TOPIK I · LEVEL 2
-께
-께 is the honorific form of 에게/한테: 'to' a person you respect.
조사ParticlesHan: With 께 the verb should also be honorific: 주다 → 드리다.
Examples
이 선물은 할머니께 드릴 거예요.I'm going to give this present to my grandmother.
부모님께 편지를 썼어요.I wrote a letter to my parents.
선생님께 질문을 드렸어요.I asked the teacher a question.
Don’t mix up
-께vs-께서께 means 'to' a respected person; 께서 marks a respected person as the subject: 선생님께서 말씀하셨어요.How to build it
N(person)+께
선생님 → 선생님께
- Only for people you show respect to, usually with honorific verbs like 드리다, 여쭤보다.
- Do not use it with yourself or with animals and things.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 할머니께 선물을 줬어요.
Right: 할머니께 선물을 드렸어요.
With 께 the verb should also be honorific: 주다 → 드리다.
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All TOPIK grammar- -씩-씩 after an amount means 'each' or 'at a time': the same amount for every person or every unit.
- -쯤-쯤 after a time, amount or place means 'about / around'.
- -께서-께서 is the honorific subject particle: it replaces 이/가 when the subject is someone you respect.
- -마다Attached to a noun, 마다 means "every" or "each": the same thing happens with every one of those times, people, or places.
- -밖에-밖에 means 'only / nothing but' and is always followed by a negative verb.
- -보다보다 attaches to the thing you measure against, like English "than": X is more (or less) than the noun with 보다.
- -처럼/같이Attached to a noun, 처럼/같이 mean 'like N': something looks, acts or is done the same way as N.
- -에게로Marks a person or animal as the direction or destination of a movement: 'toward, to (someone)'. Mostly written or narrative; in speech 한테로.
- -에게서/한테서-에게서/한테서 marks the person something comes from: 'from (someone)'.