Honorific -(으)시-: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Add 시 or 으시 to any regular verb or adjective stem.
• Build the present, formal and past honorific forms: 가세요, 가십니다, 가셨어요.
• Decide whether a sentence needs -(으)시- by checking its subject.
• Avoid the two most common errors: honouring yourself and honouring objects.

Before you start: you should know the Korean SOV sentence pattern and the polite ending -아요/어요. Time: about 30 minutes.

What Does the Honorific -(으)시- Mean?

The honorific -(으)시- means "the person doing this deserves respect". It has no English translation. English shows respect with words like "sir" or with a softer tone, while Korean builds respect into the verb itself.

Korean grammar calls -(으)시- a pre-final ending (선어말 어미): a piece that goes after the stem but before the final ending. The system it belongs to is subject honorification (주체 높임법), the rule that raises the status of the sentence's subject. Compare two sentences with the same English meaning:

Both sentences are polite to the listener, because both end in 요. Only the second one also honours the subject. That split between subject and listener is the core idea of this lesson.

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 선생님이 책을 읽으세요. (seonsaengnimi chaegeul ilgeuseyo) "The teacher is reading a book."

Pronunciation: [선생니미 채글 일그세요]. The stem 읽 ends in a consonant, so it takes 으시, and 으시 + 어요 shortens to 으세요.

2. 아버지께서 오셨어요. (abeojikkeseo osyeosseoyo) "Father has come."

Pronunciation: [아버지께서 오셔써요]. The stem 오 ends in a vowel, so it takes 시. In the past, 시 + 었 merges into 셨. The particle 께서 is the honorific form of 이/가 and adds even more respect to the subject.

The two sentences use different stems and tenses, but each one points the marker at the subject. The next section shows how to build the marker for any verb.

How Does the Honorific -(으)시- Work?

The honorific -(으)시- works with one sound rule: add 시 after a vowel and 으시 after a consonant. The extra 으 is a linking vowel that keeps two consonants from colliding. After that, the normal ending attaches, and a few combinations shorten.

1. Take the stem. Remove 다 from the dictionary form: 가다 → 가, 읽다 → 읽.
2. Check the last sound. A vowel takes 시 (가시), a consonant takes 으시 (읽으시).
3. Add the ending. For the polite present, 시 + 어요 becomes 세요: 가세요, 읽으세요.

Pattern Table

Pronunciation of the trickier forms: 읽으세요 is [일그세요], 앉으세요 is [안즈세요], and 좋으세요 is [조으세요], because ㅎ goes silent before a vowel. The formal form adds -ㅂ니다 to 시, so 가십니다 is [가심니다].

Three contractions explain every form in the table:

• 시 + 어요 → 세요. This is the everyday polite form. The longer 셔요 also exists but is rare today.
• 시 + 었 → 셨. This builds every past form: 가셨어요, 읽으셨어요.
• 시 + ㅂ니다 → 십니다. This is the formal form used in speeches, announcements and service.

Adjectives take -(으)시- in the same way. 할머니가 바쁘세요 means "Grandmother is busy", with respect for her. The full honorific conjugations of any verb can be checked in the Korean verb conjugator.

What Happens with Irregular Stems?

Irregular stems change first and then take 으시 like any consonant stem, or 시 like any vowel stem. Four groups appear in A2 textbooks:

The ㄹ rule matters most. A stem ending in ㄹ loses the ㄹ before 시, so 살다 becomes 사세요, not 살으세요. Many learners write 살으세요 because they treat ㄹ as a normal consonant. The worked example below puts these steps together in one sentence.

Worked Example, Step by Step

To build 선생님이 책을 읽으세요, start with the plain sentence and add respect in two places. Follow the steps in order.

1. Write the plain sentence. 선생님이 책을 읽어요. ("The teacher reads a book.") It is polite to the listener but neutral about the teacher.
2. Find the subject. The subject is 선생님 ("teacher"), a person you respect. That means the verb needs -(으)시-.
3. Take the stem of the verb. 읽다 → 읽.
4. Choose 시 or 으시. 읽 ends in the consonant ㄺ, so it takes 으시: 읽으시.
5. Add the polite ending. 읽으시 + 어요 → 읽으세요.
6. Check the subject particle (optional). For extra respect, replace 이 with 께서: 선생님께서 책을 읽으세요. In everyday speech, 선생님이 is common and correct.

You'll know it worked when the verb contains 시, 세 or 셨 and the subject is someone senior. Common mistake at this step: adding 시 to the noun instead of the verb, as in 선생님시. The marker always attaches to a verb or adjective stem.

Repeat with 아버지께서 오셨어요. The subject 아버지 deserves respect, the stem 오 ends in a vowel, so it takes 시, and the past 었 merges into 셨: 오셨어요.

With the mechanics clear, the next question is how -(으)시- differs from the polite ending, which also shows respect.

How Is -(으)시- Different from Similar Forms?

-(으)시- respects the subject of the sentence, while the polite ending (-아요/어요 or -ㅂ니다) respects the listener. The two are independent, so a sentence can have one, the other, both or neither. Korean grammar calls the second system listener honorification (상대 높임법).

The first row respects both people. The second row talks casually to a sibling but still honours the grandmother. The third row is polite to the boss but never honours yourself. The fourth row is casual and neutral.

A simple test settles most cases. Ask two questions: "Who does the action?" decides -(으)시-, and "Who am I talking to?" decides the ending. The full comparison, with more examples, is in honorific vs polite speech in Korean. The everyday 세요 ending is compared with 아요/어요 in -(으)세요 vs -아요/어요.

-(으)시- also works with two other honorific tools. The particle 께서 replaces 이/가 for a respected subject, as taught in the honorific subject particle 께서 lesson. Honorific nouns replace ordinary nouns, such as 진지 for 밥 (meal) and 연세 for 나이 (age), as shown in Korean honorific nouns. The next section covers where -(으)시- is used and where special verbs take over.

When Do You Use It, and When Not?

Use -(으)시- when the subject is a person older or more senior than you, or someone you serve. Do not use it when you are the subject, when the subject is a child or a close friend your age, or when the subject is an object.

Typical Subjects That Take -(으)시-

• Family elders: 어머니, 아버지, 할머니, 할아버지. 어머니가 요리를 하세요. ("Mother is cooking.")
• Teachers and bosses: 선생님, 사장님, 부장님. 사장님이 회의에 들어가셨어요. ("The boss went into the meeting.")
• Customers and strangers: shop and bank staff speak to customers with -(으)시-. 뭐 찾으세요? ("What are you looking for?")
• The listener, when they are the subject: in a question to a senior, the listener is often the subject. 어디 가세요? ("Where are you going?")

The last case explains why 세요 sounds like a "polite you" form to many learners. It is not a "you" form; it respects the subject, and in a question the subject is often the listener.

Special Honorific Verbs

A small set of common verbs do not take -(으)시- directly. They switch to a different verb that already contains 시.

Saying 먹으세요 to an elder is understood but sounds off; 드세요 is the form native speakers expect. Two forms exist for 있다: 계시다 means a respected person is somewhere, and 있으시다 means a respected person has something, as in 시간 있으세요? ("Do you have time?"). The full list, with practice, is in Korean honorific verbs 드시다 주무시다 계시다.

Speech, Writing and Formal Text

-(으)시- appears in conversation, messages, letters and notices. A sign reading 잠시 기다려 주십시오 ("Please wait a moment") uses it, and so does a text to a teacher: 내일 학교에 오세요? Many newspaper reports, by contrast, describe public figures in a neutral written style without -(으)시-, so do not copy news sentences when you speak about your own seniors. The next section lists the mistakes learners make most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Learners make four predictable mistakes with -(으)시-. Each one comes from treating the marker as general politeness instead of respect for the subject.

1. Honouring yourself. Learners often assume that 세요 is simply "polite", so they say 저는 내일 부산에 가세요. Actually -(으)시- can never point at the speaker, because Koreans never raise their own status. Say 저는 내일 부산에 가요.
2. Honouring objects in service speech. Shop staff often say 커피 나오셨습니다 or 가격은 만 원이세요. The 국립국어원 (National Institute of Korean Language) describes this as an error called 사물 존대, honouring things. The coffee is the subject, so the correct sentences are 커피 나왔습니다 and 가격은 만 원입니다.
3. Keeping ㄹ before 시. 살으세요 and 만들으세요 are wrong. A ㄹ-stem drops ㄹ: 사세요, 만드세요.
4. Using 먹으세요 and 자세요 for elders. These are understandable but miss the special verbs. Say 드세요 and 주무세요.

One borderline case confuses learners. Things closely tied to a respected person, such as their body, health, time or family, can take -(으)시-: 할머니는 귀가 밝으세요 ("Grandmother has sharp ears"). This is called indirect honorification (간접 높임), and it is correct. The difference from mistake 2 is that the respect still flows to the person, not to the coffee. More cases are collected in Korean honorific mistakes. Now test yourself.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio, normal and slow.

1. Choose the form. 할머니께서 신문을 (읽어요 / 읽으세요). ("Grandmother is reading the newspaper.")
2. Fix the error. 저는 내일 부산에 가세요. (The speaker means "I am going to Busan tomorrow.")
3. Translate. "My father lives in Seoul." Use 살다 (to live).
4. Write your own. Write one sentence about something an older family member is doing now.

Answer Key

1. 할머니께서 신문을 읽으세요. (halmeonikkeseo sinmuneul ilgeuseyo) Pronounced [할머니께서 신무늘 일그세요]. The subject is a grandmother, so the verb needs 으시.

2. 저는 내일 부산에 가요. (jeoneun naeil busane gayo) Pronounced [저는 내일 부사네 가요]. The speaker is the subject, so -(으)시- must go.

3. 아버지께서 서울에 사세요. (abeojikkeseo seoure saseyo) Pronounced [아버지께서 서우레 사세요]. 살다 is a ㄹ-stem, so ㄹ drops before 시. 아버지가 서울에 사세요 is also correct.

4. Sample answer: 어머니께서 요리를 하세요. (eomeonikkeseo yorireul haseyo) "Mother is cooking." Pronounced [어머니께서 요리를 하세요]. Any sentence with a senior subject and 시 or 세 in the verb is right.

If you added -(으)시- to a sentence about yourself, go back to the subject test: only a senior subject takes the marker. Then continue with the next lessons.

What This Lesson Does Not Cover

The honorific -(으)시- lesson teaches subject honorification with regular verbs and the most common special verbs. It does not cover humble verbs such as 드리다 and 뵙다, which lower the speaker instead of raising the subject; those are in Korean humble forms 드리다 뵙다. It also leaves the honorific command -(으)십시오 and the request -(으)세요 as a "please do" form to the -(으)세요 (please do) lesson.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After the honorific -(으)시-, the natural next lesson is -(으)세요 vs -아요/어요, which shows when the 세요 form replaces the plain polite form in daily speech. To learn the special verbs in depth, study Korean honorific verbs 드시다 주무시다 계시다. The set overview, Korean honorifics, lists every lesson in learning order.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: the honorific -(으)시- goes between the stem and the ending, takes 시 after a vowel and 으시 after a consonant, and always points at the subject, never at yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Difference between 가세요 and 가요?

가요 is polite to the listener but says nothing about the person who goes. 가세요 adds -(으)시-, so it also respects that person. Use 가요 for yourself or a friend, as in 저는 가요, and 가세요 for a teacher, a parent or a customer, as in 선생님이 가세요 or 어디 가세요?

Can I Use -(으)시- in Casual Speech?

Yes. -(으)시- and the speech level are separate, so a casual sentence can still respect its subject. Talking to a close friend about your grandmother, you can say 할머니 주무셔 (Grandma is sleeping). The ending 셔 is casual for your friend, while 시 shows respect for your grandmother.

Why Do Shop Staff Say 커피 나오셨습니다?

Staff want to sound respectful to the customer, so they add -(으)시- everywhere. The 국립국어원 treats this as an error, because the subject is the coffee, not the customer. The correct sentence is 커피 나왔습니다. Learners should not copy the pattern, even though they will hear it often.

How Do I Make -(으)시- Negative?

Put 안 before the honorific verb, or add -(으)시- to 않다. 선생님이 안 오세요 and 선생님이 오지 않으세요 both mean that the teacher is not coming. For 있다 about a person, the negative is 안 계세요: 사장님은 지금 안 계세요 (The boss is not in now).

Does 이세요 Contain the Same -(으)시-?

Yes. 이세요 is the copula 이다 with -(으)시- and 어요: 이 + 시 + 어요. It respects the person a noun describes. 어머니가 의사세요 means that the speaker's mother is a doctor. After a consonant use 이세요 (선생님이세요?), and after a vowel 세요 is the usual short form (의사세요).