아/어 보이다 (a/eo boida) means "to look, to seem".
Says how something looks to you: 피곤해 보여요 (pigonhae boyeoyo), "you look tired".
Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language
- Same choice as 아요/어요: 아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, 어 after other vowels, 해 for 하다.
- It's about how something looks to you, which may not be how it really is.
- It also goes on verbs for a state, like 지치다 jichida: 지쳐 보여요 jichyeo boyeoyo, "you look worn out".
- With a noun, use 처럼 보이다: 학생처럼 보여요 haksaengcheoreom boyeoyo, "he looks like a student".
Build it
The forms you need
Now
피곤해 보여요pigonhae boyeoyoyou look tiredPast
피곤해 보였어요pigonhae boyeosseoyoyou looked tiredBefore a noun
피곤해 보이는 사람pigonhae boineun sarama tired-looking personReacting
맛있어 보이네요masisseo boineyothat looks good!When to use it
How someone looks
Say what you see in someone's face or manner.
Judging by looks
Say what something seems like before you try it.
Looks versus reality
Often followed by what it turned out to be.
Watch out
A noun can't take 아/어 보이다 directly. Add 처럼 cheoreom.
In context
7 examples- 1
오늘 좀 피곤해 보여요.
Oneul jom pigonhae boyeoyo.
You look a bit tired today.
- 2
할머니가 나이보다 훨씬 젊어 보이세요.
Halmeoniga naiboda hwolssin jeolmeo boiseyo.
Your grandma looks much younger than she is.
- 3
사진에서는 방이 넓어 보였는데 실제로는 작았어요.
Sajineseoneun bangi neolbeo boyeonneunde siljeroneun jagasseoyo.
The room looked big in the photos, but it was small in real life.
- 4
오늘 기분이 좋아 보여요.
Oneul gibuni joa boyeoyo.
You seem to be in a good mood today.
- 5
그 가방 비싸 보이는데 얼마였어요?
Geu gabang bissa boineunde eolmayeosseoyo?
That bag looks expensive. How much was it?
- 6
이쪽 길이 더 가까워 보여요.
Ijjok giri deo gakkawo boyeoyo.
This way looks shorter.
- 7
괜찮아요? 얼굴이 안 좋아 보여요.
Gwaenchanayo? eolguri an joa boyeoyo.
Are you okay? You don't look well.
Practice
6 questions맛있다 + 아/어 보이다
아/어 보이다 or 아/어 보다?
They're one syllable apart and mean different things. 아/어 보이다 goes mostly on adjectives, and on verbs for a state like 지치다 jichida · to be worn out, and means "looks": 맛있어 보여요 masisseo boyeoyo, "it looks tasty". 아/어 보다 a/eo boda goes on verbs and means "try": 먹어 봐요 meogeo bwayo, "try eating it".
아/어 보이다 or 것 같다?
것 같다 geot gatda is a guess from any kind of clue: something you heard, read or worked out. 아/어 보이다 is about how something looks or comes across to you. If you hear laughing from the next room, say 재미있는 것 같아요 jaemiinneun geot gatayo, "it sounds fun", not 재미있어 보여요 jaemiisseo boyeoyo, because you can't see it.
Talking about other people's feelings
In Korean you don't usually say flatly that someone else is sad or happy, because you can't see inside them. Instead you say how they look, 슬퍼 보여요 seulpeo boyeoyo, "she looks sad", or use 하다 on the feeling, 슬퍼해요 seulpeohaeyo, "she's sad".
Look it up in the dictionary
The entry for 아 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.
