해요체

Korean

Etymology

From 해요 (haeyo, informal and polite imperative of 하다 (hada, “to do”)) +‎ 체(體) (che, “style”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈhɛ(ː)jot͡ɕʰe̞] ~ [ˈhe̞(ː)jot͡ɕʰe̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [해(ː)요체/헤(ː)요체]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	haeyoche
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	haeyoche
McCune–Reischauer?	haeyoch'e
Yale Romanization?	hāyyo.chey

Noun

해요체 • (haeyoche)

1. (grammar) The informal, polite speech level in Korean.

Usage notes

해요체 (haeyoche) is a speech level used mainly between strangers, especially those older or of equal age. Traditionally it was used more by women than men, but in Seoul many men currently prefer this form to 하십시오체 (hasipsioche). Like other speech levels, it is applied to verbs and adjectives to reflect the relationship between the speaker and the audience. It is used both with and without honorifics, which reflect the relationships with the referent of the subject.

Korean words inflected in this speech level are characterized by the ending 요 (-yo). E.g.:

• 해요 (haeyo): (non-honorific) "does"
• 하세요 (haseyo): (honorific) "does"
• 했어요 (haesseoyo): (non-honorific) "did"

See also

(Other speech levels)

• 하소서체 (hasoseoche)
• 하십시오체 (hasipsioche)
• 하오체 (haoche)
• 하게체 (hageche)
• 해라체 (haerache)
• 해체 (haeche)