Korean Grammar Map

TOPIK I · Level 2

-(으)십시오

formal request

The formal counterpart of -(으)세요. You meet it in announcements, signs, and service settings far more often than in conversation.

Build it

Pick a verb

    앉+-(으)십시오

    stemending

    When to use it

    Attachment follows the standard rule and ㄹ drops: 만들다 gives 만드십시오. Like -(으)세요, it contains the honorific -(으)시-, so the same special verbs apply: 드십시오, 주무십시오, 계십시오.

    Its home is public and formal language: airport announcements, department store signs, service scripts, ceremonies. Between two people talking face to face, -(으)세요 is almost always the right choice.

    Used with a friend it sounds either comic or cold. It also has to match the rest of the sentence — pairing it with -아요 elsewhere breaks the register.

    The negative is -지 마십시오, which is what you see on prohibition signs.

    How to attach it

    Stem typeFormExample
    Ends in a vowel-십시오가다 → 가십시오
    Ends in a consonant-으십시오앉다 → 앉으십시오
    Ends in ㄹㄹ drops만들다 → 만드십시오
    Special honorifics드십시오, 주무십시오계십시오, 말씀하십시오
    Negative-지 마십시오들어가지 마십시오
    Everyday version-(으)세요앉으세요

    In use

    1. 잠시만 기다려 주십시오.

      Please wait a moment.

    2. 안전벨트를 매십시오.

      Please fasten your seatbelt.

    3. 이쪽으로 오십시오.

      This way, please.

    4. 여기에 성함을 쓰십시오.

      Please write your name here.

    5. 잔디밭에 들어가지 마십시오.

      Please keep off the grass.

    6. 맛있게 드십시오.

      Please enjoy your meal.

    Compared with

    • -(으)세요

      Same politeness, different distance. -(으)세요 is for people in front of you; -(으)십시오 is for audiences, customers, and signage.

      이쪽으로 오세요. (to a guest)  /  이쪽으로 오십시오. (announcement)

    • -아/어 주십시오

      Adding 주다 turns the instruction into a request made on your behalf. Service language uses this constantly.

      기다리십시오. (wait)  /  기다려 주십시오. (please wait for us)

    • -ㅂ니다/습니다

      These belong to the same register and normally appear together. Mixing -십시오 with -아요 in one text reads as inconsistent.

      감사합니다. 이쪽으로 오십시오. (consistent)

    Watch out

    • 여기에서 만들으십시오.

      여기에서 만드십시오.

      Stems ending in ㄹ drop it before this ending, as with -(으)세요 and -ㅂ니다.

    • 맛있게 먹으십시오.

      맛있게 드십시오.

      먹다 has its own honorific word. The special verbs apply here exactly as they do with -(으)세요.

    • 야, 이쪽으로 오십시오.

      야, 이쪽으로 와.

      The formal ending clashes with casual address. Register has to stay consistent across the whole sentence.

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