요
yo
Grammar · 2 senses
Politeness ending
Examples
꽃향기를 맡고 있었어요.
I was smelling the scent of flowers.
When you'd hear it
요 is the everyday polite ending used with people who are not close friends or family, including in shops, workplaces, dramas, and ordinary writing such as messages. It is less formal than 합니다체 and is often added to an otherwise casual-sounding sentence.
What learners get wrong
요 is not itself a tense marker: in 있었어요, the past and progressive meaning come from 있었-, while 요 adds politeness. Do not confuse it with 여, which is not the standard spelling of this ending.
Short reply
Examples
어디까지 가세요? 서울역이요.
Where are you going? Seoul Station.
아들아, 점심은 뭐 먹었니? 라면요.
Son, what did you eat for lunch? Ramen.
몇 분 예약 도와 드릴까요? 10명요.
How many people are you making a reservation for? 10 people.
When you'd hear it
This is common in everyday spoken Korean when answering briefly but politely, especially at shops, restaurants, service counters, and in casual conversation. It is much less common in formal written Korean.
What learners get wrong
요 is not the same as 네, which means “yes” or signals agreement. With noun replies, consonant-final nouns commonly appear with 이요, as in 서울역이요, while vowel-final nouns take 요, as in 라면요.
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