보고 싶어요
bogo sipeoyo
In Korean, "i am missing you" is expressed as 보고 싶어요 (bogo sipeoyo).
This phrase is used to tell someone that you feel sadness because they are not with you. In Korean, the subject "I" and the object "you" are often omitted in this phrase when the context is clear.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 보고 싶어요 literally translates to "I want to see (you)".
Which one should you use?
While 보고 싶어요 is the standard way to express missing someone, 그리워요 is a formal way to express a profound sense of missing someone. Additionally, 보고파 is an informal and simplified version of 보고 싶어.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Gyeongsang Province of South Korea, people often use the dialect form 보고퍼 to express missing someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
When talking about a third person's feeling of missing someone, you use the form 보고 싶어 해요.
How do you pronounce it?
bogo sipeoyo
Did you know?
- In very traditional or formal literature, instead of using the modern 'want to see' construction, writers might use the term 그리다, which also means 'to draw' or 'to paint', suggesting that the person being missed is being 'sketched' in one's mind.
- The term 보고 in this phrase sounds identical to the Sino-Korean word for 'report', meaning you could accidentally sound like you are saying 'I want to see a report' in a business setting if the context is not clear.
- Because the phrase literally means 'I want to see you', it can function as a polite way to initiate a meeting or ask for a date without explicitly stating the intention to go out.
Examples in context
- 회사에 오래간 만큼 여러분을 더욱 보고 싶습니다.I miss you all the more since I've been away from the office for a long time.
- 오랜만에 보고파, 언제 만날까?It's been a while, I miss you. When can we meet?
- 오늘도 너무 보고싶어, 언제 만날 수 있을까?I miss you so much today. When can we meet?
- 정말 보고 싶어요.jeongmal bogo sipeoyo.I really miss you.
- 너무 보고 싶어요.neomu bogo sipeoyo.I miss you so much.
- 친구들이 보고 싶어요.chingudeuri bogo sipeoyo.I miss my friends.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking on the phone at night.
- 서연 Seo-yeon지훈 씨, 보고 싶어요.Jihoon ssi, bogo sipeoyo.Jihoon, I miss you.
- 지훈 Ji-hun저도 서연 씨가 보고 싶어요.Jeodo Seoyeon ssiga bogo sipeoyo.I miss you too, Seoyeon.
- 서연 Seo-yeon우리 언제 만날까요?Uri eonje mannalkkayo?When shall we meet?
- 지훈 Ji-hun이번 주말에 만나요.Ibeon jumare mannayo.Let's meet this weekend.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 보고, CC BY-SA 4.0.
