Vocabulary5 min read696 views
"I Miss You" in Korean: 보고 싶어 and the Nuances of Missing
Saying "I miss you" in Korean works very differently from English. Here's how to express missing someone correctly.
Published on February 4, 2026
보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo) — I Want to See You = I Miss You
In Korean, you don't say "I miss you" but literally "I want to see you":
| Korean | 보고 싶어 |
| Literally | "want to see" |
| Meaning | I miss you |
Politeness Levels
| Level | Korean | When |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | 보고 싶어 | Couples, close friends |
| Polite | 보고 싶어요 | Standard |
| Formal | 보고 싶습니다 | Very respectful |
Variations
| Korean | Translation | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| 너무 보고 싶어 | I miss you so much | Intensified |
| 많이 보고 싶었어 | I missed you a lot | Past tense |
"Missing" Places and Things
For places or things, a different verb is used:
| What you miss | Korean | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A person | 보고 싶다 | 엄마가 보고 싶어요 (I miss mom) |
| A place | 그립다 | 한국이 그리워요 (I miss Korea) |
| A memory | 그립다 | 그때가 그리워요 (I miss those times) |
그립다 (geripda) expresses deeper nostalgia than 보고 싶다.
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