Key Facts
- Hangul: 보고 싶다 (bogo sipda)
- Meaning: to miss (someone)
- Part of speech: adjective phrase (보다 + 싶다)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 싶
- Class: regular
- Dictionary-form sound: [보고 십따]
What Does 보고 싶다 Mean?
보고 싶다 is the everyday way to say "I miss you", and it works for family, friends and a partner. 엄마가 정말 보고 싶어요 is "I really miss my mom". The person missed is marked with 이/가 or 을/를, as in 친구가 보고 싶어요 and 친구를 보고 싶어요. The phrase is treated as one adjective-like unit, even though it is written as two words.
How Do You Pronounce 보고 싶다?
The dictionary form is said [보고 십따], with 다 tensed after ㅂ. The ㅍ at the end of 싶 moves into the next syllable in 싶어요, so the polite present is [보고 시퍼요]. The past 보고 싶었어요 is [보고 시퍼써요], and the formal 보고 싶습니다 is [보고 십씀니다].
How Do You Use 보고 싶다 in a Sentence?
엄마가 정말 보고 싶어요.
I really miss my mom.
정말 strengthens the feeling and 엄마가 is the person missed. The sentence is a typical way to say it to a parent or in a message.
어제는 친구가 보고 싶었어요.
Yesterday I missed my friend.
어제는 sets the time. The past 싶었어요 says that the wish to see the friend belonged to yesterday.
보고 싶어서 전화했어요.
I missed you, so I called.
The because-form 보고 싶어서 gives the reason, and 전화했어요 shows what you did about it. Missing someone often leads to a call.
Usage Notes for 보고 싶다
In messages and songs the casual 보고 싶어 is the usual form. Only the second word conjugates: 보고 never changes. The more literary 그립다 fits places, times and long separations, so for a daily "I miss you" to a person, 보고 싶어요 is what people actually say.
How Does Bogo Sipda Conjugation Work?
보고 싶다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 보고 싶어요 | ||
| Polite past | 보고 싶었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 보고 싶을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 보고 싶겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 보고 싶습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 보고 싶었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 보고 싶을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 보고 싶어 | ||
| Casual past | 보고 싶었어 | ||
| Casual future | 보고 싶을 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 보고 싶어서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 보고 싶으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 보고 싶은 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 보고 싶었던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 보고 싶을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 보고 싶어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 보고 싶지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 보고 싶어요 | [보고 시퍼요] |
| Polite past | 보고 싶었어요 | [보고 시퍼써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 보고 싶을 거예요 | [보고 시플꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 보고 싶겠어요 | [보고 십께써요] |
| Formal present | 보고 싶습니다 | [보고 십씀니다] |
| Formal past | 보고 싶었습니다 | [보고 시펃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 보고 싶을 것입니다 | [보고 시플꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 보고 싶어 | [보고 시퍼] |
| Casual past | 보고 싶었어 | [보고 시퍼써] |
| Casual future | 보고 싶을 거야 | [보고 시플꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 보고 싶어서 | [보고 시퍼서] |
| Conditional (if) | 보고 싶으면 | [보고 시프면] |
| Modifier, present | 보고 싶은 | [보고 시픈] |
| Modifier, past | 보고 싶었던 | [보고 시펃떤] |
| Modifier, future | 보고 싶을 | [보고 시플] |
| Short negative | 안 보고 싶어요 | [안 보고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 보고 싶지 않아요 | [보고 십찌 아나요] |
Is 보고 싶다 Regular or Irregular?
보고 싶다 is regular, because the stem 싶 never changes shape. The vowel ㅣ in 싶 takes 어, giving 보고 싶어요 and 보고 싶었어요. Consonant endings simply attach, as in 보고 싶습니다 and 보고 싶으면. The first word 보고 stays put in every form, and the space is kept. The present-tense recipe lesson shows how regular stems take their endings.
Common Mistake with 보고 싶다
Wrong: ✗ 보고싶어요
Correct: ✓ 보고 싶어요
Why: 보고 싶다 is two words: the verb 보고 plus the helper 싶다. Standard spelling keeps the space in every form, even though the closed spelling is common in casual messages.
보고 싶다 Versus 그립다 and 보다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 그립다 | 그립다 is wistful longing for people, places or times. 보고 싶다 literally wants to see a person now. |
| 보다 | 보다 is "to see". 보고 싶다 adds -고 싶다 ("want to"), so the meaning becomes miss or want to see. |
A Phone Call after Moving Away
A daughter living in another city calls her mother. The daughter uses polite endings and her mother replies casually.
Daughter
엄마, 보고 싶어요.
Eomma, bogo sipeoyo.
Mom, I miss you.
Mother
나도 보고 싶어. 언제 집에 와?
Nado bogo sipeo. Eonje jibe wa?
I miss you too. When are you coming home?
Daughter
주말에 갈게요. 보고 싶어서 전화했어요.
Jumare galgeyo. Bogo sipeoseo jeonhwahaesseoyo.
I’ll come this weekend. I called because I missed you.
Mother
그래. 주말에 보자.
Geurae. Jumare boja.
All right. See you this weekend.
The daughter’s 보고 싶어요 and the mother’s 보고 싶어 express the same feeling with different endings. 보고 싶어서 connects the feeling to the decision to call. No word for “you” is needed because each speaker is addressing the person they miss.
Does It Always Mean Missing Someone?
보고 싶다 literally expresses wanting to see. With a person you are separated from, that naturally becomes “miss”. With a film, 공연 or another thing to watch, it can simply mean wanting to see it. 영화를 보고 싶어요 means “I want to watch a movie”, with no suggestion that you watched it before.
A message to a friend abroad usually expresses missing that friend. A sentence about a film on a cinema schedule usually expresses interest in watching it.
Common Combinations and Emotional Weight
너무 보고 싶어요 means “I miss you so much”. In this positive emotional context, 너무 intensifies the longing; English “too much” can sound less natural than “so much”. 정말 보고 싶어요 similarly strengthens the feeling. Neither phrase is restricted to romance.
보고 싶은 사람 means a person you want to see or someone you miss. 보고 싶은 영화 means a film you want to watch. The modifier 보고 싶은 does not say the desired meeting or viewing has happened. It identifies the person or thing connected with the wish.
보고 싶어서 전화했어요 gives a reason for calling. It is a practical phrase for family, a partner or a close friend. The sentence can leave the person unspoken, as in the dialogue. Adding a pronoun merely to translate every English word can make an otherwise natural message feel stiff.
Where Will You Hear 보고 싶어?
Songs and dramas often use the casual 보고 싶어 for intimacy or emotional directness. The same form also belongs in ordinary messages between friends and relatives. A romantic scene supplies romantic meaning; the expression alone does not declare romantic love.
보고 싶습니다 is more formal in its ending, but the feeling can still be personal. A letter or formal message may use it. 보고 싶어요 is a useful polite choice when casual endings do not fit the relationship.
Keep the Wish in the Second Word
The past 보고 싶었어요 places the longing in the past. It does not say you actually met the person. Likewise, 보고 싶을 거예요 predicts that someone will want to see or miss another person; it is not a promise to visit. A visit needs its own verb or arrangement.
The ㅍ in 싶 stays in the spelling. A vowel ending makes it audible at the start of the following syllable, which explains why 싶어요 sounds different from 싶다. That is a pronunciation pattern, not the ㅂ-irregular change found in words such as 그립다.
Keep the space after 보고 in the present, past, negative and modifier. The long negative 보고 싶지 않아요 means not wanting to see or not missing someone. In a personal message that can sound rejecting, so choose it for the meaning you intend rather than treating it as a neutral reply to affection.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 그리움 | longing | Names the feeling rather than making a statement. |
| 연락 | contact | Useful when longing leads to a call or message. |
| 재회 | reunion | Names meeting again after separation. |
| 외롭다 | to be lonely | Describes loneliness, which can occur without missing one particular person. |
The emotions vocabulary lesson places longing beside other feelings.
Mini Drill: Keep 보고 Separate
- Give the polite present of 보고 싶다.
- Change it to the polite past.
- Complete “a person I want to see”: ____ 사람.
- Give the because-form.
Show drill answers
- 보고 싶어요.
- 보고 싶었어요.
- 보고 싶은 사람.
- 보고 싶어서.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 영화를 보고 싶어요 mean you miss a movie you watched before?
- Does 보고 싶었어요 prove that a meeting happened?
- Is 보고 싶어 only romantic?
Show answers
- No. It normally means you want to watch a movie.
- No. It reports the earlier wish or longing.
- No. Friends and family use it too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say I Miss You?
Say 보고 싶어요 in polite speech. With a close friend, the casual 보고 싶어 is enough.
Which Particle Goes with the Person Missed?
Both 이/가 and 을/를 appear, as in 친구가 보고 싶어요 and 친구를 보고 싶어요.
How Do I Say I Missed You Yesterday?
Use the past, as in 어제는 친구가 보고 싶었어요. The polite past is 보고 싶었어요.
Is It Written with a Space?
Yes. The dictionary form is written 보고 싶다, and every conjugated form keeps the space.
Which Words Are Related to 보고 싶다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Study 그립다 next for wistful longing, then 보다 to see how the first half works on its own, and 만나다 for meeting. Further stems are one step away in the Korean verb conjugator, and the Korean verb dictionary has a page for each.