i syeocheuga deo joha boyeoyo.

Questions & Answers about i syeocheuga deo joha boyeoyo.

What does mean in this sentence?

means more or -er. In this sentence, it gives the idea of better or nicer.

So 이 셔츠가 더 좋아 보여요 means something like:

  • This shirt looks better.
  • This shirt looks nicer.

Korean often leaves the comparison unstated, so it may mean better than the other one, better than before, or better than I expected, depending on context.

Why is it 셔츠가 and not 셔츠는?

marks 셔츠 as the thing being focused on or identified.

So 이 셔츠가 더 좋아 보여요 has the feeling of:

  • This shirt is the one that looks better.

If you said 이 셔츠는 더 좋아 보여요, that would also be possible, but would give a slightly different nuance. It might sound more like:

  • As for this shirt, it looks better.

Very roughly:

  • = focus on the subject itself
  • = topic/contrast

In a situation where you are comparing several shirts and pointing out one of them, sounds very natural.

What does 좋아 보여요 mean literally?

Literally, 좋아 보여요 is something like appears good or looks good.

It comes from:

  • 좋다 = to be good
  • -아/어 보이다 = to look / to appear

So:

  • 좋다좋아 보이다 = to look good

In this sentence, 좋아 보여요 is the polite present form of that expression.

This pattern is very common in Korean:

  • 맛있어 보여요 = It looks delicious.
  • 피곤해 보여요 = You look tired.
  • 행복해 보여요 = You look happy.
Is 좋아 보여요 the same as 좋아요?

No. They are related, but not the same.

  • 좋아요 = It is good / I like it
  • 좋아 보여요 = It looks good

So 좋아 보여요 is based on appearance or impression, not a definite judgment.

Compare:

  • 이 셔츠가 좋아요. = I like this shirt. / This shirt is good.
  • 이 셔츠가 좋아 보여요. = This shirt looks good.

The second one sounds a bit softer and more observational.

Does this sentence mean I like this shirt more?

Not exactly.

이 셔츠가 더 좋아 보여요 usually means:

  • This shirt looks better
  • This shirt seems nicer

It does not directly say I personally like it more, although that may be implied in context.

If you want to clearly say I like this shirt more, you would more naturally say:

  • 이 셔츠가 더 좋아요.

So:

  • 더 좋아요 = I like it more / It is better
  • 더 좋아 보여요 = It looks better
Why is it 좋아 보여요 and not 좋어 보여요?

Because 좋다 changes to 좋아 before this grammar pattern.

The stem is 좋-, and when Korean connects it to -아/어 보이다, it becomes:

  • 좋 + 아 보이다좋아 보이다

This is the normal conjugation.

So:

  • 좋아 보여요 is correct
  • 좋어 보여요 is not correct

This same pattern happens in many common forms:

  • 좋아요
  • 좋아서
  • 좋아 보여요
What level of politeness is 보여요?

보여요 is polite, everyday speech.

It is appropriate in most normal conversations, such as talking to:

  • someone you do not know well
  • a coworker
  • a store clerk
  • a teacher
  • a friend in polite speech

The plain dictionary form is:

  • 보이다 = to be seen / to look

The polite present form is:

  • 보여요

A more formal version would be:

  • 이 셔츠가 더 좋아 보입니다.
What is the role of in 이 셔츠?

means this and points to something near the speaker.

So:

  • 이 셔츠 = this shirt

Related words are:

  • = this
  • = that (near the listener / previously mentioned)
  • = that over there

So you could also have:

  • 그 셔츠가 더 좋아 보여요. = That shirt looks better.
  • 저 셔츠가 더 좋아 보여요. = That shirt over there looks better.
Better than what? Why doesn’t Korean say the full comparison?

Korean often leaves the comparison target unstated if it is obvious from context.

So can mean:

  • better than the other shirt
  • better than before
  • better than I expected

For example, if two shirts are on the table, saying 이 셔츠가 더 좋아 보여요 naturally means:

  • This shirt looks better (than the other one)

If you want to say the comparison explicitly, you can:

  • 저 셔츠보다 이 셔츠가 더 좋아 보여요.
  • This shirt looks better than that shirt.

Here 보다 means than.

Can I say 이 셔츠는 더 좋아 보여요 instead?

Yes, you can. It is grammatical and natural in many situations.

The difference is mainly nuance:

  • 이 셔츠가 더 좋아 보여요 = stronger focus on this shirt as the one that looks better
  • 이 셔츠는 더 좋아 보여요 = as for this shirt, it looks better; can sound more contrastive

For example, if comparing several shirts:

  • 이 셔츠는 색이 예쁘고, 저 셔츠는 좀 어두워요. 이 셔츠는 더 좋아 보여요.

So both are possible, but is very natural when identifying the better-looking item.

Is 셔츠 a native Korean word?

No. 셔츠 is a loanword from English shirt.

Korean uses many clothing words borrowed from English, especially in everyday speech.

For example:

  • 셔츠 = shirt
  • 티셔츠 = T-shirt
  • 재킷 = jacket

The pronunciation of 셔츠 is adapted to Korean sound patterns, so it will not sound exactly like the English word shirt.

Can this sentence be used for appearance only, or also for quality?

It is mainly about how something appears at the moment.

So 좋아 보여요 usually refers to the impression you get from looking at it:

  • the design looks nicer
  • the color looks better
  • it seems like a better choice

It does not strongly claim that the shirt is objectively higher quality. It is more like:

  • It looks better
  • It seems better

If you want to say something more definite about quality, you might use other expressions depending on what you mean.

What is the basic word order in this sentence?

The sentence is:

  • 이 셔츠가 더 좋아 보여요

A helpful breakdown is:

  • 이 셔츠가 = this shirt + subject marker
  • = more / better
  • 좋아 보여요 = looks good

So the overall order is:

  • [subject] + [comparison word] + [description]

Korean verbs and verb-like expressions usually come at the end, so 보여요 finishes the sentence.

That is why the sentence does not follow English word order exactly.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
Your avatar
How do speech levels work in Korean?
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Korean

Master Korean — from i syeocheuga deo joha boyeoyo to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • AI tutor to answer your grammar questions