Honorific Speech (높임말)

높임말 (nopimmal) is honorific speech that elevates the subject of a sentence. It's distinct from politeness levels (which affect sentence endings) and shows special respect to the person you're talking about.

Core Concept

Politeness levels: Respect the listener (sentence endings) Honorific speech: Respect the subject (verb modifications)

Can combine both:

• 선생님이 가요 (Teacher goes - polite to listener)
• 선생님이 가세요 (Teacher goes - polite to listener + honoring teacher)

The -시- Marker

Basic Pattern

Insert -시- before verb ending:

Regular: 가다 → 가요 (goes) Honorific: 가다 → 가시다 → 가세요 (goes - honored)

Placement

-시- goes between stem and ending:

• Stem + 시 + Ending
• 가 + 시 + 어요 → 가세요

Conjugation Rules

After vowel stem: Insert -시- directly

• 가다 → 가시다
• 오다 → 오시다

After consonant stem: Add -으시-

• 먹다 → 먹으시다
• 읽다 → 읽으시다

After ㄹ stem: ㄹ drops, add -시-

• 만들다 → 만드시다
• 살다 → 사시다

Honorific Conjugations by Level

합니다체 (Formal Polite)

Pattern: Stem + (으)시 + ㅂ니다/습니다

Examples:

• 가다 → 가십니다 (goes - honored)
• 먹다 → 드십니다 (eats - honored, special verb)
• 주다 → 주십니다 (gives - honored)

Questions: -(으)십니까?

• 가십니까? (Do you go?)
• 어디 가십니까? (Where do you go?)

해요체 (Informal Polite)

Pattern: Stem + (으)시 + 어요 → (으)세요

Examples:

• 가다 → 가세요 (goes/please go)
• 먹다 → 드세요 (eats/please eat)
• 오다 → 오세요 (comes/please come)
• 있다 → 계세요 (stays/is - special verb)

반말 with Honorifics

Rare but exists: -(으)셔

Examples:

• 가셔 (goes - casual but honored)
• 오셔 (comes - casual but honored)

Note: Sounds contradictory (casual + honored), used mainly:

• When quoting someone's words
• In certain dialectal speech
• Narration/storytelling

Special Honorific Verbs

Many common verbs have special honorific forms:

Essential Honorific Verbs

Regular	Meaning	Honorific	해요체 Form
먹다	eat	드시다	드세요
마시다	drink	드시다	드세요
자다	sleep	주무시다	주무세요
있다	be/stay	계시다	계세요
죽다	die	돌아가시다	돌아가세요
말하다	speak	말씀하시다	말씀하세요
아프다	be sick	편찮으시다	편찮으세요

드시다 (eat/drink)

Replaces: 먹다 and 마시다 Usage: Most common honorific verb

Examples:

• 할아버지가 드세요 (Grandfather eats)
• 차를 드세요 (Please have tea)
• 많이 드세요 (Please eat a lot)

주무시다 (sleep)

Replaces: 자다

Examples:

• 할머니가 주무세요 (Grandmother sleeps)
• 편히 주무세요 (Sleep well - honored)
• 잘 주무셨어요? (Did you sleep well?)

계시다 (be/stay)

Replaces: 있다

Examples:

• 선생님이 계세요 (Teacher is here)
• 집에 계세요? (Are you home? - honored)
• 사무실에 계십니까? (Are you in the office?)

돌아가시다 (pass away)

Replaces: 죽다 (die) Usage: Euphemistic and respectful

Examples:

• 할아버지가 돌아가셨어요 (Grandfather passed away)
• 작년에 돌아가셨습니다 (Passed away last year)

Never say: 죽으셨어요 (too direct, inappropriate)

말씀하시다 (speak)

Replaces: 말하다

Examples:

• 선생님이 말씀하세요 (Teacher speaks)
• 말씀해 주세요 (Please tell me - honored)
• 무슨 말씀이세요? (What do you mean? - honored)

Subject Honorification Rules

Who Gets Honored

Always honor:

• Grandparents
• Parents (in formal contexts)
• Teachers/professors
• Bosses/superiors
• Elders
• Customers (in service)
• Anyone deserving respect

Never honor:

• Yourself (use humble forms instead)
• Your own family when speaking to outsiders
• People younger or lower status

Examples with Different Subjects

Teacher (honored):

• 선생님이 가세요 (Teacher goes - honored)
• 선생님이 책을 읽으세요 (Teacher reads a book)

Friend (not honored):

• 친구가 가요 (Friend goes - not honored)
• 친구가 책을 읽어요 (Friend reads a book)

Grandfather (honored):

• 할아버지가 주무세요 (Grandfather sleeps)
• 할아버지가 드세요 (Grandfather eats)

Honorific Particles

Subject Particle: 께서

Replaces: 이/가 Usage: Marks honored subject

Examples:

• 선생님께서 오세요 (Teacher comes - honored)
• 할아버지께서 말씀하세요 (Grandfather speaks)
• 사장님께서 계십니다 (President is here)

Not used with non-honored subjects:

• Wrong: 친구께서 가요
• Right: 친구가 가요

To/From Particle: 께

Replaces: 에게/한테 (to) Usage: Direction toward honored person

Examples:

• 선생님께 드려요 (Give to teacher)
• 할아버지께 말씀드려요 (Speak to grandfather - humble)
• 부모님께 전화해요 (Call parents)

Past Tense Honorifics

-(으)셨어요 Pattern

Formation: Stem + (으)시 + 었어요 → (으)셨어요

Examples:

• 가다 → 가셨어요 (went - honored)
• 오다 → 오셨어요 (came - honored)
• 먹다 → 드셨어요 (ate - special verb)
• 자다 → 주무셨어요 (slept - special verb)

Common Past Tense Honorifics

Questions:

• 어디 가셨어요? (Where did you go?)
• 잘 주무셨어요? (Did you sleep well?)
• 식사하셨어요? (Did you eat?)

Statements:

• 할머니가 오셨어요 (Grandmother came)
• 선생님이 말씀하셨어요 (Teacher spoke)

Honorific Commands/Requests

-(으)세요 (Please do)

Dual function: Statement + polite request

As request:

• 앉으세요 (Please sit)
• 드세요 (Please eat/drink)
• 말씀하세요 (Please speak)
• 편히 쉬세요 (Please rest comfortably)

-(으)십시오 (Formal request)

More formal than (으)세요:

Examples:

• 앉으십시오 (Please sit - formal)
• 들어오십시오 (Please come in - formal)
• 기다리십시오 (Please wait - formal)

Honorific Questions

-세요? Form

Asking about honored person's actions:

• 어디 가세요? (Where are you going?)
• 뭐 하세요? (What are you doing?)
• 괜찮으세요? (Are you okay?)
• 집에 계세요? (Are you at home?)

-십니까? Form

More formal questions:

• 어디 가십니까? (Where are you going? - formal)
• 누구십니까? (Who are you? - formal)
• 괜찮으십니까? (Are you alright? - formal)

Common Honorific Expressions

Greetings

• 안녕하세요 (Hello - uses 하시다)
• 안녕히 가세요 (Goodbye - to person leaving)
• 안녕히 계세요 (Goodbye - when you're leaving)
• 처음 뵙겠습니다 (Nice to meet you - humble + honorific)

Health and Wellbeing

• 건강하세요 (Be healthy)
• 편히 쉬세요 (Rest comfortably)
• 조심하세요 (Be careful)
• 잘 지내세요 (Take care / Be well)

Meals

• 맛있게 드세요 (Enjoy your meal - honored)
• 많이 드세요 (Eat a lot - honored)
• 식사하셨어요? (Did you eat? - honored)

Honorific + Tense Combinations

Present

Statement: -(으)세요

• 가세요 (goes/go)
• 드세요 (eats/eat)

Question: -(으)세요?

• 가세요? (Do you go?)

Past

Statement: -(으)셨어요

• 가셨어요 (went)
• 드셨어요 (ate)

Question: -(으)셨어요?

• 가셨어요? (Did you go?)

Future

Statement: -(으)실 거예요

• 가실 거예요 (will go)
• 드실 거예요 (will eat)

Intention: -(으)시겠어요

• 가시겠어요? (Will you go?)

When NOT to Use Honorifics

About Yourself

Wrong: 제가 가세요 Right: 제가 가요

Never honor yourself - use humble forms instead

About Your Family (to outsiders)

Speaking to outsider about your father: Wrong: 우리 아버지가 오세요 Right: 우리 아버지가 와요 / 저희 아버지가 와요

Reason: Don't elevate your own family to outsiders

Among Close Friends (반말)

Generally avoided in casual 반말:

• Friends: 너 가? (not 너 가셔?)
• Exception: Playful sarcasm or mockery

Double Honorification

Can Stack Honorifics

Honorific verb + 시 + polite ending:

• 드시다 (honorific eat) → 드세요 (with -시-)
• 계시다 (honorific be) → 계세요 (with -시-)
• 주무시다 (honorific sleep) → 주무세요 (with -시-)

Common pattern with special honorific verbs

Honorific Noun Titles

Adding 님 Suffix

Honorific title marker:

• 선생님 (teacher)
• 사장님 (president/boss)
• 할머니 → 할머님 (grandmother - formal)
• 할아버지 → 할아버님 (grandfather - formal)

Using with Names

• 김 선생님 (Teacher Kim)
• 박 사장님 (President Park)

Regional and Generational Differences

Older Generations

More strict about honorifics:

• Use with all elders
• Very formal patterns common
• Special honorific verbs essential

Younger Generations

Slightly more relaxed:

• Still use with clear superiors
• May simplify in casual contexts
• Core honorifics still essential

Regional Variations

Different dialects have unique honorific forms:

• Gyeongsang: Different intonation
• Jeolla: Unique honorific particles
• Standard Seoul: Most widespread

Practice Sentences

Basic Honorific Statements

Present:

• 할머니가 주무세요 (Grandmother sleeps)
• 선생님이 오세요 (Teacher comes)
• 사장님이 계세요 (President is here)

Past:

• 할아버지가 드셨어요 (Grandfather ate)
• 선생님이 가셨어요 (Teacher went)
• 부모님이 오셨어요 (Parents came)

Honorific Questions

• 어디 가세요? (Where are you going?)
• 뭐 드세요? (What are you eating?)
• 집에 계세요? (Are you at home?)
• 잘 주무셨어요? (Did you sleep well?)

Honorific Requests

• 앉으세요 (Please sit)
• 드세요 (Please eat/drink)
• 말씀해 주세요 (Please tell me)
• 이쪽으로 오세요 (Please come this way)

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Honoring Yourself

Wrong: 제가 가세요 Right: 제가 가요 / 제가 가겠습니다

Mistake 2: Not Using Special Verbs

Awkward: 할아버지가 먹으세요 Better: 할아버지가 드세요

Mistake 3: Over-Honorification

Wrong: To friend: 너 가세요? (너 with honorific) Right: To friend: 너 가? or To elder: 가세요?

Mistake 4: Forgetting Honorific Particles

Less respectful: 선생님이 오세요 More respectful: 선생님께서 오세요

Key Points

• ✅ Marker: -시- inserted before verb ending
• ✅ Purpose: Honor the subject of the sentence
• ✅ Special verbs: 드시다, 주무시다, 계시다, etc.
• ✅ Particles: 께서 (subject), 께 (to/from)
• ✅ Combine: Works with all politeness levels
• ✅ Never: Honor yourself
• ✅ Essential: Shows respect in Korean culture
• ✅ Master: Special honorific verbs first

Honorific speech is fundamental to respectful Korean. While politeness levels show respect to your listener, honorifics show respect to the person you're talking about. Master both for complete Korean fluency.