📘 Grammar 30: How to Use ~아/어 보이다 – Saying Something Looks + Adjective in Korean

📘 How to Use ~아/어 보이다 – Saying Something Looks + Adjective in Korean

Want to say “You look tired,” “It looks delicious,” or “He looks happy” in Korean?

Then you’ll need to use the super useful and natural grammar form ~아/어 보이다, which means “to appear” or “to look/seem”.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to attach it to adjectives, how to choose between 아 and 어, and how to use it naturally in conversations!

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📌 What Does ~아/어 보이다 Mean?

~아/어 보이다 is used after adjectives to express that someone or something looks/appears/seems a certain way.

✔️ It's a polite and indirect way to express your observation or impression.

Structure:
Adjective stem + 아/어 + 보이다

🔤 How to Choose 아 or 어?

• Use 아 after bright vowels (ㅏ, ㅗ)
• Use 어 after other vowels (ㅓ, ㅜ, ㅡ, ㅣ)

Some common examples:

• 예쁘다 → 예뻐 보이다 (looks pretty)
• 맛있다 → 맛있어 보이다 (looks delicious)
• 행복하다 → 행복해 보이다 (looks happy)
• 피곤하다 → 피곤해 보이다 (looks tired)

📘 Example Sentences

• 너 피곤해 보여 – You look tired
  neo pi-gon-hae bo-yeo
• 이 음식은 맛있어 보여요 – This food looks delicious
  i eum-sik-eun ma-sit-seo bo-yeo-yo
• 그녀는 행복해 보여요 – She looks happy
  geu-nyeo-neun haeng-bok-hae bo-yeo-yo
• 그 아기는 귀여워 보여요 – That baby looks cute
  geu a-gi-neun gwi-yeo-wo bo-yeo-yo

📊 Grammar Table

Adjective	Looks + Adjective	Meaning	Romanization
예쁘다	예뻐 보이다	Looks pretty	yep-peo bo-i-da
맛있다	맛있어 보이다	Looks delicious	ma-sit-seo bo-i-da
행복하다	행복해 보이다	Looks happy	haeng-bok-hae bo-i-da
슬프다	슬퍼 보이다	Looks sad	seul-peo bo-i-da

💡 Politeness and Context

• “보여요” is the polite form. Use it in most conversations.
• “보여” is casual. Use it with friends.
• “보입니다” is formal or written language.

❗ Common Mistakes

• ❌ 예쁘다 보이다 → ✅ 예뻐 보이다
• ❌ 맛있다 보여요 → ✅ 맛있어 보여요
• Don't use the original dictionary form directly with 보이다. Conjugate first!

🧪 Mini Quiz – Test Yourself!

1. How do you say “She looks tired” in Korean?
   a) 피곤하다 보여요
   b) 피곤해 보여요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 피곤해 보여요

2. Translate: “You look happy.”
   a) 행복해 보여요
   b) 행복하다 보인다
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 행복해 보여요

3. Which is correct?
   a) 맛있어 보이다
   b) 맛있다 보이다
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ a) 맛있어 보이다

✅ Conclusion

Now you can describe what someone or something looks like using ~아/어 보이다 in Korean!

• Use it after adjectives to express your impression or observation
• Choose 아/어 based on vowel rules
• Polite, natural, and essential in daily Korean

Try saying:

• “He looks busy” → 바빠 보여요
• “That dish looks delicious” → 저 음식 맛있어 보여요

📘 Coming Up Next

Next lesson: How to Use ~는 것 같아요 – I Think, It Seems Like in Korean
Learn how to express your thoughts or assumptions politely in Korean!

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