If you’re wondering how to say “looks like” in Korean, two common expressions you’ll encounter are ‘-처럼 보이다’ and ‘-아/어 보이다’. While they both involve the verb 보이다 (to look/seem), they are used in different ways. This grammar guide will help you understand the difference and use each one naturally in everyday Korean.
Contents
1. Definition
- ‘처럼 보이다’: This pattern means “to look like…” or “to appear as if…” and is often used to compare someone or something to another.
- ‘-아/어 보이다’: This pattern means “to look + adjective” or “to appear + adjective”, and is used to describe how something seems or looks in appearance or feeling.
2. Form (Structure)
1. ‘-처럼 보이다’
This pattern is formed by attaching ‘-처럼 보이다’ to a noun. It’s used when comparing someone or something to something else.
For example, if you want to say “He looks like a singer,” you would say: 가수처럼 보이다.
Structure:
Noun + 처럼 보이다
Example:
- 가수처럼 보이다 (to look like a singer)
- 선생님처럼 보이다 (to look like a teacher)
2. ‘-아/어 보이다’
This pattern is used with adjectives. You remove the ‘다’ from the dictionary form of the adjective and add -아/어 보이다 based on vowel harmony.
- If the adjective stem ends in 아 or 오, use -아 보이다.
- If it ends in other vowels, use -어 보이다.
- If the adjective stem ends in 하다, simply replace 하다 with 해 보이다.
Structure:
Adjective stem + -아/어 보이다
Examples:
- 행복하다 → 행복해 보이다 (to look happy)
- 피곤하다 → 피곤해 보이다 (to look tired)
- 슬프다 → 슬퍼 보이다 (to look sad)
3. Meaning & Usage
1. -처럼 보이다 – “To look like…” (Comparison)
Used to say someone or something looks like something else.Examples:
- 그는 가수처럼 보였어요. (He looked like a singer.)
- 이 음식은 고기처럼 보여요. (This food looks like meat.)
- 그 아이는 어른처럼 행동해요. (That child acts like an adult.)
- 날씨가 여름처럼 더워요. (The weather is hot like summer.)
- 그녀는 천사처럼 웃었어요. (She smiled like an angel.)
- 그는 마치 영화배우처럼 멋있어 보여요. (He looks as cool as a movie star.)
2. -아/어 보이다 – “To look/seem…” (Descriptive)
Used to express that something appears a certain way based on how it looks or feels, often with adjectives.Examples:
- 피곤해 보이네요. (You look tired.)
- 그 옷이 예뻐 보였어요. (That outfit looked pretty.)
- 그는 긴장해 보였어요. (He seemed nervous.)
- 음식이 맛있어 보여요. (The food looks delicious.)
- 날씨가 추워 보여요. (The weather looks cold.)
- 이 프로젝트는 시간이 많이 걸려 보여요. (This project looks like it will take a lot of time.)
- 그녀의 설명은 이해하기 어려워 보여요. (Her explanation seems difficult to understand.)
4. Key Points to Remember
- ‘처럼 보이다’ is for comparison with a noun.
- ‘-아/어 보이다’ is for describing appearance or impression using an adjective.
- Both expressions use 보이다, but the word before it decides the meaning.
5. Practice Exercises
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of ‘처럼 보이다’ or ‘-아/어 보이다’.
- 그는 (모델)______ 걸어요. (He walks like a model.)
- 이 커피가 정말 (맛있다)______. (This coffee looks really good.)
- 그 아이는 (선생님)______ 말했어요. (That child spoke like a teacher.)
- 오늘은 날씨가 (따뜻하다)______. (The weather looks warm today.)
- 저 사람이 (배우)______ . (That person looks like an actor.)
- 너 오늘 (피곤하다)______ . (You look tired today.)
- 이 강아지는 (인형)______ 생겼어요. (This puppy looks like a doll.)
- 시험이 (쉽다)______ . (The test looks easy.)
- 그 집이 (궁전)______ . (That house looks like a palace.)
- 그녀는 (슬프다)______ . (She looks sad.)
6. Answers
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of ‘처럼 보이다’ or ‘-아/어 보이다’.
- 그는 모델 처럼 걸어요. (He walks like a model.)
- 이 커피가 정말 맛있어 보여요. (This coffee looks really good.)
- 그 아이는 선생님 처럼 말했어요. (That child spoke like a teacher.)
- 오늘은 날씨가 따뜻해 보여요. (The weather looks warm today.)
- 저 사람이 배우 처럼 보여요. (That person looks like an actor.)
- 너 오늘 피곤해 보여. (You look tired today.)
- 이 강아지는 인형 처럼 생겼어요. (This puppy looks like a doll.)
- 시험이 쉬워 보여요. (The test looks easy.)
- 그 집이 궁전 처럼 보여요. (That house looks like a palace.)
- 그녀는 슬퍼 보여요. (She looks sad.)
7. Common Mistakes and Tips
⚠️ Mistake 1: Using ‘처럼 보이다’ with adjectives
Incorrect: 그 여자가 예쁘처럼 보여요. ❌ (She looks like beautiful.)
Correct: 그 여자가 예뻐 보였어요. ✅ (She looked pretty.)
💡 Tip: Use adjectives with ‘-아/어 보이다’, not with ‘처럼 보이다’. ‘처럼 보이다’ is only for nouns.
⚠️ Mistake 2: Using ‘-아/어 보이다’ with nouns
Incorrect: 그는 가수아 보여요. ❌ (He looks like a singer.)
Correct: 그는 가수처럼 보여요. ✅ (He looks like a singer.)
💡 Tip: When you want to say someone looks like something, use ‘처럼 보이다’ with a noun.
⚠️ Mistake 3: Using verbs before ‘보이다’ without changing to an adjective or noun
Incorrect: 그는 먹다 보였어요. ❌ (He looked eat?)
Correct: 그는 배고파 보였어요. ✅ (He looked hungry.)
💡 Tip: ‘보이다’ should follow an adjective or a noun with ‘처럼’. Verbs need to be changed into an appropriate descriptive form first.
Both ‘처럼 보이다’ and ‘-아/어 보이다’ help describe appearances and impressions in Korean but are used in different ways. Remember that ‘처럼 보이다’ is used with nouns to compare, while ‘-아/어 보이다’ is used with adjectives to describe how something seems. With enough practice, you’ll be able to use both naturally in conversation.