What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective 멋지다, meaning "to be cool/stylish" and the auxiliary verb 보이다, meaning "to look/appear".
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on their level of respect and nuance. While 멋져 보여 and 멋있어 보여 focus on how someone appears, the informal phrase 멋있다 is used to say "You are cool."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The level of formality depends on the ending of the phrase. To make the phrase polite and suitable for speaking to people you are not close with or who are older than you, add the suffix –요 to the end, creating 멋져 보여요. For a more respectful way to say "You look cool", you can use 멋지시네요. Additionally, 잘 어울리세요 can be used as a polite way to say "You look great" or "You look cool".
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "because you look cool", you add the connective particle –서 to the end of the phrase, resulting in 멋져 보여서.
How do you pronounce it?
meotjyeo boyeo
Did you know?
- The slang term 간지 (gan-ji) used to describe 'effortless cool' is actually a loanword from the Japanese word かんじ, meaning 'feeling' or 'impression'.
- In high-pressure social settings, a Korean person might respond to 멋져 보여요 by modestly denying the compliment. It is common to say 아니에요 ('no it is not') even if they are happy to hear it, as humility is highly valued.
- In the word 멋있다, the component 있다 means 'to exist' or 'to have', meaning that to be cool is linguistically framed as 'possessing' style.
Examples in context
- 오늘 너가 진짜 멋지다!You look really cool today!
- 오늘 정말 멋져 보여요.oneul jeongmal meotjyeo boyeoyo.You look really cool today.
- 새 옷이 정말 멋져 보여.sae osi jeongmal meotjyeo boyeo.The new clothes look really cool.
- 그 스타일은 정말 멋져 보여요.geu seutaileun jeongmal meotjyeo boyeoyo.That style looks really cool.
Example conversation
Minjun and Seoyeon are meeting at a cafe.
- 민준 Min-jun서연 씨, 오늘 정말 멋져 보여요!Seoyeon ssi, oneul jeongmal meotjyeo boyeoyo!Seoyeon, you look really cool today!
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말요? 고마워요, 민준 씨.jeongmalyo? gomawoyo, Minjun ssi.Really? Thank you, Minjun.
- 민준 Min-jun그 옷 색깔이 아주 잘 어울려요.geu ot saekkkari aju jal eoullyeoyo.That clothing color suits you very well.
- 서연 Seo-yeon기분 좋네요. 감사합니다!gibun jonneyo. gamsahamnida!That makes me feel good. Thank you!
