{"id":50222,"date":"2024-02-28T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/?p=50222"},"modified":"2025-04-15T15:05:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T06:05:44","slug":"korean-honorific-language-nopimmal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogohanguk.com\/en\/blog\/korean-honorific-language-nopimmal\/","title":{"rendered":"4 key elements of the Korean honorific language Nopimmal"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we know, Korean society is very hierarchical, and this mentality is also reflected in the language. In addition to the normal difference between formal and informal language, there is also a third register of language in Korean: the Korean <\/strong><\/span>honorific language<\/b>, called <\/span>Nopimmal<\/i><\/strong> (<\/span>\ub192\uc778\ub9d0<\/span>). “Nopimmal” literally means “high tongue” (from <\/span>nopda<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>\ub192\ub2e4<\/span>, to be high, and <\/span>mal<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>\ub9d0<\/span>, tongue) and is used in all those situations where it is necessary to show respect towards a superior.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, let’s see how to use the Korean honorific language and what its particularities are.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. The particles of the Korean honorific language<\/h2>\n

Nopimmal<\/strong>, or the Korean honorific language, consists mainly of particles that can be used to address someone in a more polite tone or to talk about someone who is not present and to whom you pay <\/span>respect<\/b>. In fact, the idea of respect is so important that it feels necessary to show it even when the person concerned is not present.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are two types of <\/span>nopimmal particles<\/b>. There are verb-internal particles<\/strong> (<\/span>shi<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>\uc2dc<\/span>, and <\/span>se<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>\uc138<\/span>), which are inserted between the root and the ending. There are also particles indicating complements<\/strong>, which differ from those used in other linguistic registers. For example, the particles indicating the topic and the subject are <\/a><\/span>\uc740<\/span>\/<\/span>\ub294<\/span> and <\/span>\uc774<\/span>\/<\/span>\uac00<\/span>. In honorific language, these are replaced by <\/span>\uaed8\uc11c\ub294<\/span> and <\/span>\uaed8\uc11c<\/span> respectively. So, if the subject of your sentence is someone you need to show respect towards, you will need to use the particles <\/span>\uaed8\uc11c\ub294<\/span> or <\/span>\uaed8\uc11c<\/span> and then insert the particle <\/span>\uc2dc<\/span> inside the verb. Let’s see an example:<\/span><\/p>\n

\uc5c4\ub9c8\uaed8\uc11c\ub294<\/strong> \uc800\ub141\uc744 \ub9cc\ub4e4\uc5b4 \uc8fc\uc168<\/strong>\uc5b4\uc694.
\n(ommakkeseoneun<\/strong> jeonyeogeul mandeureo jushyeo<\/strong>sseoyo<\/em>)
\nMother made me dinner.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this situation, the mother is not present, but they are talking about her and something she did. Since the speaker respects her, he demonstrates this in his language, using the nopimmal. He then uses the particle <\/span>\uaed8\uc11c\ub294<\/span> and the particle <\/span>\uc2dc<\/span> within the verb. The latter, by joining the conjugation ending (which would be <\/span>\uc5c8\uc5b4\uc694<\/span>, <\/span>eosseoyo<\/span><\/i>), varies slightly, turning the simple vowel into the diphthong <\/span>\u3155<\/span>, <\/span>yeo<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is not only the particles of subject and theme that change in the Korean honorific language. Also, the <\/span>term complement<\/b> and the <\/span>agent complement<\/b> undergo a change, becoming both <\/span>\uaed8<\/span>, <\/span>kke<\/span><\/i>, respectively instead of <\/span>\uc5d0\uac8c<\/span> or <\/span>\ud55c\ud14c<\/span> and <\/span>\uc5d0\uac8c\uc11c<\/span> or <\/span>\ud55c\ud14c\uc11c<\/span>. Finally, the particle <\/span>\ub3c4<\/span>, <\/span>do<\/span><\/i>, which means “also”, changes, becoming <\/span>\uaed8\uc11c\ub3c4<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Korean<\/p>\n

2. The vocabulary of Korean honorific language<\/h2>\n

There are also many terms that vary if one is using honorary language. Although, fortunately, not all words include an <\/span>honorific variant<\/b>. Here are some of the most common examples:<\/span><\/p>\n