Subject Honorific -(eu)si-

In Korean, when the subject of a sentence is socially superior to the speaker, you add the honorific suffix '-(eu)si-' to the verb or adjective. This is the form you use when speaking of people like parents, teachers, or grandparents.

Form depending on the final consonant

If the verb stem ends in a vowel, add '-si-'; if it ends in a consonant, add '-eusi-'. For example, '가다' (gada) becomes '가시다' (gasida), and '읽다' (ilkda) becomes '읽으시다' (ilgeusida).

Base	Honorific	Romanization
가다 (to go)	가시다	ga-si-da
읽다 (to read)	읽으시다	il-geu-si-da
오다 (to come)	오시다	o-si-da
받다 (to receive)	받으시다	bad-eu-si-da
웃다 (to laugh)	웃으시다	us-eu-si-da
바쁘다 (to be busy)	바쁘시다	ba-ppeu-si-da

Past honorific: -(eu)syeoss-

For the past tense, '-(eu)si-' combines with '-eoss-' to become '-(eu)syeoss-'. So '가시다' (gasida) becomes '가셨어요' (gasyeosseoyo), and '읽으시다' (ilgeusida) becomes '읽으셨어요' (ilgeusyeosseoyo).

Present endings: -(eu)seyo / -(eu)simnida

When the informal '-eoyo' attaches to '-(eu)si-', it becomes '-(eu)seyo'; when the formal '-mnida' attaches, it becomes '-(eu)simnida'.

Common mistakes

For things tied to a superior, such as body parts or belongings, use indirect honorification. For instance, even '있다' (itda, to have) becomes '있으세요' in '선생님, 시간 있으세요?' (Do you have a moment, teacher?).

💡 Tip: Never use '-(eu)si-' about yourself. Saying '제가 가십니다' is wrong; the correct form is '제가 갑니다' (I am going).