Honorific subject particle: 께서

In basic Korean, we use 이 or 가 to mark the subject. The subject is the "doer" of the action. But when the doer is an elder, we switch. We swap 이/가 for 께서. It works exactly the same way in the sentence structure. It sits right after the noun. However, it carries a much heavier weight of politeness. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. It tells the listener to slow down and show respect. It is almost always paired with honorific verbs. If you use 께서, you usually need -(으)시- in the verb. They are like best friends that go everywhere together. Using one without the other feels like wearing one shoe. It just looks a bit off to native speakers.

1. 1Identify the subject of your sentence.
2. 2Decide if that person requires high respect.
3. 3Look at the noun (e.g., 선생님, 할머니).
4. 4Simply attach 께서 to the end of the noun.
5. 5Unlike 이/가, you don't care about final consonants.
6. 6선생님 + 께서 = 선생님께서.
7. 7할머니 + 께서 = 할머니께서.
8. 8Check your verb and add the honorific -(으)시- ending.

You use this when the subject is "higher" than you. This includes grandparents, parents, and teachers. It also includes your boss or senior colleagues at work. Think about a job interview scenario. You might talk about a professor who inspired you. Using 께서 shows you are a respectful person. It makes a great first impression. Use it when ordering food for your elders too. If your grandfather is choosing a dish, say 할아버지께서.... It shows you were raised with good manners. Even in modern Seoul, these small details matter deeply. It is a way to build strong relationships. It shows you understand the social fabric of Korea. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes! But getting it right makes you stand out.

Never use 께서 for yourself. This is the golden rule of Korean honorifics. Respecting yourself too much sounds very arrogant. It is like calling yourself "The Great King [Your Name]." Keep it humble and use 내가 or 제가 for yourself. Also, don't use it for friends or younger siblings. Using it for a younger brother would be quite funny. It would sound like you are making fun of him. "His Majesty my little brother is eating ramen." Only use it for those truly above you in status. Also, avoid using it for inanimate objects or animals. Your cat might think he is the boss. But in Korean grammar, he still gets 가. Unless your cat is the CEO of a major tech firm. Then maybe we can negotiate!

The most common slip-up is the "Mismatch." This happens when you use 께서 but forget the honorific verb. For example, 선생님께서 와요 is a bit awkward. It should be 선생님께서 오세요. The particle and the verb must match in politeness. Another mistake is over-using it. You don't need to put it on every single noun. Just the main subject of the sentence. Some learners try to use it with 은/는. While 께서는 exists for emphasis, 께서 is the direct honorific for 이/가. Don't panic if you forget it occasionally. Most Koreans are very forgiving with learners. But practicing it will make your Korean feel much more natural. It is like learning to use a fork and knife properly.

Let's compare 께서 with 이/가. 이/가 is your everyday, standard tool. Use it for friends, kids, and yourself. 께서 is the "Formal Event" version. Then there is 께서는. This is the honorific version of 은/는. Use 께서는 when you want to contrast two people. Or when you want to set the topic of the conversation. For example, "My mom likes apples, but my dad (topic) likes pears." In that case, use 아버지께서는. Another one to watch is 께. This is used for "to someone" (like 에게). Don't confuse the subject marker with the direction marker. 께서 is for the person doing the action. 께 is for the person receiving the action or the gift.