Key Facts
- Hangul: 뵙다 (boepda)
- Meaning: to meet (humble)
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Pronounced: [뵙따]
- Stem: 뵙
- Conjugation class: special
- Grammar: The respected person takes 을/를: 선생님을 뵙겠습니다.
- Usage: Often used for one's own action toward a respected person. The set phrase 처음 뵙겠습니다 means 'nice to meet you'.
What Does 뵙다 Mean?
뵙다 lowers the speaker. 선생님을 뵙다 means that the speaker will meet or see the teacher. The respected person takes 을/를. When speaking about your own action, use the humble verb without -(으)시-. The table focuses on that use.
The set phrase 처음 뵙겠습니다 means nice to meet you. Use 뵙다 when the person being met deserves respect, and 만나다 for an ordinary meeting between equals.
How Do You Pronounce 뵙다?
The dictionary form is read [뵙따]. In 뵙습니다 [뵙씀니다], ㅅ becomes tense after ㅂ, and the ㅂ in 습 becomes ㅁ before ㄴ. The ㅂ also makes a following ㄱ tense: 뵙겠어요 is [뵙께써요] and 뵙고 싶어요 is [뵙꼬 시퍼요].
How Do You Use 뵙다 in a Sentence?
내일 선생님을 뵐 거예요.
I will see my teacher tomorrow.
In the future 뵐 거예요, the form comes from the related verb 뵈다; 뵙다 is restricted to consonant endings. 내일 means tomorrow.
오랜만에 선생님을 뵙습니다.
I am seeing my teacher for the first time in a long while.
오랜만에 means after a long time, and the formal 뵙습니다 suits a respectful report. The National Institute dictionary example also uses 뵙습니다.
선생님을 뵈어서 반가웠어요.
I was glad to see my teacher.
뵈어서 gives a reason: the speaker was glad because of seeing the teacher.
How Does Boepda Conjugation Work?
뵙다 is not an ordinary ㅂ-irregular verb. The form 뵙 is used only before endings that start with a consonant: 뵙습니다, 뵙겠어요, 뵙고 싶어요. For vowel endings, use the related verb 뵈다: 뵈어요, usually contracted to 봬요, and 뵈었어요. The table leaves out subject-honorific forms because it focuses on your own action.
뵙다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 뵈어요 | ||
| Polite past | 뵈었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 뵐 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 뵙겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 뵙습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 뵈었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 뵐 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 뵈어 | ||
| Casual past | 뵈었어 | ||
| Casual future | 뵐 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 뵙고 싶어요 | ||
| Because / and then | 뵈어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 뵈면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 뵙는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 뵌 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 뵐 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 뵈어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 뵙지 않아요 |
For your own action, do not add the subject-honorific -(으)시-. Use the humble forms shown here.
Alternative spelling: polite present 봬요.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 뵈었어요 | [뵈어써요] |
| Polite future | 뵐 거예요 | [뵐꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 뵙겠어요 | [뵙께써요] |
| Formal present | 뵙습니다 | [뵙씀니다] |
| Formal past | 뵈었습니다 | [뵈얻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 뵐 것입니다 | [뵐꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 뵈었어 | [뵈어써] |
| Casual future | 뵐 거야 | [뵐꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 뵙고 싶어요 | [뵙꼬 시퍼요] |
| Present modifier | 뵙는 | [뵘는] |
| Long negative | 뵙지 않아요 | [뵙찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 제가 선생님을 뵙어요.
Correct: ✓ 제가 선생님을 뵈어요.
Why: Many learners add 어요 to 뵙 unchanged. Before a vowel, use the related 뵈다, so the polite form is 뵈어요 or its contraction 봬요, not 뵙어요.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 뵙다?
| Word | How to tell it from 뵙다 |
|---|---|
| 만나다 | 만나다 is the plain verb for meeting, for equals or juniors; 뵙다 is humble and used about people you respect. |
| 보다 | 보다 is simply to see; 뵙다 is the humble and respectful version. |
Arranging to See a Teacher
Two classmates are planning a visit to a former teacher. They speak politely to each other and use the humble verb for meeting the teacher.
Jisu
내일 선생님을 뵐 거예요?
Naeil seonsaengnimeul boel geoyeyo?
Are you going to see our teacher tomorrow?
Minho
네. 오랜만에 뵙습니다.
Ne. Oraenmane boepseumnida.
Yes. It will be my first time seeing them in a long while.
Jisu
저도 뵙고 싶어요.
Jeodo boepgo sipeoyo.
I would like to see them too.
The first line asks about someone else’s plan, so 뵙다 is not limited to sentences whose subject is “I”. In all three lines, the teacher is the person being honoured. 뵐 거예요 gives a plan, 뵙습니다 is a formal statement, and 뵙고 싶어요 expresses a wish.
Set Phrases for Respectful Meetings
처음 뵙겠습니다 is a formal first-meeting greeting. Its literal wording looks ahead to seeing someone for the first time, but its practical function is “Nice to meet you.” You can say it while meeting the person; it is not a promise that the meeting must happen later.
내일 봬요 means “See you tomorrow” with respect toward the person you will see. The time word makes it a farewell about the next meeting. 다음에 봬요 means “See you next time.” Both are useful in polite messages to a teacher or a professional contact.
찾아뵙다 adds the idea of going to see a respected person. It is written as one word. You may meet it in messages about visiting an older relative or a former teacher. The visit has a direction toward that person; plain 뵙다 does not itself describe the journey.
뵙고 싶어요 means that you want to see the respected person. The humble choice remains even though you are expressing your own wish. It differs from 보고 싶어요, which is the ordinary expression for wanting to see someone and can also express missing them.
Where Will You Hear 뵙다?
At a formal introduction, 처음 뵙겠습니다 gives you a ready-made greeting. In an email arranging a meeting, 뵐 거예요 can state a plan, while the more formal language of the message may call for a different sentence ending. The person you are meeting stays the object.
With teachers and older relatives, the verb can express a relationship as much as the physical act of seeing. It works for a familiar person as well as a stranger. “Humble” describes how the action is presented in relation to the respected person; it does not mean you have never met them before.
Between close friends, 만나다 or 보다 is normally enough. If a friend asks about your meeting with a teacher, however, 뵙다 can still fit because the teacher is the person being honoured. The listener and the person met need not be the same person.
What Makes 뵙다 Tricky?
Treat 뵙다 and 뵈다 as a special pair. Consonant-ending combinations such as 뵙고 and 뵙는 use 뵙. The forms 뵈어요, 뵈면 and 뵐 use 뵈. The polite present contraction 봬요 comes from 뵈어요. Applying the usual ㅂ-to-우 pattern would produce the wrong family of forms. The National Institute of Korean Language explains this distinction.
To check 봬요, expand it to 뵈어요. The expansion keeps the 어 that the contraction contains. A message ending in 봬요 is therefore a shortened standard form, not a casual spelling created by dropping a letter at random.
For your own action, use the humble verb without adding -(으)시-. The respectful choice is already directed toward the person you see. Honorific endings that honour the subject belong to a different relationship, so the table concentrates on the forms needed for speaking about your own meeting.
Words around a Respectful Visit
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 선생님 | teacher | A common respected person in learner examples. |
| 인사 | greeting | 처음 뵙겠습니다 is a first-meeting greeting. |
| 약속 | appointment; arrangement | Gives a meeting its agreed time or purpose. |
| 드리다 | to give, humbly | Another verb that directs respect toward the recipient. |
The humble forms lesson explains the related verbs used when greeting, giving and asking respectfully.
Mini Drill: Choose 뵙 or 뵈
- Give the polite present in its full form.
- Give its standard contraction.
- Complete a future plan: 내일 ____ 거예요.
- Say you want to see a respected person using the wish form.
Show drill answers
- 뵈어요.
- 봬요.
- 뵐: 내일 뵐 거예요.
- 뵙고 싶어요.
Quick Self-Test
- In 선생님을 뵙다, who receives the respect?
- Is 처음 뵙겠습니다 only for a meeting that has not started yet?
- Can you use 뵙다 when asking a classmate about meeting a teacher?
Show answers
- The teacher, the person being met.
- No. It functions as a greeting during a first meeting.
- Yes. The teacher can remain the respected person even when the subject is someone else.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 처음 뵙겠습니다 Mean?
It is the set phrase for nice to meet you, literally I will humbly see you for the first time. It is the standard greeting in a formal first meeting.
Can I Use 뵙다 about Someone Else?
Yes, when the person being met deserves respect. The verb honours that person, so it can also occur in a question about someone else's meeting with a teacher or elder.
Which Spelling Is Right, 뵈어요 or 봬요?
Both are standard. 봬요 is the contraction of 뵈어요 and is the spelling people usually write.
Why Is There No Honorific Form?
The table focuses on speaking about your own action. You do not honour yourself with -(으)시-; 뵙다 directs respect toward the person you meet.
Which Words Are Related to 뵙다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 만나다 and 보다 next, then 드리다 for the humble 'give'. The honorific system is explained in humble forms, the Korean verb conjugator shows every cell, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest.