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FORMAL KOREAN WORDS
Have you ever heard of formal Korean words?
It is well known that Korean uses distinct forms of verbs and nouns for formal/informal situation.
The formal nouns are used to show respect for the person you are talking or referring to.
USING 님 / 분
The word 님 or 분 can be added to a noun to show respect for the other person.
- 님 is added when speaking to someone who is older or superior in position.
- 분 is added to show respect to someone who is younger or for general public.
PATTERN
Noun + 님 / 분
| ENGLISH | KOREAN INFORMAL | KOREAN FORMAL |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher | 선생 | 선생님 |
| Parents | 부모 | 부모님 |
| Father | 아버지 | 아버님 |
| Mother | 어머니 | 어머님 |
View More Examples
| English | korean informal | korean formal |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | 기사 | 기사님 |
| Child | 자식 | 자녀분/자제분 |
| How many people | 몇 명 | 몇 분 |
분 FOR GENERAL PUBLIC
‘분’ can be used to show respect to non-specific, general public.
There are two ways to use it:
- 1) Adding it directly to the noun and
- 2) Transferring the word with ‘분’ to make it formal.
It’s easy to see how it works in examples.
| ENGLISH | KOREAN INFORMAL | KOREAN FORMAL |
|---|---|---|
| How many people will come? | 몇 명이 올꺼야? | 몇 분이 오세요? |
| Hello everyone! | 안녕 모두들! | 안녕하세요 여러분! |
| Who did this work? | 누가 이 일을 했나요? | 어떤분이 이 일을 하셨나요? |
| He brought his friend. | 친구를 데리고 왔어. | 친구분을 데리고 오셨어. |
FIRST PERSON PRONOUN 저/제
The speaker in Korean can show respect for the other person by lowering the pronoun that refers to himself/herself (i.e., the first-person pronoun).
| ENGLISH | KOREAN INFORMAL | KOREAN FORMAL |
|---|---|---|
| I | 나/내 | 저/제 |
Here are some examples:
| ENGLISH | KOREAN INFORMAL | KOREAN FORMAL |
|---|---|---|
| I prepared the dinner. | 내가 저녁 준비했어. | 제가 저녁 준비했어요. |
| Don’t do that to me. | 나한테 그러지마. | 저한테 그러지 마세요. |
There are no formal versions of second or third person pronouns.
Instead, you refer to the second or third person by directly addressing their profession ending with ‘님’, or some generic nouns such as ‘선생님, 아주머님.’
Here are some examples:
| ENGLISH | KOREAN INFORMAL | KOREAN FORMAL |
|---|---|---|
| Could I ask you for a direction? | 너에게 길좀 물어봐도 되겠니? | 선생님께 길좀 여쭤봐도 될까요? * |
FORMAL NOUNS
Some nouns in Korean have their own formal forms. It is important to know them for appropriate use of Korean language.
Here are some examples:
| ENGLISH | KOREAN INFORMAL | KOREAN FORMAL |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday | 생일 | 생신 |
| Home | 집 | 댁 |
| Name | 이름 | 성함 존함 (very formal) |
Let’s look how they are used in sentences:
| ENGLISH | KOREAN INFORMAL | KOREAN FORMAL |
|---|---|---|
| When is your birthday? | 생일이 언제야? | 생신이 언제에요? |
| I will be at my neighbour’s. | 이웃집에 있을께. | 이웃댁에 있을께요. |
| What is your name? | 이름이 뭐니? | 성함이 어떻게 되세요? |
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FAQs
What are formal words?
Korean uses distinct forms of verbs and nouns for formal/informal situation.
The formal nouns are used to show respect for the person you are talking or referring to.
It is known as honorifics.
How to show respect with 님?
The word 님 or 분 can be added to a noun to show respect for the other person.
님 is added when speaking to someone who is older or superior in position.
선생 > 선생님 (teacher)
부모 > 부모님 (parents)
How to show respect with 분?
Same as with 님, you place 분 after a noun:
자식 > 자녀분 / 자제분 (child)
몇 명 > 몇 분 (how many people)
What is the formal version of 내?
In formal speech, 나/내 become 저/제.
Where to get more free Korean lessons?
You can get more free Korean lessons on our Korean Grammar Bank.
We regularly add more lessons, so make sure to bookmark this page and come back to see what’s new.
Can I learn Korean with LTL Language School?
Yes!
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Feel free to contact us if you need to speak directly with a LTL Student Advisor.