Key Facts
- Hangul: 사장님; Revised Romanization: sajangnim
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: mixed (Sino-Korean plus native Korean)
- Register: Respectful title; used for company presidents and owners, and politely for shop owners by customers.
Boss in Korean: What Does 사장님 Mean?
사장님 is the word you use to the person in charge. It names a company president, a restaurant owner or a small-shop owner, and it carries the honorific 님. It is used both to address the person and to talk about them. It is not a title for every manager; a mid-level manager has a title of his or her own, such as 부장님.
How Do You Pronounce 사장님?
Three syllables: sa-jang-nim. The ng at the end of the middle syllable sits next to n, so you hear the two sounds one after the other. The word is read as spelled.
Example Sentences with 사장님
사장님은 회의 중이세요.
sajangnimeun hoeui jungiseyo.
The boss is in a meeting.
사장님은 회의 중이세요 says the boss is in a meeting. 이세요 is the honorific 'is', which shows respect for the subject.
사장님, 안녕하세요?
sajangnim, annyeonghaseyo?
Hello, boss.
사장님, 안녕하세요? is a greeting that opens with the title. In direct address, the title stays with 님.
사장님이 식당에 오셨어요.
sajangnimi sikdange osyeosseoyo.
The boss came to the restaurant.
사장님이 식당에 오셨어요 uses 오셨어요, the honorific past of 'come', so the verb also honors the boss.
Common Phrases and Collocations
The honorific particle and the two kinds of boss are the phrases to learn with 사장님.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 사장님께 | to the boss (honorific) |
| 식당 사장님 | restaurant owner |
| 회사 사장님 | company president |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ Dropping 님 and calling someone 사장 to their face
Correct: ✓ Say 사장님 in direct address.
Why: The title needs 님 when you speak to the person. Dropping it sounds blunt or rude. Remember too that not every manager is a 사장님, and mid-level managers use titles like 부장님.
사장님 Compared with 대표 and 상사
Titles at work separate by rank and by whether the word is an address or a general term.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 사장님 | boss (title) | A respectful title for a president or owner. |
| 대표 | representative / CEO | The formal word for a company's representative or CEO. |
| 상사 | superior | A general word for any superior at work, not a title. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
사장님 is mixed: Sino-Korean 社長 (社 company + 長 head) plus 님, the honorific suffix.
Cultural Note
Customers politely address shop or restaurant owners as 사장님, even small-shop owners.
Asking a Restaurant Owner about Closing Time
A customer speaks to the owner of a small restaurant. 사장님 is a natural respectful way to get the owner's attention.
Customer
사장님, 오늘 몇 시에 문 닫아요?
Sajangnim, oneul myeot sie mun dadayo?
What time do you close today?
Owner
아홉 시에 닫아요.
Ahop sie dadayo.
We close at nine.
Customer
그럼 지금 주문해도 돼요?
Geureom jigeum jumunhaedo dwaeyo?
Then may I order now?
Owner
네. 괜찮아요.
Ne. Gwaenchanayo.
Yes. That is fine.
The customer uses 사장님 as direct address, without adding a subject marker. The title opens the exchange; it does not need to be repeated in every line. 문 닫아요 literally concerns closing the door, but here asks when the restaurant closes for business. The owner can answer with polite 요 endings without calling the customer by a title in return.
What Changes When You Add 님?
사장님 combines the position 사장 with the respectful suffix 님. Write the suffix attached to the title. The respect belongs to the person being named, so 사장님 also appears when employees talk about an absent boss. It is not limited to sentences spoken straight to the owner.
사장님께 means “to the boss” when the boss receives something, such as a report or a message. The respectful particle 께 attaches after the whole title. It does not mean “the boss's”: that would express possession rather than a recipient. Learning the full chunk helps you recognize who should receive something in an office conversation.
우리 사장님 literally means “our boss”, and an employee can use it when describing the president of their own workplace. 우리 places the person within the speaker's group. It can translate naturally as “my boss” in English even when only one employee is speaking. It does not mean the customer now works for the restaurant owner.
Where Will You Hear 사장님?
In a workplace drama, employees may use 사장님 when a company president enters or when asking about that person’s schedule. In a neighborhood shop, a customer may use exactly the same title for the owner. The size of the business does not determine whether the respectful suffix fits.
The title identifies a role, rather than the listener's gender or age. A woman who owns a restaurant can be 사장님. If you know someone's actual workplace title, use that title with 님: a team leader is normally 팀장님. Calling every supervisor 사장님 can accidentally give them a position they do not hold.
A server is not automatically the owner. When you only need to attract a staff member's attention, 저기요, roughly “excuse me”, is a useful alternative. Reserve the owner title for a situation where that role is known or understood. This keeps a simple request from depending on a guess about workplace rank.
Nearby Titles and People Words
| Word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 팀장님 | team leader, respectfully | A title for the person leading a team. |
| 부장님 | department head, respectfully | A manager's own rank, rather than company president. |
| 직원 | employee / staff member | Describes staff, not a respectful way to call out to one. |
| 손님 | customer / guest | The role of the speaker in the restaurant scene. |
The office vocabulary lesson places these roles alongside everyday work words. Compare the plain noun 사장 when someone introduces their own position: people normally name their own role without adding an honorific suffix to themselves.
Quick Self-Test
- Would a restaurant owner need to run a large company to be called 사장님?
- Does 사장님께 identify a recipient or express possession?
- Should you automatically call a team leader 사장님?
Show answers
- No. The title is also used respectfully for small-business owners.
- A recipient: “to the boss”.
- No. Use the person’s actual title, such as 팀장님.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say 'boss' in Korean?
Say 사장님 (sajangnim). It is a respectful title.
Can I call a shop owner 사장님?
Yes. Customers politely address shop or restaurant owners that way, even for small shops.
Is every manager a 사장님?
No. Mid-level managers use titles such as 부장님.
What is the difference between 사장님 and 사장?
사장님 is the honorific title used to address someone. 사장 is the plain word used when talking about the position.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: people and relationships vocabulary.
- Compare with 사장, the same word without the honorific.
- Next word: babe in Korean, a very different kind of address.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 사장님 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.