What is “께”?

“께” is the honorific Korean postposition that corresponds to “에게/한테” (to, for) when speaking respectfully to or about someone of higher status. It is used for:

An honored recipient or addressee of an action (indirect object)
The honored source or agent in passive/received-action contexts

1. Usage

1) Honored Recipient / Addressee (indirect object)

Marks the respected person who receives something or to whom you say or feel something.

선생님께 말씀드려야 해요. (I need to tell the teacher.)
부모님께 카네이션을 선물 드렸어요. (I gave carnations to my parents.)
오늘 오신 손님분들께 감사합니다. (Thank you to the guests who came today.)
모르는 건 마을 이장님께 여쭤보세요. (Ask the village chief if you’re unsure.)

2) Honored Source / Agent (passive or received action)

Indicates the respected person from whom something is received or by whom an action is done.

어제 부모님께 용돈을 받았습니다. (I received allowance from my parents yesterday.)
이것은 팀장님께 전달받은 파일입니다. (This is the file I received from the team leader.)
숙제를 잘 해와서 선생님께 칭찬을 들었어요. (I did my homework well and got praise from the teacher.)
제가 할아버지께 물려받은 가보입니다. (This is an heirloom handed down to me by my grandfather.)

2. Practice Quiz

Choose the correct particle to complete each Korean sentence:

선생님___ 말씀드려야 해요. (I need to tell the teacher.)
오늘 오신 손님분들___ 감사합니다. (Thank you to the guests who came today.)
모르는 건 마을 이장님___ 여쭤보세요. (Ask the village chief if you’re unsure.)
이것은 팀장님___ 전달받은 파일입니다. (This is the file I received from the team leader.)
제가 할아버지___ 물려받은 가보입니다. (This is an heirloom handed down to me by my grandfather.)