What does “것 같아” mean in Korean?

Put 것 같아(요) after a verb or adjective and a flat statement becomes a guess: 들어간 것 같아 is “I think something got in.” Koreans lean on it so much, even about their own feelings, that 맛있는 것 같아요 (“it seems tasty”) has become a running complaint. The National Institute of Korean Language suggests plain 맛있어요 when you actually know.

The ending before 것 sets the time: past -ㄴ 것 같다 (들어간 것 같아, “I think it got in”), present -는 것 같다 (자는 것 같아, “he seems to be asleep”), and a guess about what is coming with -ㄹ 것 같다 (비가 올 것 같아, “looks like rain”). Here the hedge is natural: 건우 can’t see what is bothering him, so he says 눈에 뭐 들어간 것 같아, “I think something got in my eye.” The reply, 그러지 말고 같이 물로 씻어, means “don’t do that, let’s rinse it with water.”