jabi께서
께서: Honorific Subject Particle
Honorific subject particle — marks an elevated person as the grammatical subject.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Elevated subject | N + 께서 | 어머니께서 / 선생님께서 |
| With honorific verb marking | 께서 … -(으)시- | 어머니께서 좋아하세요 |
께서 is the honorific subject particle — the elevated twin of 이/가.
표준국어대사전: it marks the subject while honouring that person, and the predicate takes the honorific pre-final -시-.
Pattern
어머니께서 꽃을 좋아하세요. Mother likes flowers. (elevated)
선생님께서 말씀하셨어요. The teacher spoke. (elevated)| Piece | Job |
|---|---|
| N께서 | elevated subject |
| -(으)시- | elevate the verb (-으시-) |
Using 께서 without -시- fights the standard pairing.
께서 vs 이/가
| 친구가 와요 | plain subject |
| 선생님께서 오세요 | elevated subject |
Same grammatical slot — different respect.
께서 ≠ 께
께 께 is a different honorific particle (dative “to”). This page is subject only. Keep them apart.
Same-unit partner
Sejong’s visit unit pairs 께서 with -으시- for a reason: particle and verb honorific travel together.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
In the Sejong course this appears in 어머니께서 꽃을 좋아하세요 — Sejong Korean 1, Unit 20, on the theme of 방문. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. Which matches the dictionary pattern?
2. What is 께서 replacing?
3. 께서 vs 께?
Common questions
Must I always use -(으)시- with 께서?
The standard dictionary note says the predicate takes honorific -시-. Teach the pair together: 께서 + [[g:eusi]].
Can I elevate with -시- but keep 이/가?
You will hear that in casual speech. This lesson trains the full written/careful pattern: 께서 + -시-.
Who gets 께서?
People you elevate — parents, teachers, customers in careful speech. Not your close same-age friends.
Dictionary source?
표준국어대사전: 께서 marks an elevated subject and pairs with -시- on the verb; it is the honorific of 가/이.