Korean Honorific -(으)시-: 가세요, 드세요, 계세요 Explained
Learn the Korean honorific -(으)시- in 가세요, 읽으세요 and 하셨어요: who it respects, why you never use it about yourself, and special verbs like 드시다, 주무시다 and 계시다.
IntermediateTalking to people9 min readTap any Korean word to see it explained
The short answer
Add 시 (으시 after a consonant) to a verb to show respect to the person doing the action: 가요 → 가세요, 읽어요 → 읽으세요, 했어요 → 하셨어요. Use it for older people, bosses and strangers. Never use it for yourself.
In the speech levels guide, you learned that the 요 ending is polite to the person you are talking to. Korean has a second, separate tool: 시, which respects the person you are talking about. Tap the chips below to see where it hides in each verb.
1. How to add -(으)시-
Drop 다 from the dictionary form. If the stem ends in a vowel, add 시. If it ends in a consonant, add 으시. Then add your usual ending. Two shortcuts happen every time:
- 시 + 어요 becomes 세요 (present)
- 시 + 었어요 becomes 셨어요 (past)
| Dictionary form | Plain polite | Honorific present | Honorific past |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 (go) | 가요 | 가세요 | 가셨어요 |
| 오다 (come) | 와요 | 오세요 | 오셨어요 |
| 하다 (do) | 해요 | 하세요 | 하셨어요 |
| 읽다 (read) | 읽어요 | 읽으세요 | 읽으셨어요 |
| 앉다 (sit) | 앉아요 | 앉으세요 | 앉으셨어요 |
| 바쁘다 (busy) | 바빠요 | 바쁘세요 | 바쁘셨어요 |
| 살다 (live) | 살아요 | 사세요 | 사셨어요 |
Notice that the honorific form is often easier than the plain one. There is no 아/어 choice to make: 오세요, not 와세요. One small catch: verbs ending in ㄹ drop it, so 살다 becomes 사세요.
2. Who gets 시, and who doesn’t
Ask yourself one question: who is doing this? If it is someone older, someone senior at work, a teacher, a customer, or a stranger, add 시. If it is you, a younger sibling, a child or a close friend, leave it out.
Since Korean usually drops “you”, the 시 often tells you the question is about the listener. 바쁘세요? means “Are you busy?” to someone you respect.
A friendly everyday greeting to a neighbor or an older person. The 시 shows the question is about them.
The answer to 어디 가세요? Same verb, but no 시, because you are talking about yourself.
Speech level and 시 work separately. Talking to a close friend about your grandmother, you might say 할머니 오셨어 (“Grandma’s here”): casual to your friend, respectful to Grandma.
3. 세요 as a polite request
The same (으)세요 form is also the standard polite way to ask someone to do something. Shop staff, doctors and hosts use it all day.
You already know a few: 안녕히 가세요 (goodbye, to someone leaving), 어서 오세요 (welcome), 주세요 (please give).
4. Special honorific verbs
A few very common verbs don’t just add 시. They switch to a different word. You will hear these constantly, so they are worth learning as a set.
| Plain verb | Honorific verb | Polite present |
|---|---|---|
| 먹다 / 마시다 (eat / drink) | 드시다 | 드세요 |
| 자다 (sleep) | 주무시다 | 주무세요 |
| 있다 (be somewhere) | 계시다 | 계세요 |
| 말하다 (speak, say) | 말씀하시다 | 말씀하세요 |
Said to anyone you serve food to. Literally 'eat it deliciously'.
Watch out for 있다. When it means “to be somewhere”, use 계시다. When it means “to have”, just add 으시: 시간 있으세요? (Do you have time?). That is why a shop says 안녕히 계세요 (stay well) to the person staying behind.
5. 께서 and 께: respectful particles
For extra respect, particles can change too. In everyday talk, many people simply use 이/가 with a 시 verb, and that is fine. In more careful speech and writing, you will see:
- 께서 instead of 이/가 (subject). With a topic, 께서는.
- 께 instead of 에게/한테 (to someone).
I am the one giving, so there is no 시. Instead, 주다 becomes the humble 드리다 to lift Grandma up.
Keep going
Ballads and dramas are full of 시, especially when characters talk about parents. Open a song in Hanbok Lyrics and tap a line to see every ending explained. For the bigger picture, review Korean speech levels, or brush up on the Korean past tense behind 셨어요.
Check yourself
Quick check · 1 of 4읽다 (to read) with the honorific, polite present = ?
The stem ends in a consonant.
Questions learners ask
What does 세요 mean in Korean?
세요 is the honorific 시 plus the polite ending 어요. It shows respect to the person doing the action: 어디 가세요? (Where are you going?). It is also a polite way to ask someone to do something: 앉으세요 (please sit).
When do you use the honorific 시 in Korean?
Use it when the person doing the action deserves respect: someone older, your boss, a teacher, a customer, or a stranger you are asking about. It respects the person you talk about, not just the person you talk to.
Can you use 시 to talk about yourself?
No. Adding 시 to your own actions sounds like you are praising yourself. If someone asks 어디 가세요?, you answer 학교에 가요, not 학교에 가세요.
What is the difference between 계세요 and 있으세요?
계세요 is the honorific of 있다 when it means "to be somewhere": 사장님이 사무실에 계세요. 있으세요 is used when 있다 means "to have": 시간 있으세요? (Do you have time?).