Korean Honorific Verbs: 드시다, 계시다, 주무시다
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · How we write & review
After this page, you can talk about elders with the special honorific verbs 드시다, 계시다 and 주무시다.
10-second answer
The short answer
Most Korean verbs become honorific just by adding -시- (-si-) (as covered on the honorifics page). But a handful of very common verbs are irregular — they swap to a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORD instead: 먹다 (meokda, eat) → 드시다 (deusida), 있다 (itda, be/exist) → 계시다 (gyesida), 자다 (jada, sleep) → 주무시다 (jumusida).
Quick check — did that land?
1. What is the honorific form of 먹다 (to eat)?
먹다 대신 드시다, 자다 대신 주무시다! 어른을 높일 때 쓰는 표현이에요.
The Irregular Set
| Plain verb | Honorific verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 먹다 (meokda) | 드시다 (deusida) | to eat |
| 있다 (issda) | 계시다 (gyesida) | to be / exist / stay |
| 자다 (jada) | 주무시다 (jumusida) | to sleep |
| 말하다 (malhada) | 말씀하시다 (malsseumhasida) | to speak / say |
| 죽다 (jukda) | 돌아가시다 (doragasida) | to die (softened, respectful) |
You've already met three of these individually on this site: 계시다 on the 있다/없다 page, 주무시다 on the good night page, and the general honorific pattern on the honorifics page — this page ties them together as one recognizable set.
See also: How Korean Honorifics Work
Quick Examples
할아버지, 진지 드세요.
harabeoji, jinji deuseyo.
Grandfather, please eat.
진지 is even the honorific NOUN for "meal" (vs plain 밥) — nouns can carry honorifics too.
어머니는 방에 계세요.
eomeonineun bang-e gyeseyo.
Mother is in the room.
할머니께서 주무세요.
halmeoni-kkeseo jumuseyo.
Grandmother is sleeping.
께서 — the honorific subject marker, often paired with these verbs.
Why Irregular Instead of Just Adding -시-?
These verbs are used so frequently, and are so central to daily respect-showing (eating, sleeping, being present, speaking, dying), that Korean developed fully separate honorific words for them over time rather than relying purely on the regular -시- pattern. It's similar to how English has irregular forms for its most common verbs (go/went, not "goed") — high-frequency words often develop their own special forms.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Adding -시- to the plain verb instead of using the irregular form
먹으시다 isn't how this works — 드시다 is a completely separate word, not 먹다 + 시.
Mistake #2 — Forgetting the noun-level honorifics too
진지 (honorific "meal," vs plain 밥) shows honorifics don't stop at verbs — some nouns have their own respectful forms as well.
Mini Quiz
2 short questions — about 1 minute
2. What is the honorific form of 자다 (to sleep)?
3. What does 께서 typically pair with?
Part of Korean Grammar Basics — Particles, Tense, and Negation
Related Knowledge
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Korean Question Words: 누구, 언제, 어디, 얼마나
You've covered respectful verbs — question words are the next essential toolkit for building real conversations.
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