모시다 (mosida) — The Moment You Say '모시고' Instead of '데리고'

모시다

모시다 (mosida) is an honorific verb. It means to attend on someone older or respected, to take such a person somewhere, or to seat them in a position of honor. Picture three scenes: someone clearing out the back seat of a car in an apartment parking lot on a Saturday morning; a line in a company workshop announcement that reads ‘강연자로 ○○○ 교수님을 모셨습니다 (gangyeonja-ro ○○○ gyosunim-eul mosyeotseumnida)’ — “we have invited Professor ○○○ as our speaker”; elders passing ‘올해도 제사 모셔야지 (olhae-do jesa mosyeoyaji)’ — “we’ll have to hold the ancestral rites again this year” — across the table on a holiday morning. The three look nothing alike, yet one verb ties them all together. They have exactly one thing in common: someone above me is present, and I, the speaker, step down a rung on my own.

Even learners with pretty solid Korean slip on this verb, because its meaning seems to overlap with 데리고 가다 (derigo gada), “to take someone along.” But the two are not interchangeable. 데리다 (derida) is for people at your level or below you; 모시다 (mosida) is for people above you. That’s why ‘할머니를 데리고 병원에 갔다 (halmeoni-reul derigo byeongwon-e gatda)’ snags the ear the instant you hear it, even though the grammar is perfectly fine. It makes Grandma sound like a piece of luggage.

What’s even more interesting is who this verb raises. Korean honorifics split into roughly three kinds: -시- (-si-), which raises the subject (가시다, gasida); -습니다 (-seumnida), which raises the listener; and a small set of special verbs that raise the object inside the sentence. That last group includes 드리다 (deurida), 여쭈다 (yeojuda), 뵙다 (boepda), and 모시다 (mosida). In ‘내가 할머니를 모시고 갔다 (naega halmeoni-reul mosigo gatda)’, the subject is I, but the person being elevated is the object — Grandma. In other words, 모시다 isn’t about being polite to the person you’re talking to; it lifts up a third party who appears inside your sentence. That’s why you can use it freely in casual speech — saying ‘나 할머니 모시러 가 (na halmeoni mosireo ga)’ to a friend is completely normal. This is the decisive difference between 모시다 and polite sentence endings.

Checking It in the National Institute of Korean Language Dictionary

모시다 (verb)

윗사람이나 존경하는 사람 가까이에서 시중을 들거나 함께 살다. [en] serve; attend; wait on — To serve one’s elder or someone respected near him/her, or live with him/her. [ja] つかえる【仕える】 — 目上の人や尊敬する人のそばで、世話をしたり一緒に暮らしたりする。 [es] ocuparse, cuidar — Vivir con los mayores o superiores, encargarse de ellos y asistirlos. [zh] 伺候，照顾，赡养 — 在长辈或自己所尊敬的人身边服侍或一起生活。

(높임말로) 데리다. [en] live with; stay with; accompany — (honorific) To have someone go, stay or live with oneself. [ja] おともする【お供する】 — 「伴う」の謙譲語。 [es] acompañar, traer — (TRATAMIENTO HONORÍFICO) Llevar. [zh] 陪同，随行，请 — (尊称)带领。

제사 등을 지내다. [en] perform; worship — To perform ancestral rites, etc. [ja] あげる【挙げる】。まつる【祭る】 — 祭祀などを行う。 [es] oficiar un ritual — Practicar ritos en conmemoración de los ancestros. [zh] 进行，供奉 — 办祭祀等活动。

윗사람이나 존경하는 사람을 받들어 어떤 자리나 신분을 차지하도록 하다. [en] invite; appoint; ask — To invite one’s superior or a respected person to take a position or status. [ja] おしいただく【押し頂く・押し戴く】。すいたいする【推戴する】 — 目上の人や尊敬する人を、礼を尽くしてある席や地位に立てる。 [es] apreciar, reverenciar — Elevar a una persona de categoría, cargo, o condición porque se admira mucho. [zh] 认作，奉为，推举，拜 — 拥戴长辈或所尊敬的人以获得某个地位或身份。

윗사람이나 귀중하게 여기는 물건을 어디에 자리 잡게 하다. [en] guide; place — To make someone superior, one’s elder or a valuable object be positioned somewhere. [ja] あんちする【安置する】。ほうあんする【奉安する】 — 目上の人や貴重な物をどこかに据え置く。 [es] enclaustrar — Encerrar en un claustro o convento. [zh] 供奉，安放，安顿 — 把长辈或珍惜的东西放在某处。 — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

The dictionary carries no Portuguese definitions. The following is our own rendering — servir, cuidar de alguém mais velho; acompanhar (levar alguém que se respeita); realizar ritos aos antepassados.

The meaning branches five ways, but the root is single: a picture of placing someone who stands above you in the position that befits them. If that position is your home, you get sense 1 (living together and caring for them); if it’s a destination, sense 2 (accompanying); if it’s the ritual table, sense 3; if it’s the chair of an advisor or a chairperson, sense 4; if it’s a columbarium or a family shrine, sense 5.

Here are the actual example sentences the dictionary lists.

강연자를 모시다.

고문으로 모시다.

공경히 모시다.

공원묘지에 모시다.

‘모시다’, ‘여쭈다’ 등의 특수한 어휘는 어떤 역할을 하나요? — National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr)

강연자를 모시다 (gangyeonja-reul mosida) — “to invite a speaker.” This is sense 4. It’s practically a fixed formula in event announcements and MC scripts, so anyone who has attended even one Korean company or school event is guaranteed to hear it.
고문으로 모시다 (gomun-euro mosida) — “to bring someone on as an advisor.” Sense 4 again. When you see the ‘-으로 모시다 (-euro mosida)’ shape, a title follows. It means you didn’t just call someone in — you seated them in that position with due respect.
공경히 모시다 (gonggyeonghi mosida) — “to serve reverently.” Here an adverb of attitude is attached. 모시다 already contains respect, and ‘공경히 (gonggyeonghi)’ is stacked on top of it, so this shows up in weighty contexts like caring for elders or performing rites.
공원묘지에 모시다 (gongwonmyoji-e mosida) — “to lay someone to rest in a memorial park.” Sense 5. When saying where a deceased person has been placed, Korean picks this verb over 묻다 (mutda), “to bury.” It’s a clear window onto a linguistic habit that refuses to drop honorifics even in the face of death.
The last example shows how the dictionary itself classifies this word. ‘모시다 (mosida)’ and ‘여쭈다 (yeojuda)’ are grouped side by side as 특수 어휘 (teuksu eohwi), “special vocabulary” — that is, object-honorific verbs that raise the target inside the sentence.

See It in a Real Conversation

Setting: Saturday morning in an apartment building’s underground parking garage. Jun-kyung is tidying up the back seat of his car, and Emily is on her way back from grocery shopping.

Jun-kyung: 어, 에밀리. 주말 아침부터 부지런하네. Oh, Emily. You’re up early for a Saturday.

Emily: 마트 갔다 와. 근데 너 어디 가? 옷을 각 잡고 입었네? Just back from the store. Where are you headed? You’re all dressed up.

Jun-kyung: 할머니 모시러 가. 오늘 병원 가시는 날인데 혼자는 못 가셔. I’m going to pick up my grandmother. She has a hospital appointment today and can’t go alone.

Emily: 아, 그래서 뒷자리를 싹 비웠구나. 나도 다음 주에 부모님 오셔서 공항에 모시러 가야 해. Ah, that’s why the back seat is cleared out. My parents are coming next week, so I have to go get them at the airport too.

Jun-kyung: 오, 캐나다에서? 그럼 그날 우리 집으로 모시고 와. 엄마가 밥 해 주신대. Oh, from Canada? Then bring them over to my place that day. My mom says she’ll cook.

Emily: 진짜? 우리 엄마 한식 완전 좋아하는데. 대박, 고마워. Really? My mom absolutely loves Korean food. Wow, thank you.

Emily is speaking casually the whole time, yet she still uses ‘모시러 (mosireo)’ for her own parents. That’s the key. The person she’s speaking to (Jun-kyung) and the people she’s elevating within her sentence (her parents) operate on completely separate tracks.

This Sounds Off

✗ 어제 친구를 모시고 영화 보러 갔어요. (eoje chingu-reul mosigo yeonghwa boreo gasseoyo) ✓ 어제 친구랑 같이 영화 보러 갔어요. (eoje chingu-rang gachi yeonghwa boreo gasseoyo) → 모시다 is only for people above you. Used on a same-age friend, it reads as a joke about waiting on them hand and foot, or as sarcasm. Among peers, Koreans don’t really use ‘데리고 (derigo)’ either — ‘-랑 같이 (-rang gachi)’, “together with,” is the natural choice.

✗ 사장님 가방을 모시고 왔습니다. (sajangnim gabang-eul mosigo watseumnida) ✓ 사장님 가방을 가져다 놓았습니다. (sajangnim gabang-eul gajyeoda noatseumnida) → Using 모시다 for an object only works when the object is something ritual, like an ancestral tablet or a Buddha statue. No matter whose boss it belongs to, an everyday object just gets 가져오다 (gajyeooda), “to bring.” Elevating objects too becomes over-honorification, which ends up sounding less respectful, not more.

Sentences for Real Situations

1. Writing the announcement email for a company workshop

이번 워크숍에는 김민수 교수님을 강연자로 모셨습니다. (ibeon wokeusyop-eneun Gim Minsu gyosunim-eul gangyeonja-ro mosyeotseumnida)

This is the most standard way to announce that you’ve invited an outside guest. Writing ‘불렀습니다 (bulleotseumnida)’, “we called them in,” would be rude, and ‘초대했습니다 (chodaehaetseumnida)’, “we invited them,” makes it sound like a private gathering. Official announcements pick this verb almost without exception.

2. Answering a friend who asks about your weekend plans

토요일엔 할머니 모시고 병원 다녀와야 해서 좀 늦을 것 같아. (toyoil-en halmeoni mosigo byeongwon danyeowaya haeseo jom neujeul geot gata)

Here an honorific verb sits right in the middle of a casual-speech sentence. It may look like a mismatch, but it’s flawlessly natural Korean. Hospitals, airports, the family house in the countryside — wherever there’s travel involved, this pattern turns up.

3. Describing your work history in a job interview

3년 동안 김 팀장님을 모시고 일했습니다. (sam nyeon dongan Gim timjangnim-eul mosigo ilhaetseumnida)

This is sense 1 transplanted into the workplace. It conveys the plain fact of “I worked under so-and-so” while lowering yourself in the process. Korean office workers use this constantly, but textbooks rarely cover it — so it’s worth pocketing here.

Expression	Temperature / intensity	Where it’s used
모시다 (mosida)	Honorific — puts the other person above you while you step down	Parents, grandparents, bosses, guests, ancestors
데리다 (derida)	Neutral — you’re the one leading them along	Children, juniors, pets
초빙하다 (chobinghada)	Formal, written register	Official announcements, press releases. Almost never in conversation
동행하다 (donghaenghada)	Neutral, stiff	Articles, reports. Carries no information about rank

As the table shows, the true counterpart of 모시다 is 데리다. The other two differ only in level of formality; they mark no hierarchy at all. That’s why a sentence like ‘아버지를 동행해서 병원에 갔다 (abeoji-reul donghaenghaeseo byeongwon-e gatda)’ gets the meaning across but lands cold. Korean is uncomfortable with stripping the warmth out of family talk.

Cultural Background — The Feeling Behind an Empty Back Seat

In Korean family dramas, caring for aging parents has been a bottomless well of conflict for decades. A scene where siblings gather and raise their voices over ‘누가 어머니를 모실 것인가 (nuga eomeoni-reul mosil geosinga)’ — “who is going to take care of Mother” — is practically a fundamental of the genre. Here 모시다 means far more than sharing a house; it’s a declaration that you’re shouldering the responsibility, the cost, and the time, all of it. So the moment this verb appears, viewers read the weight instantly.

Even now, when three generations rarely live under one roof, the verb hasn’t disappeared. It just relocated. Driving over to your parents’ place on the day of a medical appointment, giving them a ride to the head family’s house for a holiday, going out to meet them at the airport — you may not live together, but for those moments you go ‘모시고 (mosigo)’. Clearing the back seat, carrying their bags for them, getting out first to open the door: that whole set of gestures lives inside these two syllables.

The ancestral-rite usage is worth knowing too. Korean says 제사를 지내다 (jesa-reul jaenaeda), “to hold the rites,” but it also says 제사를 모시다 (jesa-reul mosida). The expression preserves the image intact: you welcome your ancestors like guests and seat them at the head of the table. These days plenty of households simplify the holiday rites or skip them entirely — and yet the question ‘올해 제사 모셔? (olhae jesa mosyeo?)’, “are you doing the rites this year?”, still goes around in holiday conversation.

Today’s Quiz

Which of the following sentences uses 모시다 (mosida) naturally?

강아지를 모시고 산책을 나갔다. (gangaji-reul mosigo sanchaek-eul nagatda)
동생을 모시고 학원에 갔다. (dongsaeng-eul mosigo hagwon-e gatda)
할아버지를 모시고 병원에 갔다. (harabeoji-reul mosigo byeongwon-e gatda)
사장님 서류를 모시고 왔다. (sajangnim seoryu-reul mosigo watda)

Show the answer

Answer: 3

The object of 모시다 has to be someone above you. The puppy in 1 and the younger sibling in 2 both rank below you, so ‘데리고 (derigo)’ is correct there; the documents in 4 aren’t a person but an object, so ‘가져왔다 (gajyeowatda)’ is correct. Only the grandfather in 3 fits the condition exactly. For reference, you can flip 3 into casual speech — ‘할아버지 모시고 병원 갔다 왔어 (harabeoji mosigo byeongwon gatda wasseo)’ — and it’s still perfectly natural, because the person being elevated isn’t the listener but the grandfather inside the sentence.

Definitions and example sentences are from the National Institute of Korean Language’s Basic Korean Dictionary (krdict.korean.go.kr); that portion of this post, including our translations, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.