좋은 아침입니다, 사모님
joeun achimimnida, samonim
The English phrase "good morning mam" is expressed in Korean as 좋은 아침입니다, 사모님 (joeun achimimnida, samonim).
This phrase is used as a polite morning greeting specifically when addressing a woman of high social status or a person's wife in a formal setting.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression is composed of 좋은 (good), 아침 (morning), 입니다 (is/am/are, which is a polite copula) and 사모님 (madam/ma'am).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For other formal contexts, you might use 좋은 아침입니다, 선생님 to mean "Good morning, teacher" or "Good morning, ma'am" or 좋은 아침이에요, 여사님 for "Good morning, madam". For an informal "Good morning, sis", you would say 굿모닝, 누나.
How do you pronounce it?
joeun achimimnida, samonim
Did you know?
- The term 사모님 comes from the Chinese characters for 'teacher' and 'mother', reflecting a historical Confucian tradition of respecting the wives of scholars.
- Although 좋은 아침입니다 is a direct translation of 'good morning', Koreans traditionally greeted people by asking if they had slept well or eaten, rather than commenting on the quality of the morning.
- In Korea, it is common to address a woman as 사모님 even if you do not know her, as a way to show maximum respect to a customer or a stranger in a formal setting.
Examples in context
- 좋은 아침입니다, 선생님! 오늘도 힘내세요.Good morning, ma'am! Please have a great day today.
- 좋은 아침이에요, 여사님. 오늘 하루도 행복하게 보내세요.Good morning, madam. Have a happy day today.
- 좋은 아침입니다, 사모님. 식사하셨어요?joeun achimimnida, samonim. siksa-hasyeosseoyo?Good morning, ma'am. Have you eaten?
Example conversation
A chauffeur greets the employer's wife in the driveway.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo좋은 아침입니다, 사모님.joeun achimimnida, samonim.Good morning, ma'am.
- 수빈 Su-bin네, 안녕하세요. 현우 씨.ne, annyeonghaseyo. hyeonu ssi.Yes, hello, Hyeon-woo.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo오늘 어디로 모실까요?oneul eodiro mosilkkayo?Where shall I take you today?
- 수빈 Su-bin시내에 있는 병원으로 가 주세요.sinae-e inneun byeongwon-euro ga juseyo.Please take me to the hospital downtown.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 사모님, CC BY-SA 4.0.
