Honorifics: 존댓말 System
Understand formal and polite speech levels, and the honorific ~(으)시다.
Korean honorifics (존댓말) form one of the most distinctive aspects of the language. Beyond the speech levels (formal -ㅂ니다/습니다 vs polite -아요/어요), there's a separate system of subject honorifics that elevates the grammatical subject — usually because the subject is socially superior to the speaker. The marker is -(으)시- inserted between the verb stem and the ending.
Example: 가다 (to go) → 가시다 (to go, honorific) → 가세요 (polite present, honorific). When your boss is the subject, every verb takes -(으)시-: 사장님이 어디 가세요? (where is the CEO going?). Some verbs have completely different honorific forms: 먹다 → 잡수시다, 자다 → 주무시다, 있다 → 계시다. Japanese speakers will recognise the underlying social calculation as similar to keigo, but the specific honorific verb forms are unique to Korean and need separate memorisation.
~(으)시다 — Honorific Verb Ending
Add (으)시 to the verb stem to show respect for the subject. Consonant → 으시, vowel → 시. 가다 → 가시다 → 가세요 (polite), 읽다 → 읽으시다 → 읽으세요. Used for elders, bosses, strangers.
합쇼체 vs 해요체 — Formal vs Polite
합쇼체 (formal): ~습니다/~ㅂ니다 (statements), ~습니까?/~ㅂ니까? (questions). Used in presentations, news, formal settings. 해요체 (polite): ~아/어요. Used in daily polite speech. Both are respectful, but 합쇼체 is more formal.
How It Works
Korean politeness operates on two independent axes, and separating them clears up most of the confusion around 존댓말.
The first axis is speech level — how formal the sentence ending is. 합쇼체 uses -습니다/-ㅂ니다 and is used for presentations, broadcasts and formal reports. 해요체 uses -아/어요 and covers ordinary polite conversation. Both show respect to the listener; they differ in formality, not in politeness.
The second axis is subject honorification — whether you elevate the person the sentence is about. This is what -(으)시- does. 가다 becomes 가시다, and combined with 해요체 you get 가세요. The important point is that -(으)시- refers to the sentence's subject, not the listener, which is why you never use it about yourself.
Because the axes are independent, you can combine them freely: 가십니다 is formal plus honorific; 가세요 is polite plus honorific; 갑니다 is formal without honorific; 가요 is neither.
Some verbs have suppletive honorific forms rather than taking -(으)시-. 먹다 becomes 드시다, 자다 becomes 주무시다, 있다 becomes 계시다, 말하다 becomes 말씀하시다. These have to be learned separately because the regular rule does not produce them.
Japanese speakers will find the two-axis system familiar, since Japanese separates 丁寧語 from 尊敬語 in much the same way.
Where You'll Hear It
해요체 is where daily life happens. Learners often assume 합쇼체 is required to be polite and end up sounding like a news broadcast in a coffee shop. Unless you are presenting, interviewing or addressing a room, 해요체 is correct.
-(으)시- is unavoidable the moment you talk to or about anyone older or senior. 어디 가세요?, 식사하셨어요?, 사장님 계세요? are all ordinary sentences you will need in your first weeks of real interaction.
Service staff use honorifics towards customers constantly, which is why you hear 주문하시겠어요? and 결제 도와드리겠습니다 everywhere. You do not need to match this register back — customers normally use plain 해요체 — but recognising it matters for comprehension.
The suppletive forms show up immediately around food and rest, which are frequent topics. 식사 드셨어요? ('have you eaten?') asked of someone older uses 드시다, and answering about yourself uses 먹었어요 rather than 드셨어요, because you do not elevate yourself.
One error to watch: applying -(으)시- to yourself. 제가 가세요 is wrong; it should be 제가 가요 or 제가 갑니다.
Cultural & Language Note
Korean honorifics are absolute rather than relative, which is the key difference from Japanese. A Korean employee tells an outside caller 사장님께서 안 계십니다, keeping the honorific for their own boss. A Japanese employee would humble the boss to an outsider. Japanese speakers who transfer their instincts here will consistently mis-select, so this is one place where the shared intuition breaks down.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Some verbs have dedicated honorific forms rather than taking 으시: 먹다 becomes 드시다, 자다 becomes 주무시다, 있다 becomes 계시다. Attaching 으시 to the plain stem instead — 먹으세요 for a respected elder — is understandable but marks you as a learner. Also, never use honorifics about yourself.
How to Practice This Lesson
Draw the two axes on paper and place four forms in the grid: 가요, 가세요, 갑니다, 가십니다. Seeing that honorification and formality are separate dimensions, rather than four points on one scale, is the conceptual work of this lesson and it takes about five minutes.
Memorise the four suppletive forms as vocabulary, not as grammar: 드시다, 주무시다, 계시다, 말씀하시다. They are irregular by definition and no amount of rule-learning will produce them.
Drill the self-reference error deliberately. Write five sentences about yourself and five about someone senior, and check that -(으)시- appears only in the second set. This error is common and persistent, and catching it early saves embarrassment later.
Japanese speakers should map the system onto 丁寧語 and 尊敬語 and then focus on the Korean-specific vocabulary rather than re-learning the concept. The structural insight transfers almost completely.