三TOPIK 5-6

N(으)로 보다

judging by…, from the standpoint of…

Sets out the basis for a judgement first — price, ability, time, circumstances — then delivers the verdict from that angle. In practice it almost never appears in its plain form; you meet it as -(으)로 볼 때, -(으)로 보면 or -(으)로 봐서. A staple of formal speech and written reports.

접속 conjugation

  • Nouns ending in a vowel or ㄹ take 로, those ending in a consonant take 으로: 결과로 보면 / 실력으로 보면
  • The usual shapes are -(으)로 볼 때, -(으)로 보면, -(으)로 봐서; written Korean also has -(으)로 보아
  • What follows has to be a judgement or an assessment, not a plain statement of fact

예문

EXAMPLES
지금까지 보유한 자료로 볼 때 보조금 신청은 무리가 없어 보입니다.
Judging by the material we hold so far, the subsidy application should be straightforward.from 2026.09.07 Mon the examples
그럼 보조금 심사 일정으로 볼 때, 연금 기능만 먼저 넣는 게 낫겠네요.
Then judging by the subsidy review schedule, it'd be better to put in just the pension feature first.from 2026.09.07 Mon the business dialogue
이 그늘 크기로 봐서 나무가 꽤 오래된 것 같네요.
Judging by the size of this shade, the tree must be quite old.from 2026.09.08 Tue the examples
지금 상황으로 보면 다리 공사는 내년까지 이어지겠어요.
The way things stand, the bridge work looks set to run into next year.from 2026.09.08 Tue the examples
다리는 좀 더 걸릴 것 같아요. 공사 진행 속도로 보면 올해 안에는 어렵겠어요.
The bridge will take a bit longer. Judging by how the work is going, this year looks difficult.from 2026.09.08 Tue the everyday dialogue
※Note the division of labour with pattern two: -(으)로 보다 is you judging from that angle, -에 의하면 is you relaying what someone else said. 조사 결과로 볼 때 인상 폭이 큽니다 (your judgement) / 조사 결과에 의하면 인상 폭이 크다고 합니다 (what the survey says).

Appears in

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