께
kke
Grammar · 1 sense
to, by, for
Examples
선생님께 인사를 드렸습니다.
I greeted the teacher.
사장님께 보고서를 보냈어요.
I sent the report to the boss.
When you'd hear it
께 appears in polite and formal Korean when addressing someone deserving respect, especially with titles such as 선생님 or 사장님. Learners commonly encounter it in workplaces, service situations, formal messages, and respectful speech.
What learners get wrong
Unlike 에게 or 한테, 께 marks a respected person and sounds honorific. Use 에게 or 한테 for ordinary people, and choose 께 when the social relationship calls for honorific language.
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