Honorifics

Korean Grammar 2

Course 2 · Chapter 2 · Honorifics and Humble Forms

🙇 Honorifics and Humble Forms — 높임말과 낮춤말

The speech level (Korean Grammar 2, chapter 1, Speech Levels in Depth) shows respect to the listener. Honorifics show respect to the person you are talking about, and humble forms lower you when you speak to or about someone senior. Together they make up 높임말 ("raising language"). This chapter covers the honorific verb suffix -(으)시-, the special honorific verbs and nouns, the particles 께서 and 께, the humble verbs, and how to address people with 님 and 씨.

The rule in one box Honour the doer of the action, never yourself.
A respected subject → -(으)시- on the verb (and 께서 after the subject); or a special honorific word.
A respected receiver of your action → a humble verb (드리다, 뵙다, 여쭙다, 모시다).
저 / 저희 replace 나 / 우리 when you speak to someone senior.

1. The honorific suffix -(으)시-

Attach -시- to a vowel stem and -으시- to a consonant stem, before any tense or ending: 가다 → 가시다, 받다 → 받으시다, 작다 → 작으시다. It works on verbs and adjectives alike. Then the ending is added as usual.

Plain verb	Honorific stem	해요체 (present)	합쇼체 (present)	Past (해요체)	Future (해요체)
가다 go	가시-	가세요	가십니다	가셨어요	가실 거예요
읽다 read	읽으시-	읽으세요	읽으십니다	읽으셨어요	읽으실 거예요
바쁘다 be busy	바쁘시-	바쁘세요	바쁘십니다	바쁘셨어요	바쁘실 거예요
살다 live (ㄹ stem)	사시-	사세요	사십니다	사셨어요	사실 거예요
이다 be (noun)	(이)시-	선생님이세요	선생님이십니다	선생님이셨어요	—

How the forms come about: -시- + 어요 → -세요 (the everyday polite ending contracts), -시- + ㅂ니다 → -십니다, and the past is -셨-. A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ before -시-, as it does before -ㅂ니다 (살다 → 사시다, 만들다 → 만드시다). The casual form is -셔 (선생님이 오셔, "the teacher is coming"). The command -(으)세요 and the formal command -(으)십시오 are the same suffix. In 합쇼체 the question is -(으)십니까?.

Watch out: never honour yourself Say 저는 학교에 가요, never 저는 학교에 가세요. -(으)시- is for the person you respect. For your own action toward a senior, use a humble verb (section 4), or the plain verb.

2. Special honorific verbs and nouns

A few common words do not take -(으)시-. They are replaced by a different word. You must memorise the pairs.

Plain	Honorific	Everyday polite honorific	Meaning
있다	계시다	계세요	be (somewhere); stay
있다 (to have)	있으시다	있으세요	have (시간 있으세요?)
먹다 / 마시다	드시다 (also 잡수시다)	드세요	eat; drink
자다	주무시다	주무세요	sleep
말하다	말씀하시다	말씀하세요	speak; say
배고프다	시장하시다	시장하세요	be hungry
죽다	돌아가시다	돌아가셨어요	pass away (a respectful way to say it)

Plain noun	Honorific noun	Meaning
밥	진지	meal
나이	연세	age
이름	성함	name
집	댁	house; home
말	말씀	words; speech
사람	분	person

Kinship terms also take -님 for elders: 할머니 → 할머님, 아버지 → 아버님. Questions you will hear: 성함이 어떻게 되세요? ("may I have your name?") and 연세가 어떻게 되세요? ("how old are you, sir/madam?"). Remember the speech level (Chapter 1) must also match: honorific nouns are used with a polite level, not with casual speech.

3. Particles: 께서 and 께

When the subject is respected, the subject particle 이/가 changes to 께서, and the topic 은/는 to 께서는. The dative 에게 / 한테 ("to") changes to 께. The place particle 에 has no honorific form for things.

Plain	Honorific
선생님이 오세요.	선생님께서 오세요. The teacher is coming.
할머니는 주무세요.	할머니께서는 주무세요. Grandmother is sleeping.
친구에게 선물을 줘요.	선생님께 선물을 드려요. I give a present to the teacher.

Notice the last row: giving to a respected person needs both the particle 께 and the humble verb 드리다.

4. Humble forms: lowering yourself

A humble verb is used for your own action directed at someone you respect. It does not honour the subject: it honours the receiver.

Plain	Humble	Example
주다 give	드리다	선생님께 책을 드렸어요. I gave the teacher a book.
-아/어 주다 do for	-아/어 드리다	도와 드릴게요. I'll help you.
보다 / 만나다 see; meet	뵙다	내일 뵙겠습니다. I'll see you tomorrow.
묻다 ask	여쭙다 / 여쭈다	하나 여쭤봐도 될까요? May I ask something?
데리고 가다 take (someone)	모시고 가다	부모님을 모시고 가요. I take my parents along.
말하다 tell	말씀드리다	제가 말씀드릴게요. I'll tell you.

The pronouns follow the same logic: 나 → 저 ("I") and 우리 → 저희 ("we", humble) when speaking to a senior or a customer. 말씀 is two-faced: it is the honorific word for their speech (선생님 말씀) and the humble word for your speech to them (말씀드리다).

Watch out: no "you" for a senior Second-person pronouns are avoided in honorific speech. Use the person's title + 님 (선생님, 사장님) or a name, not 너. The pronoun 당신 is described as used only between married partners, or sarcastically between strangers, so it is not a safe "you" for a learner. For a respected third person who is present or absent you can say 그분 ("that person", honorific), from 분 above.

5. Titles: 님 and 씨

-님 is the highest form of address. It goes on titles and kinship terms (선생님, 사장님, 부장님) and is used for customers, guests and people you do not know (손님). A title is not used bare to someone senior: 사장님, not 사장.
-씨 is used between people of about equal rank, after a full name or first name: 민수 씨, 김민수 씨. A surname alone with 씨 (김 씨) can sound rude.
A person's name with a space and 님 (민수 님) is also heard, especially online and in service settings.

Watch out: honouring a person who is below another senior Traditional etiquette (압존법, "relative honorifics") dropped the honorific for someone junior to the person you are speaking to: a child told a grandparent 할아버지, 아버지가 아직 안 왔습니다 ("Grandfather, father hasn't come yet"), without the honorific on father. Today at work this is considered out of date, and people use the honorific for their own senior even to a more senior listener: 부장님, 이 과장님은 지금 자리에 안 계십니다 ("Director, Manager Lee is not at his desk at the moment"). Family usage still varies.

Watch out: do not honour objects A common service-language habit is to use -(으)시- on objects: 커피 나오셨습니다 ("your coffee has come out, sir/madam"). The honorific goes with people, so the correct form is 커피 나왔습니다. This is general knowledge about usage and was not in the sources consulted for this chapter.

🗣️ In Use — 실제 예문

Honorific and humble forms in four settings.

① Visiting grandparents

A: 할머니, 진지 드셨어요? Grandmother, have you had your meal?

B: 그래, 먹었다. 너는 먹었니? Yes, I've eaten. Have you eaten?

② A phone call

A: 김 부장님 계세요? Is Director Kim there?

B: 지금 회의 중이십니다. 메모 남겨 드릴까요? He is in a meeting at the moment. Shall I leave a message for him?

③ In the classroom

A: 선생님, 하나 여쭤봐도 될까요? Teacher, may I ask something?

B: 네, 말씀하세요. Yes, go ahead.

④ Meeting someone senior

A: 성함이 어떻게 되세요? May I have your name?

B: 박민수입니다. 만나 뵙게 되어 반갑습니다. I'm Park Minsu. I'm glad to meet you.

📋 Quick Reference — 요약표

Job	Form	Example
honour the subject	-(으)시- + ending	가세요, 읽으세요
special words	계시다, 드시다, 주무시다, 말씀하시다	드세요, 주무세요
honorific nouns	진지, 연세, 성함, 댁, 말씀, 분	성함이 어떻게 되세요?
honorific particles	께서, 께서는, 께	선생님께서, 선생님께
humble verbs	드리다, 뵙다, 여쭙다, 모시다, 말씀드리다	도와 드릴게요
humble pronouns	저, 저희	저희 회사
titles	님 (senior, customers); 씨 (equals)	사장님, 민수 씨

✏️ Try It Yourself — 연습

Work out the answer first, then click to check.

1. Make these honorific (해요체): 가요, 읽어요, 바빠요.

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가세요 · 읽으세요 · 바쁘세요

2. Make it honorific: 할머니는 밥을 먹어요. (Grandmother is eating.)

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할머니께서는 진지를 드세요.

3. Make it honorific: 선생님이 자요. (The teacher is sleeping.)

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선생님께서 주무세요.

4. Say "I'll give this to the teacher."

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이것을 선생님께 드릴게요.

5. What is wrong with 저는 내일 가세요? Correct it.

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It honours the speaker. Correct: 저는 내일 가요.

6. Say in 합쇼체: "The president is in the office."

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사장님은 사무실에 계십니다.

7. Ask politely for someone's name and age.

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성함이 어떻게 되세요? 연세가 어떻게 되세요?

8. Say "May I ask you something?" to a teacher.

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하나 여쭤봐도 될까요?

Coming up in Chapter 3: Irregular Verbs and Adjectives. You will learn the ㅂ-, ㄷ-, ㅅ-, ㅎ-, ㅡ-, 르- and ㄹ-irregulars, with a full conjugation table for each, since the clause endings in the chapters after that need them.