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Understanding Korean Honorifics

Korean honorifics are essential for showing respect and maintaining social harmony. The language has a complex system of speech levels and special honorific vocabulary that changes based on:

The speaker’s relationship with the listener
The social status of the people being discussed
The formality of the situation

Basic Principles

1. Age and Status Matter

In Korean culture, showing proper respect to:

Older people
People in higher positions
Strangers
Customers/clients

2. Key Components

Korean honorifics involve changes in:

Verb endings
Special honorific vocabulary
Particle usage
Name suffixes

Honorific Verb Endings

Subject Honorific (-시-)

Add -시- to verbs to show respect for the subject:

먹다 → 드시다 (eat)
자다 → 주무시다 (sleep)
있다 → 계시다 (exist/be)

Subject Honorific Practice

1. What's the honorific form of '가다' (to go)?

2. Transform '먹어요' to show respect for the subject

3. Which is the correct honorific form of '있어요'?

Honorific Vocabulary

Many common words have special honorific forms:

Regular	Honorific	Meaning
밥	진지	meal
집	댁	house
나이	연세	age
이름	성함	name
생일	생신	birthday

Examples in Use:

집에 가요 → 댁에 가세요 (go home)
밥 먹어요 → 진지 드세요 (eat a meal)
이름이 뭐예요? → 성함이 어떻게 되세요? (what's your name?)

Honorific Vocabulary Practice

1. What's the honorific word for '밥' (meal)?

2. Transform '생일 축하해요' using honorific vocabulary

3. Which is the honorific form of '나이' (age)?

Name Suffixes and Titles

Common Honorific Suffixes:

님 (nim) - Most common honorific suffix
씨 (ssi) - Semi-formal, for peers
선생님 (seonsaengnim) - Teacher/professional
부장님 (bujanim) - Department head

Usage Examples:

김영희 → 김영희 님/씨
선생님 → 김 선생님
의사 → 김 의사 선생님

Name Suffix Practice

1. How would you address your Korean teacher formally?

2. Which suffix is appropriate for addressing a peer named 민수?

3. What's the most respectful way to address someone named 박지원?

Humble Forms

When talking about yourself to someone of higher status, use humble forms:

Common Humble Expressions:

주다 → 드리다 (give)
말하다 → 말씀드리다 (speak)
묻다 → 여쭈다/여쭙다 (ask)

Humble Form Practice

1. Transform '선물을 주다' to humble form

2. What's the humble way to say 'I want to ask a question'?

3. Choose the humble form of '말하다'

Honorific Particles

Special Particle Usage:

께 (to/for) instead of 에게
께서 (subject marker) instead of 이/가
(으)시 (honorific suffix)

Examples:

선생님께 드려요
할머니께서 오셨어요
교수님께서 말씀하셨어요

Common Situations

1. Meeting Someone New

처음 뵙겠습니다 (Pleased to meet you)
성함이 어떻게 되세요? (What is your name?)

2. At Work

사장님께서 오셨습니다 (The CEO has arrived)
부장님께 보고드리겠습니다 (I will report to the department head)

3. With Family

어머님께서 진지 드셨어요? (Has mother eaten?)
할아버님께서 주무시고 계세요 (Grandfather is sleeping)

Situational Practice

1. How would you politely ask if someone has eaten?

2. What's the polite way to say 'I will give this to the teacher'?

3. How do you say 'Grandmother is at home' using honorifics?

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Over-using Honorifics
- Don’t use honorifics when speaking about yourself
- Don’t use multiple honorific forms in the same sentence
Under-using Honorifics
- Always use honorifics with strangers until told otherwise
- Maintain honorifics with seniors even in casual settings
Mixing Levels
- Stay consistent with the chosen level of formality
- Don’t mix casual and formal speech in the same sentence

Practice What You’ve Learned

Comprehensive Honorifics Practice

1. Transform this sentence to honorific form: '할아버지가 집에 있어요'

2. What's the polite way to ask someone's age?

3. How would you tell your boss that you will give them a report?

4. Choose the correct honorific pattern

Next Steps

To master Korean honorifics:

Practice with native speakers
Watch Korean dramas to observe honorific usage
Learn business Korean for professional settings
Study regional variations in honorific usage

Remember: Using proper honorifics is crucial for successful communication in Korean. When in doubt, it’s better to be more polite than less polite.