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Korean Grammar Patterns
합쇼체·해요체·하오체·하게체·해라체·해체
Meaning
The six speech levels (상대 높임법)
How to use it
Korean endings encode how much you elevate the listener. Four formal levels: 합쇼체 (가십니다 — public/polite), 하오체 (가시오 — archaic-formal), 하게체 (가네 — to a junior you respect), 해라체 (간다 — plain/written). Two informal levels: 해요체 (가요 — everyday polite) and 해체/반말 (가 — intimate). Modern daily life mostly uses 해요체 and 해체; 합쇼체 appears in news, announcements and service language, while 하오체/하게체 survive mainly in period dramas, letters and among older speakers.
Same verb 가다 across all six: 가십니다 · 가시오 · 가네 · 간다 · 가요 · 가.,K-drama tip: sudden 반말 (해체) between characters signals the relationship just got closer — or turned hostile.
Examples
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 손님, 이쪽으로 오십시오. sonnim, ijjogeuro osipsio. | This way please, sir/ma'am. (합쇼체) |
| 오랜만이네. 잘 지냈나? oraenmanine. jal jinaenna? | Long time no see. Have you been well? (하게체, senior to junior) |
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