How to Say “I miss you” in Korean: 보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo)

보고 싶어

bogo sipeo

Situation: Friends & social mediaLevel: Starter (just learning Hangul)

Meaning

I miss you.

[Casual speech among friends] 보고 싶다 literally means “want to see,” but it expresses “I miss you.”

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 4 · Words: 2

Said aloud, it sounds like [보고 시퍼].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
보고
보	ㅂ+ㅗ	bo
고	ㄱ+ㅗ	go
싶어
싶	ㅅ+ㅣ+ㅍ	[시] si
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[퍼] peo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

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. 싶어 → [시퍼]

Style: Casual (반말)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

No -요 at the end. Used with close friends, younger people and family; avoid it with strangers and elders.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
보다	verb	to see, to watch	TOPIK level 1

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “보고 싶어” mean?

Show the answer

Answer: I miss you

Question 2 How is “보고 싶어” pronounced?

Show the answer

Answer: [보고 시퍼]

Learn this phrase by playing: typing drills and quizzes help it stick.