Short answer
“I miss you” in Korean is 보고 싶어요
How to say I miss you in Korean?
The most natural way to say 'I miss you' in Korean is 보고 싶어요 (bogo sipeoyo). It literally means 'I want to see you,' but Korean speakers use it whenever they miss someone, not just when they want to meet up. Choose the form by your relationship: 보고 싶어요 for polite everyday speech, 보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo) for close friends and family, and 보고 싶습니다 (bogo sipseumnida) for very formal situations. When you say 'I miss you' in Korean, drop the words for 'I' and 'you' — 보고 싶어요 alone already communicates the feeling.
Common pairings
너무 보고 싶어요 (neomu bogo sipeoyo) — I miss you so much보고 싶어 하다 (bogo sipeo hada) — to miss someone (used about a third person)보고 싶을 때 (bogo sipeul ttae) — when you miss someone보고 싶은 마음 (bogo sipeun maeum) — a longing heart; the feeling of missing someone
How to use it
- Match the ending to the relationship: 보고 싶어요 is polite and works in most everyday situations; 보고 싶어 is for close friends, family, or someone younger; 보고 싶습니다 is for formal speech, writing, or when you want to show strong respect.
- Do not translate word for word. 'I miss you' becomes just 보고 싶어요 — the subject (I) and the object (you) are left out because they are obvious from context. Adding 나는 네가 makes it sound stiff.
- Use 보고 싶어요 for missing a person. If you miss a place or a time (like your hometown or school days), 그립다 (to long for) is also possible and often sounds more poetic, but remember that 보고 싶다 is still fine in everyday talk about people.
Examples
너무 보고 싶어요.
I miss you so much.
Neomu bogo sipeoyo. 너무 (neomu) means 'so much,' and adding it is the most common way to make 'I miss you' stronger in Korean.
엄마, 보고 싶어!
Mom, I miss you!
Eomma, bogo sipeo! This is the casual form 보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo), which fits family, close friends, and anyone younger than you. The polite -요 ending is dropped, so it sounds warm and intimate.
할머니가 보고 싶습니다.
I miss my grandmother.
Halmeoni-ga bogo sipseumnida. 보고 싶습니다 is the formal version, used in speeches or toward people you want to treat with deep respect. The person you miss is marked with -이/가: 할머니가 (halmeoni-ga).
보고 싶었어요.
I missed you.
Bogo sipeosseoyo. This is the past tense: 'I missed you' or 'I was missing you.' Koreans often say it when they finally meet the person again after a long time.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 보고 싶 |
보고 싶어요. | You cannot add the progressive ending -고 있어요 to 싶다. Even 'I am missing you right now' is still 보고 싶어요 in Korean. |
| Unnatural | Natural | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 보고 싶어요. | 그립다 is a real word for missing, but it sounds deep and literary, like longing for a homeland or someone who has passed away. For an everyday 'I miss you,' 보고 싶어요 is natural. | |
| 보고 싶어요. | Saying 나는 (I) and 네가 (you) makes the sentence wordy and unnatural. Korean relies on context, so just 보고 싶어요 is enough. |
FAQ
- How to say I miss you in KoreanSay 보고 싶어요 (bogo sipeoyo). It literally means 'I want to see you,' but it is the standard way to tell someone you miss them. Use 보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo) with close friends and 보고 싶습니다 (bogo sipseumnida) in formal situations.
- What is the difference between 보고 싶어요 and 그리워요?그리워요 comes from 그립다 and means 'I long for it.' It sounds deeper and more literary, so it fits things like a homeland or a late relative. For everyday 'I miss you,' 보고 싶어요 is the natural choice.
- Can I say 보고 싶어요 to my teacher or boss?Yes, 보고 싶어요 is polite enough for most situations. In very formal speech, writing, or interviews, use 보고 싶습니다 (bogo sipseumnida) instead.
- Does 보고 싶어요 mean 'I want to see you' too?It can, because the words literally mean 'want + see.' But in context it almost always expresses missing someone who is not there, not just a desire to meet up.