目錄
When traveling in Korea or watching Korean dramas, you will often hear sentence endings such as 「세요」 and 「주세요」. In Chinese, they are almost always translated as “please,” but they do not actually sound quite the same in Korean. When a staff member says 「앉으세요」, they are guiding a customer to sit down. If you want to ask a passerby to take a photo for you, you would instead say 「사진 좀 찍어 주세요」. Change it to 「확인해 주시겠어요?」, and the sentence takes on more of a questioning tone. There is no need to force these forms into a fixed hierarchy of politeness. It is more useful to first consider whether the speaker is guiding someone’s action, asking someone for help, or trying to make the request more indirect.
How can you tell Korean request forms apart? Start by distinguishing “instructions” from “asking someone for help”
Korean requests cannot be understood simply by looking at how polite the sentence ending is. You also need to consider whether the speaker is guiding the other person’s behavior or asking that person to do something for the speaker or someone else, as well as the relationship between the two people and the situation they are in. 「앉으세요」 is like saying “Please have a seat,” with the emphasis on guiding the next action. 「도와주세요」 is a direct request for help. 「확인해 주시겠어요?」, meanwhile, turns the request into a question, leaving the other person more room to respond.
This means 「-(으)세요」 is not a universal polite request form, and 「-아/어 주세요」 should not simply be placed above it as a fixed higher level of politeness. When deciding which form is being used, first ask whether the sentence is guiding or reminding the listener, directly asking someone to help, or using a question form to make the request more indirect.
Conjugation rules for 「-(으)세요」「-아/어 주세요」「-아/어 주시겠어요?」
| Pattern | Attachment | Core function | Common nuance |
| 「-(으)세요」 | Verb stem＋으세요／세요 | Polite instruction, suggestion, or guidance | Clear and direct |
| 「-아/어 주세요」 | Verb 아/어 form＋주세요 | Ask someone to perform an action | Natural and everyday, with a sense of asking a favor |
| 「-아/어 주시겠어요?」 | Verb 아/어 form＋주시겠어요? | Ask whether someone would be willing to help | More indirect; common in formal conversation or situations with greater social distance |
When the stem has a final consonant, it usually takes 「-으세요」; when there is no final consonant, it takes 「-세요」. For example, 「읽다」 becomes 「읽으세요」, while 「가다」 becomes 「가세요」. When the stem ends in ㄹ, the ㄹ drops before 「-세요」 is added, so 「만들다」 becomes 「만드세요」 and 「살다」 becomes 「사세요」. With 「-아/어 주세요」, the verb must first be changed into its 아/어 form: 「보다」 becomes 「봐 주세요」, and 「확인하다」 becomes 「확인해 주세요」. If you want to turn the request into a question, you can say 「확인해 주시겠어요?」.
How to use 「-(으)세요」｜Polite instructions, suggestions, and guidance
This section focuses on cases where 「-(으)세요」 is used for instructions, suggestions, or guidance. It often appears in service interactions, teaching, greetings, and reminders. The form itself is polite, but the speaker is still telling or encouraging the other person to act accordingly. It is natural for a staff member to say 「여기에 앉으세요」, and teachers commonly say 「책을 펴세요」 as well. If you are asking someone to do something for you, however, using only 「-(으)세요」 can sometimes sound overly direct. That said, 「세요」 also appears in statements and questions. For example, 「어디 가세요?」 is a respectful question asking where someone is going; it is not a request.
- Example: 여기에 앉으세요.
Romanization: yeo-gi-e an-jeu-se-yo
Translation: Please sit here.
This sounds natural in a service setting. The speaker is guiding the listener’s action rather than asking the listener to do them a favor. - Example: 문을 닫으세요.
Romanization: mu-neul da-deu-se-yo
Translation: Please close the door.
The form is polite, but the tone leans toward an instruction. If you want it to sound more like a request, you can use 「문을 닫아 주세요」 instead. - Example: 잠시만 기다리세요.
Romanization: jam-si-man gi-da-ri-se-yo
Translation: Please wait a moment.
This is common in customer service and shops. It is polite and clear, and it guides the listener to wait.
How to use 「-아/어 주세요」｜Asking someone to do something for you
「-아/어 주세요」 is used when you want someone to perform an action. It is common when asking someone to take a photo, check something, bring an item, or speak more slowly. Because it carries the sense of asking someone to do something for another person, it is often more appropriate than simply using 「-(으)세요」 in situations where you need help. In a restaurant, 「김치찌개 하나 주세요」 uses the structure 「noun＋주세요」 and means “One kimchi stew, please.” This is structurally different from 「-아/어 주세요」 attached to a verb.
- Example: 사진 좀 찍어 주세요.
Romanization: sa-jin jom jji-geo ju-se-yo
Translation: Please take a photo for me.
This is a typical request for someone’s help. When asking someone to take a photo for you, 「찍어 주세요」 is much more natural than 「찍으세요」. - Example: 천천히 말해 주세요.
Romanization: cheon-cheon-hi mal-hae ju-se-yo
Translation: Please speak more slowly.
This is very common in language-related situations and expresses a request for the other person to adjust their speaking speed. - Example: 이 주소로 보내 주세요.
Romanization: i ju-so-ro bo-nae ju-se-yo
Translation: Please send it to this address.
This sounds natural in shopping or shipping situations and carries the sense of asking the other person to carry out the action.
How to use 「-아/어 주시겠어요?」｜Politely asking whether someone would be willing to help
「-아/어 주시겠어요?」 combines 「-아/어 주시다」 with 「-겠어요?」 and uses a question form to ask whether the other person would be willing to help. Compared with directly saying 「-아/어 주세요」, it is generally more indirect, but that does not mean it is automatically more polite in every situation. This pattern is common in formal conversation, workplace collaboration, or when making a request that may place some burden on a stranger. In formal emails, written expressions such as 「확인 부탁드립니다」 or 「확인해 주시면 감사하겠습니다」 are also commonly used.
- Example: 자료를 다시 보내 주시겠어요?
Romanization: ja-ryo-reul da-si bo-nae ju-si-ge-sseo-yo
Translation: Could you please send the materials again?
Compared with 「보내 주세요」, this sounds more like asking whether the other person would be willing to help. It is suitable for formal conversation or spoken workplace communication. In a formal email, it could be rewritten as 「자료를 다시 보내 주시면 감사하겠습니다」. - Example: 내용을 확인해 주시겠어요?
Romanization: nae-yong-eul hwa-gin-hae ju-si-ge-sseo-yo
Translation: Could you please check the content?
This is common in the workplace and sounds more like asking for the other person’s cooperation than directly assigning them a task. - Example: 가능하시면 회의 시간을 변경해 주시겠어요?
Romanization: ga-neung-ha-si-myeon hoe-ui si-ga-neul byeon-gyeong-hae ju-si-ge-sseo-yo
Translation: If possible, could you please change the meeting time?
Changing an existing arrangement may create extra work for the other person, so adding 「가능하시면」 first gives the request more room and softens it.
What is the difference between 「-(으)세요」 vs 「-아/어 주세요」 vs 「-아/어 주시겠어요?」
| Comparison | 「-(으)세요」 | 「-아/어 주세요」 | 「-아/어 주시겠어요?」 |
| Main function | Polite instruction, suggestion, or guidance | Ask someone to perform an action for someone | Ask whether someone would be willing to help |
| Sentence type | Instruction or suggestion | Direct request | Question-form request |
| Common situations | Staff guidance, teacher instructions, reminders | Ordering, taking photos, asking for help | Formal conversation, workplace collaboration, strangers |
| Nuance | Clear and direct | Natural and everyday, with a sense of asking a favor | More indirect and leaves room for a response |
| Important note | 「세요」 is not always a request | It is not automatically more respectful than 「세요」 | Business emails also commonly use forms such as 「부탁드립니다」 |
▌What is the difference between 「사진을 찍으세요」 and 「사진 좀 찍어 주세요」?
⚠️ Does not fit the situation of asking someone to take a photo for you: 사진을 찍으세요.
The sentence itself is grammatically correct, but it sounds more like an instruction telling the other person to take a photo. It does not express the relationship of asking them to take a photo for the speaker.
✅ Asking a passerby to take a photo for you: 사진 좀 찍어 주세요.
If you want someone to take a photo for you, using 「-아/어 주세요」 better matches the intended situation.
▌What is the difference between 「보내 주세요」 and 「보내 주시겠어요?」?
❌ Too direct: 자료를 보내 주세요.
✅ More indirect: 자료를 보내 주시겠어요?
In business situations, if the request may place some burden on the other person, 「-아/어 주시겠어요?」 sounds softer.
Korean request forms for travel and work: what to say in restaurants, when taking photos, and when asking someone to check something
When traveling in Korea, you will encounter 「주세요」 almost every day. When ordering food or shopping, 「noun＋주세요」 is common. When asking someone to take a photo, give directions, or speak more slowly, 「-아/어 주세요」 is used. In spoken workplace communication, you can use 「-아/어 주시겠어요?」 when you want to make a request more indirect. In formal emails, forms such as 「확인 부탁드립니다」 or 「확인해 주시면 감사하겠습니다」 are commonly used instead. Service staff often use 「-(으)세요」 when guiding customers because the point of the sentence is to explain what the customer should do next, not to ask the customer to do something for the staff member.
▌Situation ①｜Ordering at a restaurant
A：뭐 드릴까요?
mwo deu-ril-kka-yo
What would you like?
B：김치찌개 하나 주세요.
gim-chi-jji-gae ha-na ju-se-yo
One kimchi stew, please.
📌 Grammar Point: When ordering, 「주세요」 works almost like a set request expression. It sounds natural and does not need to be made overly formal.
▌Situation ②｜Asking a passerby to take a photo
A：죄송한데 사진 좀 찍어 주세요.
joe-song-han-de sa-jin jom jji-geo ju-se-yo
Excuse me, could you please take a photo for me?
B：네, 여기 보세요.
ne, yeo-gi bo-se-yo
Sure, please look here.
📌 Grammar Point: 「찍어 주세요」 is used to ask someone for help, while 「보세요」 is used by the person taking the photo to guide the other person’s action. The two forms serve different functions.
▌Situation ③｜Asking someone to check something in a business email
A：파일을 첨부했습니다.
pa-il-eul cheom-bu-haet-seum-ni-da
I have attached the file.
B：내용을 확인해 주시겠어요?
nae-yong-eul hwa-gi-nae ju-si-ge-sseo-yo
Could you please check the content?
📌 Grammar Point: 「확인해 주시겠어요?」 is more indirect than 「확인해 주세요」 and is suitable for business collaboration.
Cultural Notes:
- In Korean service settings, 「-(으)세요」 is a standard form of guidance. It is polite, but it does not necessarily function like a request; it often simply tells the listener what to do next.
- 「좀」 often appears together with 「주세요」 and can soften a request. For example, 「사진 좀 찍어 주세요」 sounds more natural than the same sentence without 「좀」.
- In business contexts, the sentence pattern is not the only factor that matters. Adding expressions such as 「죄송하지만」 or 「가능하시면」 can make a request sound more natural.
How do Korean 「-(으)세요／-아/어 주세요／-아/어 주시겠어요?」 compare with Japanese 「〜てください／〜ていただけますか」?
◆ Similar grammar: Japanese 「〜てください」 and 「〜ていただけますか」
Japanese 「〜てください」 can be used for both requests and instructions, so depending on the situation it may correspond to either Korean 「-(으)세요」 or 「-아/어 주세요」. Japanese 「〜ていただけますか」 uses a question form to ask whether the other person can perform an action for the speaker. It is generally more indirect and is relatively close to Korean 「-아/어 주시겠어요?」.
- Example: 写真を撮ってください。
Kana: しゃしんを とってください。
Translation: Please take a photo for me.
When asking a passerby to take a photo, this is similar to Korean 「사진 좀 찍어 주세요」. However, 「〜てください」 can also be used in teaching or instructional situations, in which case it may be closer to Korean 「-(으)세요」. - Example: 資料を確認していただけますか。
Kana: しりょうを かくにんして いただけますか。
Translation: Could you please check the materials?
This is similar to Korean 「자료를 확인해 주시겠어요?」 and is suitable for formal or business situations.
◆ Core differences from 「-(으)세요／-아/어 주세요／-아/어 주시겠어요?」:
Both Japanese and Korean adjust tone through direct requests, question forms, and honorific language, but you cannot create a fixed politeness hierarchy simply by looking at how long the pattern is. Korean 「-(으)세요」 can appear in statements, questions, or instructions, while Japanese 「〜てください」 can function as either a request or an instruction depending on context. In both languages, the surrounding context and the relationship between the speakers need to be considered.
There is no need to force 「-(으)세요」, 「-아/어 주세요」, and 「-아/어 주시겠어요?」 into a ranking of which one is more polite. A staff member asking a customer to sit down, a traveler asking a passerby to take a photo, and a colleague asking someone to check a file are fundamentally different speaking situations. Korean request forms need to be understood together with the context: is the speaker telling the other person what to do next, or are they genuinely asking that person to do something for them? You can then pay attention to softening expressions such as 「좀」, 「죄송하지만」, and 「가능하시면」 and see how they change the tone of the sentence as a whole.
FAQs
「-(으)세요」 is used to politely tell or encourage someone to do something and is common in instructions, guidance, suggestions, and greetings. It is polite in form, but its underlying tone can still be one of telling the other person what to do.
「-아/어 주세요」 is more like asking someone to do something for you, while 「-(으)세요」 is more like a polite instruction or form of guidance. When asking someone to take a photo for you, say 「찍어 주세요」 rather than 「찍으세요」.
It packages the request as a question about whether the other person would be willing to help, reducing the sense of command. It is common in business emails, workplace collaboration, or when making a burdensome request of a stranger.
For ordinary orders, 「주세요」 is the most natural choice. If you are simply ordering a cup of coffee or one dish, 「주시겠어요?」 may sound unnecessarily formal.
The most common mistake is using 「-(으)세요」 for every request. This can make some sentences sound like instructions rather than requests for help. When you need someone to do something for you, 「-아/어 주세요」 is usually the more appropriate choice.