을 보냈습니다.
I sent an email to the company president.
Word by Word: President (hon. to) email sent.
The honorific particle '께' is used instead of '에게' or '한테' because the email is being sent to a person of high status.
Common Mistakes
Using honorifics for oneself.
Not Quite제가 선생님께 제 성함을 말씀드렸어요.Better제가 선생님께 제 이름을 말씀드렸어요.You should not use honorific nouns like '성함' (name) or '연세' (age) to refer to yourself. Honorifics are used to elevate others, not yourself. Use the standard word '이름' for your own name.
Confusing honorifics (for the subject) with politeness levels (for the listener).
Different Meaning할머니, 이거 먹어.Better할머니, 이거 드세요.Even if you are close to your grandmother, you must use honorifics when she is the subject. '먹어' is a plain form verb. You should use the honorific verb '드시다' and a polite ending like '-세요' when speaking to her.
Adding -시- to an already honorific verb.
Not Quite아버지가 주무시셔요.Better아버지가 주무세요.Verbs like 주무시다 (to sleep) and 드시다 (to eat) are already honorific. They do not need an additional -시- marker. Simply conjugate the verb as it is (e.g., 주무시다 -> 주무세요).
Learn This First
To use Korean honorifics, you need to understand how verbs conjugate in respectful forms.
Related Patterns
- -(으)시-Honorific Marker
This is the core grammatical marker for subject honorification. It attaches to verb and adjective stems to show respect for the subject.
- 께서Subject Marker (Honorific)
This is the honorific subject particle, used instead of '이/가' when the subject of the sentence is someone you are showing respect to.
- 께To (Honorific)
This is the honorific particle used instead of '에게' or '한테' to mean 'to (a person)'. It's used when the recipient is someone you respect.
- -요Politeness Marker
This is a politeness marker added to the end of sentences to show respect to the listener. It's important to distinguish this from honorifics, which show respect to the subject of the sentence. They are often used together.
- -ㅂ/습니다Formal Polite Ending
This is a formal polite sentence ending. Like '-요', it shows respect to the listener. Honorific forms can be combined with this formal ending (e.g., 읽으십니다) for very formal situations.
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.