Korean Honorifics Mastered: The Complete Guide to Speech Levels, -시- Infixes, and Respect Forms

Korean honorifics broken down: the four speech levels, when to switch between them, the -시- infix, object honorifics (드리다, 여쭙다, 뵙다), body-part and family honorific terms, and the mistakes that make Koreans wince.

Korean honorifics — 존댓말 — are not a separate vocabulary set you can slot in once a week. They are the grammatical layer beneath every sentence you speak in Korean, signaling the relationship between you and the person you are talking to, and between you and the person you are talking about. Get the honorifics wrong and a Korean speaker will hear you as rude, immature, or — worse — socially oblivious. Get them right and doors open.

This guide walks through korean honorifics from the structural bottom (the four speech levels) up through the vocabulary layer (object honorifics, special noun forms) and into the pattern of everyday mistakes that learners make. By the end you will know which speech level to choose at a family dinner, how to conjugate a verb honorifically with the -시- infix, and why saying "밥 먹었어요?" to your grandmother is not quite right.

Two ideas to hold onto:

Korean respect is relational, not absolute. You do not use honorifics based on age in isolation. You use them based on the relationship between speaker, listener, and the subject being talked about. A 30-year-old addressing their 35-year-old cousin may use casual speech; the same person addressing a 35-year-old boss uses maximal politeness.
There are two honorific tracks running in parallel. One track raises the person you are talking to (through sentence endings). The other raises the person you are talking about (through the -시- infix and special verb forms). Both must agree for speech to sound right.

The Four Speech Levels

Textbook Korean usually names six, but modern usage has consolidated into four. Here they are, ranked from most to least formal:

Level	Korean name	Example ending	Use
1	합쇼체 (formal polite)	-습니다 / -ㅂ니다	Broadcasts, speeches, military, very formal workplace
2	해요체 (informal polite)	-아/어요	Default polite speech, strangers, adults, coworkers
3	해체 (casual)	-아/어	Close friends, family of same-or-younger age
4	해라체 (plain/written)	-(ㄴ/는)다	Books, essays, newspapers, inner monologue

The vast majority of everyday Korean uses Level 2 (해요체). Level 1 is for formal contexts. Level 3 is for close personal relationships. Level 4 is almost entirely written.

Each speech level expresses itself through the verb ending, which is the last thing a Korean speaker says in any sentence. Change the ending, and you change the register of the entire sentence.

Level	Korean	Notes
합쇼체	밥을 먹습니다.	Formal. Used in a presentation or news broadcast.
해요체	밥을 먹어요.	Standard polite. Safe with anyone you don't know well.
해체	밥을 먹어.	Casual. Only with close friends or younger family.
해라체	밥을 먹는다.	Written/plain. You'd see this in a novel, not speech.

Base verb	해요 form	-시- honorific	Meaning
가다	가요	가세요	"(honored person) goes"
먹다	먹어요	드세요	(uses special form — see below)
읽다	읽어요	읽으세요	"(honored person) reads"
보다	봐요	보세요	"(honored person) sees"
쓰다	써요	쓰세요	"(honored person) writes"

Base verb	Regular meaning	Honorific form	Example
먹다 / 마시다	to eat / drink	드시다 / 잡수시다	할머니께서 밥을 드세요.
자다	to sleep	주무시다	아버지께서 주무세요.
있다 (existence)	to be (at a place)	계시다	선생님은 교실에 계세요.
말하다	to speak	말씀하시다	사장님께서 말씀하세요.
죽다	to die	돌아가시다	할아버지께서 작년에 돌아가셨어요.

Regular	Honorific	Meaning
밥	진지	meal
나이	연세 / 춘추	age
이름	성함	name
집	댁	house
생일	생신	birthday
말	말씀	words / speech

Your own family (to others)	Someone else's family	Meaning
어머니 / 엄마	어머님	mother
아버지 / 아빠	아버님	father
할머니	할머님	grandmother
형 / 오빠	형님 / 오라버님	older brother
누나 / 언니	누님 / 언니	older sister
동생	동생분	younger sibling

Korean Honorifics Mastered: The Complete Guide to Speech Levels, -시- Infixes, and Respect Forms

The Four Speech Levels

Example: the same sentence in all four levels

When to Use Each Level: The Decision Tree

The Subject Honorific: -시- Infix

Three examples in context

Important: never use -시- for yourself

Special Honorific Verbs: Subject Track

Object Honorifics: 드리다, 여쭙다, 뵙다

드리다 — "to give" (to a respected recipient)

여쭙다 — "to ask" (someone respected)

뵙다 — "to see / meet" (someone respected)

Object honorifics in combined sentences

Honorific Nouns: Body Parts and Family Terms

Body and life nouns

Family terms

Common Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Using 해요 with grandparents

Mistake 2: Forgetting -시- for the subject

Mistake 3: Using -시- for yourself

Mistake 4: Substituting 드리다 when it's not object-honorific

Mistake 5: Mixing 합쇼체 and 해요체 in the same conversation

Mistake 6: Using honorifics about a boss to a client

Mistake 7: Honorific overload

A Quick Reference: Verbs That Change Twice

FAQ

Do I need to use honorifics with everyone older than me?

What's the difference between 해요체 and 합쇼체?

Why do some Koreans use 합쇼체 and 해요체 in the same sentence?

Does -시- change for past tense?

When addressing a boss or teacher, should I also use -님 at the end of their title?

I've heard people drop 저는 when speaking politely. Is that wrong?

Situation	Verb	Example
Subject = elder, action = eat	드시다	할머니께서 드세요.
Subject = elder, action = sleep	주무시다	아버지께서 주무세요.
Subject = elder, action = speak	말씀하시다	선생님께서 말씀하세요.
Subject = elder, action = be at	계시다	할아버지는 댁에 계세요.
Object = elder, action = give	드리다	할머니께 선물을 드렸어요.
Object = elder, action = ask	여쭙다	선생님께 여쭤봤어요.
Object = elder, action = meet	뵙다	교수님을 뵀어요.