How to Say I Miss You in Korean: 보고 싶어 and Every Variation (2026)

Few Korean phrases show up in K-dramas as often as 보고 싶어. It is the line at the airport, the late-night phone call, the text that gets typed, deleted, and typed again. If you have watched even one romance drama, you have heard it.

The short version: 보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo) is how you say “I miss you” in Korean. Below you'll find what it literally means, the polite and formal versions, how to say “I missed you” when you finally meet, how it differs from 그리워, and how Koreans actually text it.

Quick Answer: How to Say I Miss You in Korean

If you only learn one, make it 보고 싶어. It works with a partner, a best friend, or your mom.

What 보고 싶어 Literally Means

Korean has no single verb for “to miss someone.” Instead, it says “I want to see you.” 보고 싶어 is built from two pieces:

• 보다 (boda): to see.
• -고 싶다 (-go sipda): to want to do something.

Put together, 보고 싶다 means “to want to see.” The casual ending -어 turns it into 보고 싶어, “(I) want to see (you).” Notice there is no “I” and no “you” anywhere in the sentence. Korean drops both whenever the context makes them obvious, which is most of the time.

The literal meaning tells you a lot about the feeling. In Korean, missing someone is framed as a concrete wish: you want to see their face.

How to pronounce it

Say it as bo-go shi-peo. Before the vowel ㅣ, the ㅅ in 싶 sounds closer to “sh,” and the ㅍ at the bottom of 싶 slides into the next syllable, so 싶어 comes out as “shi-peo.” In fan spaces you'll often see it spelled bogoshipeo or bogo shipo. The official romanization is bogo sipeo.

Every Way to Say I Miss You in Korean

Once you know 보고 싶어, the variations are easy. Most of them just add one word in front.

너무 보고 싶어 (neomu bogo sipeo): I miss you so much

너무 means “so” or “too,” and it is the most common way to turn the feeling up. 정말 (jeongmal, really) and the more casual 진짜 (jinjja, really) work the same way: 정말 보고 싶어, 진짜 보고 싶어.

많이 보고 싶어 (mani bogo sipeo): I miss you a lot

많이 means “a lot.” It sounds a little softer and steadier than 너무, like a feeling that has been building for a while.

보고 싶어 죽겠어 (bogo sipeo jukgesseo): I'm dying to see you

Literally “I want to see you so much I could die.” It is dramatic and a bit playful, the kind of thing you say to a partner or a best friend. The same -어 죽겠어 pattern attaches to lots of feelings: 배고파 죽겠어 (I'm starving), 졸려 죽겠어 (I'm so sleepy I could die).

네가 보고 싶어 (nega bogo sipeo): I miss you

Adding 네가 (nega, you) spells out exactly who you mean. You rarely need it, which is why it carries extra weight when someone does say it, usually in a confession scene.

보고 싶다 (bogo sipda): I miss you, said to yourself

The plain form 보고 싶다 often works like thinking out loud, the way you might sigh “I miss her” to nobody in particular. You hear it in drama narration, diary-style captions, and songs. BTS's “Spring Day” famously opens with it.

그리워 (geuriwo): I long for you

그리워 comes from 그립다 (geuripda), “to miss” or “to long for.” It is deeper and more wistful than 보고 싶어. The next section explains when to use which.

네 생각이 나 (ne saenggagi na): I'm thinking of you

생각이 나다 means “to come to mind.” Telling someone 네 생각이 나 is a lighter way to say they are on your mind, without the full weight of 보고 싶어.

How to Say “I Missed You” in Korean

When you finally see the person, switch to the past tense: 보고 싶었어 (bogo sipeosseo), “I missed you.” The polite version is 보고 싶었어요 (bogo sipeosseoyo).

This is the reunion line. Airport arrivals, the end of military service, the first date after a long trip. In dramas it usually comes with a hug, or with someone running.

It is also one of the first things you learn to say in Chingu. In the very first lesson call, Junho teaches you 안녕, and before you hang up he waits for you to tell him 보고 싶었어. Saying it out loud to someone, even an AI friend, is what makes it stick.

보고 싶어 vs 그리워: What Is the Difference?

Both translate to “I miss you,” but Koreans reach for them in different moments.

A good rule of thumb: if meeting up this weekend would fix the feeling, use 보고 싶어. If the feeling has distance or time built into it, 그리워 fits better. That is also why 그리워 shows up so often in ballads and K-drama flashbacks.

How to Reply When Someone Says 보고 싶어

• 나도 보고 싶어 (nado bogo sipeo): “I miss you too.” The most natural reply.
• 나도 (nado): just “me too,” for quick texts.
• 나도 많이 보고 싶었어 (nado mani bogo sipeosseo): “I missed you a lot too,” for when you meet.
• 곧 보자 (got boja): “Let's see each other soon.”
• 빨리 보고 싶다 (ppalli bogo sipda): “I can't wait to see you.”

With someone older, or anyone you speak politely to, add 요 and swap 나 (na, I) for the humble 저 (jeo): 저도 보고 싶어요 (jeodo bogo sipeoyo).

Example Sentences You Can Use

• 보고 싶어서 전화했어. (bogo sipeoseo jeonhwahaesseo) I called because I missed you.
• 오늘따라 네가 너무 보고 싶어. (oneulttara nega neomu bogo sipeo) I miss you so much today, for some reason.
• 언제 와? 보고 싶어. (eonje wa? bogo sipeo) When are you coming? I miss you.
• 엄마, 보고 싶어. (eomma, bogo sipeo) Mom, I miss you.
• 우리 강아지 보고 싶다. (uri gangaji bogo sipda) I miss my dog.
• 한국 가면 제일 먼저 너 보러 갈게. (hanguk gamyeon jeil meonjeo neo boreo galge) When I get to Korea, you're the first person I'm coming to see.
• 너무 보고 싶었어! 잘 지냈어? (neomu bogo sipeosseo! jal jinaesseo?) I missed you so much! How have you been?
• 그 시절이 그리워. (geu sijeori geuriwo) I miss those days.

Notice 우리 강아지, literally “our dog.” Koreans often say 우리 (uri, our) where English says “my” for family, pets, and home.

A Short Dialogue

Here is how 보고 싶어 sounds in a real exchange, the kind of late-night call you might have with someone who is far away:

• A: 뭐 해? (mwo hae?) What are you doing?
• B: 그냥 누워 있어. 너는? (geunyang nuwo isseo. neoneun?) Just lying down. You?
• A: 네 생각하고 있었어. 보고 싶어서. (ne saenggakhago isseosseo. bogo sipeoseo.) I was thinking about you. I miss you.
• B: 나도 보고 싶어. 다음 주에 보자! (nado bogo sipeo. daeum jue boja!) I miss you too. Let's meet next week!

Short, casual, and almost every sentence drops “I” and “you.” That is what natural spoken Korean between close people sounds like.

How Koreans Text “I Miss You”

In messages, the space often disappears and the tone gets softer or cuter:

• 보고싶어: the same phrase with no space. Extremely common in texts.
• 보고 싶다ㅠㅠ: ㅠㅠ is a crying face, which makes the message pouty and wistful.
• 보고싶당: swapping 다 for 당 makes it cute and playful.
• 보고파 (bogopa): a short, slightly poetic form you see in texts and song lyrics.
• 보고 싶어용: 용 in place of 요 is a cute, aegyo-style ending.

These are perfect with a partner or close friends. Keep them out of messages to coworkers, teachers, or anyone older you are not close to. For more of the casual language Koreans use in chats, see our guide to Korean slang words and phrases.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using it with the wrong person. 보고 싶어 is warm and personal. Said to a boss or a coworker, it can sound too intimate. When you see them again, 보고 싶었어요 is plenty, or skip it entirely.
• Translating “miss” word for word. Missing a bus or a chance is a different verb, 놓치다 (nochida): 버스를 놓쳤어 means “I missed the bus.” 보고 싶어 is only for people (and sometimes pets).
• Staying in the present tense at a reunion. Face to face, 보고 싶었어 (I missed you) sounds more natural than 보고 싶어 (I miss you).
• Only learning the romanization. Spellings like bogoshipo are fine in comments, but learn the Hangul. Once you can read 보고 싶어, you'll spot it everywhere, from subtitles to song titles.

Practice Saying It Out Loud

Reading 보고 싶어 is easy. Saying it with the right warmth, at the right moment, takes a little practice. That is what Chingu is built for: you take a five-minute lesson, then call a Korean friend and use the phrase in a real conversation, with subtitles when you need them. Your friend speaks first, you answer, and after a few calls 보고 싶어 stops being a vocabulary word and becomes something you just say.

Want to keep going? Learn every way to say I love you in Korean, or pick up the lines you keep hearing on screen in our list of Korean drama phrases.