KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › 특수 높임말 (주무시다)
Korean Grammar “특수 높임말 (주무시다)” (TOPIK 4)
Explanation
할머니께서 방에서 낮잠을 주무세요.
Some verbs have a special honorific form for actions of respected people. The honorific of 자다 (to sleep) is 주무시다. “Grandmother is taking a nap in her room.” 자요 is not honorific, and 잡수세요 is the honorific of 먹다 (to eat), so neither fits.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 할머니께서 방에서 낮잠을 주무세요.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 할머니께서 | ||
| 할 | ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄹ | hal |
| 머 | ㅁ+ㅓ | meo |
| 니 | ㄴ+ㅣ | ni |
| 께 | ㄲ+ㅔ | kke |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 방에서 | ||
| 방 | ㅂ+ㅏ+ㅇ | bang |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | e |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 낮잠을 | ||
| 낮 | ㄴ+ㅏ+ㅈ | [낟] nat |
| 잠 | ㅈ+ㅏ+ㅁ | [짜] ja |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [믈] meul |
| 주무세요 | ||
| 주 | ㅈ+ㅜ | ju |
| 무 | ㅁ+ㅜ | mu |
| 세 | ㅅ+ㅔ | se |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 낮잠을 → [낟짜믈]
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 잠을 → [자믈]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
It contains the honorific -(으)시-, which shows respect to the person being talked about or talked to.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 할머니 | noun | grandmother | TOPIK level 1 |
| 방 | noun | room | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 할머니께서 방에서 낮잠을 ____.
Show the answer
Answer: 할머니께서 방에서 낮잠을 주무세요.
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