#한국어 무법

[studykorean101]

hello! I'm just starting out learning korean, and I'm a little confused about how the speech levels work. so I understand there's 존댓말 and 반말 but search results show there are seven speech levels of politeness and formality and it's a little confusing. do you maybe have any links to better understand which to use when, etc? thank u in advance!!

Hello! I do have some clues as to how you can figure out the levels for yourself and I will link the resources that you can check out down below! 

For starters, you’re right; there are seven different levels of politeness / formality in Korean. You’re also right in saying that it is confusing! Generally, with beginners, it’s better to know what’s considered “formal” just by looking at the conjugation. For example, we can assume that something with “-ㅂ/습니다” at the end of the verb is considered formal. This is one of the highest levels of formalities. Or something without any formality marker (ie. lack of -요), we can assume it’s the lowest level of formalities. Below is a list of the formalities, and when to use them:

하소서체 ♡ Most formal speech to show the most respect ♡ Used to address royal family members ♡ Also often used in the Bible / scripture 

합쇼체 ♡ Respectful / polite form of speech ♡ Used for elders, strangers, customers, or in business settings ♡ Used for unbiased attitude

하오체 ♡ Outdated formal speech (usually in historical [사극] Korean dramas) ♡ Same rank or lower

하게체 ♡ Also relatively outdated but not uncommon ♡ Can be used by middle-aged adults to other adults (usually lower socially) ♡ Can be used by higher-ranked ppl on social ladder talking to people lower than them (Ex. CEO talking to a lower-level employee) 

해라체 ♡ Formal speech used for the same level or lower ♡ Even though there’s no added respect, it’s not considered disrespectful if you use it appropriately ♡ It’s not as common as 합쇼체, 해요체, 해체 though it’s still used frequently ♡ Necessary to know this level though as it’s used to quote people ♡ Also known as “plain form”

해요체 ♡ Informal but still polite speech ♡ This is the most common and natural speaking level in Korea ♡ 고마워요 // 안녕하세요 // 아니요 ♡ Regardless of relative rank, this level can be used politely and respectfully

해체 ♡ The most informal / casual speech level

Here are examples of the formalities using the verb “사랑하다” - to love:

Even though 해라체 and 해체 are both considered “반말”, 해라체 is considered more formal (remember, “plain form”)

Next, how to use them is a little bit more difficult. I will link resources with each formality (with examples) so you can check it out for your own convenience as well:

하소서체

합쇼체

하오제

하게체

해라체

해요체

해체

Where I acquired the above resources, is a great website for Korean Language Learners. You can check it out here. 

I really really hope this helped in some way! I know that formalities are really difficult to grasp but once you get it, it becomes easier. Like I said above, it’s really easy to start recognizing which formality is used because of how the conjugation ending looks (you even have a bit of a hint inside the formality’s name itself). Formalities can look and sound different / confusing / difficult, but as long as you get the basics down, it becomes a lot easier with more practice. 

If you’re still confused, please shoot me a message and we can figure it out together! 

Happy Learning :) 

~ SK101