Korean Grammar · Honorifics

Korean Honorific Particles ~께서 and ~께: Complete Grammar Guide

Learn how Korean speakers respectfully mark an honored subject or recipient, and how these particles work together with honorific verbs and vocabulary.

Lesson Contents What You’ll LearnKey VocabularyHonorific System OverviewHow to Use ~께서How to Use ~께Particle ComparisonHonorific AgreementReal-Life ExamplesCommon MistakesPracticeQuizFAQSummaryRelated Lessons

What You’ll Learn

The particles ~께서 and ~께 help you speak respectfully about elders, teachers, customers, supervisors, and other people you wish to honor.

Identify
Whether a respected person is the subject or recipient.

Choose
Between ~께서, ~께, and ~께서는.

Match
Honorific particles with respectful verbs and nouns.

Key Vocabulary

Korean	Meaning	Honorific Role
선생님	teacher	Respected person or title
교수님	professor	Respected person or title
부모님	parents	Honored family members
사장님	company president, owner	Respected workplace title
드리다	to give, humbly	Speaker lowers their action toward an honored recipient
말씀하시다	to speak, honorific	Raises the respected subject

How Korean Honorific Particles Work

Korean particles show the grammatical role of a noun. When that noun refers to a respected person, special honorific particles may replace ordinary particles.

Ordinary subject
이/가

Honorific subject
~께서

Honorific recipient
~께

Respected subject + 께서 + honorific predicate

선생님께서 오세요.
The teacher is coming.

Respected recipient + 께 + speaker’s action

선생님께 질문했어요.
I asked the teacher a question.

Respect depends on context. Age, role, relationship, workplace norms, and the situation all affect whether honorific language is appropriate.

1. Honorific Subject Particle ~께서

~께서 is the honorific counterpart of 이/가. Use it when the respected person performs the action or has the described state.

Respected person + 께서

Unlike 이/가, ~께서 does not change according to the final sound of the noun.

Standard	Honorific	Meaning
친구가 와요.	선생님께서 오세요.	A friend comes. / The teacher comes.
동생이 읽어요.	할아버지께서 읽으세요.	A younger sibling reads. / Grandfather reads.

Topic form: ~께서는

Add 는 to create the honorific topic form ~께서는. It can introduce contrast or establish a respected person as the topic.

교수님께서는 오늘 바쁘십니다.

As for the professor, they are busy today.

2. Honorific Recipient Particle ~께

~께 is the honorific counterpart of 에게 or 한테. Use it when an action is directed toward a respected person.

Respected recipient + 께

Common meanings include “to,” “for,” or “toward” a respected person.

부모님께 편지를 썼어요.

I wrote a letter to my parents.

선생님께 질문을 드렸어요.

I respectfully asked the teacher a question.

~께 does not mark the subject. In 선생님께 질문했어요, the teacher receives the question; the speaker performs the action.

Side-by-Side Particle Comparison

Function	Ordinary Form	Honorific Form	Question to Ask
Subject	이/가	~께서	Who performs the action?
Topic	은/는	~께서는	Who is the respected topic?
Recipient or target	에게/한테	~께	To whom is the action directed?

Fast decision rule: If the respected person does the action, use ~께서. If the respected person receives the action, use ~께.

Honorific Agreement Across the Sentence

Honorific particles are only one part of respectful Korean. When the respected person is the subject, the predicate usually also takes an honorific form.

The honorific suffix -(으)시-

Dictionary Form	Honorific Form	Polite Example
가다	가시다	선생님께서 가세요.
읽다	읽으시다	할아버지께서 읽으세요.
바쁘다	바쁘시다	사장님께서 바쁘세요.

Special honorific verbs

Ordinary Verb	Honorific Verb	Meaning
먹다 / 마시다	드시다	to eat / drink
자다	주무시다	to sleep
말하다	말씀하시다	to speak
있다	계시다	to be, stay, exist

Humble verbs for the speaker’s action

When the speaker acts toward a respected recipient marked by ~께, humble verbs are often natural.

Ordinary	Humble	Example
주다	드리다	교수님께 자료를 드렸어요.
묻다	여쭙다	선생님께 여쭤봤어요.
말하다	말씀드리다	부장님께 말씀드렸어요.

Subject honorific and speaker humility are different. 드시다 raises the subject. 드리다 lowers the speaker’s action toward an honored recipient.

Real-Life Examples

할머니께서 진지를 드세요.

Grandmother is eating her meal.

교수님께서 연구 결과를 설명하셨어요.

The professor explained the research results.

부모님께 선물을 보내 드렸어요.

I sent a gift to my parents.

고객님께 안내 말씀을 드리겠습니다.

I will provide the customer with information.

선생님께서는 지금 교무실에 계세요.

The teacher is currently in the teachers’ office.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using ~께 for the person doing the action

Incorrect: 선생님께 오셨어요.
Correct: 선생님께서 오셨어요.

Mistake 2: Using ~께서 for the recipient

Incorrect: 선생님께서 질문했어요. when you mean “I asked the teacher.”
Correct: 선생님께 질문했어요.

Mistake 3: Forgetting predicate honorifics

Less consistent: 할아버지께서 먹어요.
Natural honorific: 할아버지께서 드세요.

Mistake 4: Elevating yourself

Do not normally use subject honorific forms to raise yourself. Korean honorifics show respect toward others.

Nuance: Native speakers may sometimes use ordinary particles with an honorific predicate, such as 엄마가 오셨어요. This is common in everyday speech. Using ~께서 is more explicitly respectful or formal.

Practice

Choose 께서, 께, or 께서는.

1. 교수님___ 강의를 시작하셨어요.
2. 부모님___ 사진을 보내 드렸어요.
3. 사장님___ 오늘 회의에 참석하지 않으십니다.
4. 할머니___ 전화했어요.
5. 선생님___ 한국어를 가르치세요.

Show practice answers

1. 께서
2. 께
3. 께서는
4. 께
5. 께서

Knowledge Check

1. Which particle replaces 이/가 for an honored subject?

A. 께   B. 께서   C. 에게

2. Complete: 선생님___ 질문을 드렸어요.

A. 께   B. 께서   C. 가

3. Which sentence means “The professor spoke” respectfully?

A. 교수님께 말씀드렸어요.
B. 교수님께서 말씀하셨어요.
C. 교수님한테 말했어요.

4. What is the topic form of ~께서?

A. 께서가   B. 께서는   C. 께서를

Show quiz answers

1. B
2. A
3. B
4. B

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between ~께서 and ~께?

~께서 marks a respected subject. ~께 marks a respected recipient or target.

Can I use ~께서 in everyday conversation?

Yes. It is especially common when speaking respectfully about elders, teachers, customers, and workplace superiors. Everyday speech may also use 이/가 together with an honorific verb.

Can I use ~께서 for myself?

Normally no. Subject honorifics are used to raise another person, not the speaker.

What does ~께서부터 mean?

~께서부터 can mean “starting with” or “from” a respected person, depending on context. It should not be confused with the basic subject-marker use of ~께서.

Lesson Summary

~께서
Marks a respected subject.

~께
Marks a respected recipient or target.

Honorific agreement
Use -(으)시- or special honorific verbs when appropriate.

Remember: respected person doing the action = ~께서. Respected person receiving the action = ~께.

Related Korean Grammar Lessons

Korean 이/가 Grammar: Subject Particles Explained Korean 은/는 Grammar: Topic Particles Explained Korean 을/를 Grammar: Object Particles Explained Korean 에 vs 에서: Location Particles Explained