If you’re just beginning to learn Korean, you’ll want to get to know some common Korean greetings, so you’re not drawing blanks when somebody says hello to you!
With the politeness speech styles in Korean, greetings tend to take different forms based on the formality involved. In Korea, you have to be mindful of using the appropriate politeness when talking to strangers!
In this post, you're going to discover some common Korean greetings. You’ll learn how to say hello, goodbye, and everything in-between. And of course, we’ve got politeness covered.
So, whether you’re chatting to a Korean friend online or hitting the streets of Seoul, you’ll find the perfect Korean greetings for all your needs. Let’s dive in!
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Table of Contents
Korean Greetings: Saying Hello In Korean
If you’ve been watching K-dramas or already have a basic level of Korean, it’s very likely that you’re familiar with the greeting hello in Korean: 안녕하세요 annyeong haseyo.
This is how to say hello in the polite style, and it’s the most common and familiar way to say hello! You can rely on 안녕하세요 for pretty much all social situations, and if you’re unsure of how to greet someone, it’s a safe bet.
Saying hello can take different forms depending on your relationship with the person you are greeting. These changes are known as speech styles in Korean.
In Korean, it’s important to be aware of speech styles when greeting new people, and these rules apply for all the greetings you’re going to find in this article. Don’t worry though because I'm going to explain everything in more detail.
1. Annyeong Haseyo 안녕하세요 Hello (Polite)
This is the standard way of saying hello in Korean, and as it’s in the polite style, you can use it for strangers and everyday situations, for example to greet a cashier in a shop, or towards a colleague in the office.
Although it’s used to say hello, the phrase is actually more of a question. This is because 안녕 means “good health/peace” (from the Hanja 安寧).
So translated literally, it’s something like “are you well?/at peace?”. To use it as a question, you raise the intonation at the end.
Definitely don’t forget this word, because it’s one of the most useful! Koreans tend to bow their head slightly when using this phrase as another way of showing respect. Annyeong haseyo can also be used at any time of day, and even to say goodbye!
2. Annyeong 안녕 Hello (Informal)
So, if annyeong haseyo is a good standard polite greeting, what do you say when you meet up with close friends or family?
In this case, you use the informal form, simply by dropping the -하세요! Using this form is like saying “hi” or “hey”, and you can use it at all times of the day, even to say goodbye!
Thankfully, it’s also really similar to the polite form, so you won’t have any trouble remembering it. It’s important to remember that you should avoid using this greeting with people more senior than you or strangers. Save this one for close friends and family.
3. Anneong Hasimnikka 안녕하십니까 Hello (Formal)
OK, now this phrase is really formal and is the honorific form of hello. It’s unlikely that you’ll find yourself in a position where you’d have to use this form over annyeong haseyo. But you might come across it in institutional or more formal contexts.
If you’re watching any military dramas, you might already be familiar with this phrase as the formal is the default speech style in the Korean military.
As a formal phrase, using this puts you at a distance to the person you’re greeting, so you’d definitely not be using it with your best friend!
4. Yeoboseoyo 여보세요 Hello (Used On The Phone)
This is a standard way of answering the phone in Korea, and if you watch K-dramas you’ll have definitely heard it before.
This is a Korean phrase that is a shortened version of the phrase “look here” and is used as “hello” when answering a phone.
Although this is the most common usage, you might hear people use it in conversation as a way of getting somebody’s else’s attention.
You might also hear it used in the middle of a heated conversation, in which case it is used to express frustration, anger, or surprise.
Korean Greetings: Saying Bye In Korean
Now that you know how to say hello in Korean, you’re going to want to know how to say bye.
If you’re talking to somebody who is close to you, using 안녕 works perfectly fine!
However, if you want to try out some other ways of saying bye, take a look at the list below, where you’re going to learn different ways of saying goodbye in Korean.
Note that in Korean, the version of bye you use depends on whether you’re staying or leaving!
5. Annyeonghi Gaseyo 안녕히 가세요 Goodbye (To The Person Leaving)
This is a standard and polite way of saying goodbye in Korean. This phrase is used when the person you are talking to is the one who is leaving.
This phrase is made using the adverb form of 안녕 (good health/peace), which is 안녕히 (peacefully). The final part, 가세요 is a polite way of saying “please go”.
So, putting it all together, it’s something like “please go peacefully”. If you remember that the verb 가다is “to go”, then you’ll have no problem remembering this phrase is directed towards the person who is leaving!
6. Annyeonghi Gyeseyo 안녕히 계세요 Goodbye (To The Person Staying)
This sounds a little similar to the previous phrase we looked at, but the difference is the verb at the end. As we’ve just seen in annyeonghi gaseyo, 안녕히 means “peacefully”.
This phrase is made up of 안녕히 (peacefully) and 계세요, which is the honorific version of the verb 있다 (to exist). In this case, you wish that the remaining person “exists peacefully”.
안녕히 가세요 and 안녕히 계세요 both sound pretty similar, so make sure to try and practice with both of them.
7. Jal Gayo 잘 가요 Goodbye (To The Person Leaving)
This is another polite way of saying goodbye in Korean. It’s formed from 잘 (well) and 가요 (to go), so, it’s like saying “go well” to somebody else who is leaving.
For close friends and family, you can make the phrase informal by dropping the 요 and simply saying 잘 가.
8. Naeil Bwayo 내일 봐요 See You Tomorrow
This is a polite way of saying “see you tomorrow”. Obviously, if you’re not seeing someone tomorrow, then this isn’t the right phrase for the occasion! If you want to use the phrase informally, again, just drop the 요 and use 내일 봐.
9. Daeume Bwayo 다음에 봐요 See You Next Time
This is like saying “see you next time”. Again, if you want to make this phrase informal, you just need to drop the 요, ending up with 다음에 봐요.
Other Common Korean Greetings
Now that you’ve learnt how to say hello and goodbye in a number of different ways, you’re going to discover some other helpful greetings that can help boost your Korean conversational skills.
Remember to pay attention to the formality.
10. Jal Jayo 잘 자요 Sleep Well
You can use this phrase to say “sleep well” to somebody.
For example, this phrase can be helpful if you’ve got a friend who’s had a stressful day and you want to wish them a restful sleep.
Just drop the 요 and say 잘 자 if you’re speaking to somebody close to you.
11. Jal Jasseoyo 잘 잤어요? Good Morning
This is something you’d usually say in the morning, and literally means “did you sleep well?”
If you want to make it informal, just drop the 요, and use the form 잘 잤어? Don’t forget to raise your intonation at the end to indicate that you’re asking a question.
12. Jeogiyo 저기요! Excuse Me
Literally meaning “over here”, this is a phrase that you can use to get somebody’s attention.
Although this isn’t really a greeting, it will often initiate a conversation with somebody else, so it counts!
If you go to a restaurant in Korea, this is the standard way to get the attention of the staff, for example, if you want to order food or get the bill.
Say you were in the airport and the person in front of you left their bag behind when boarding. You could also use 저기요 to get their attention and let them know.
13. Oraenmanieyo 오랜만이에요 Long Time No See
If you’re seeing someone you haven’t seen in the while, this is a common greeting to use, like saying “long time no see”, or “it’s been a while”. This is the polite form, but if you’re greeting someone you’re close with, you can use 오랜만이야.
14. Jal Jinaesseo 잘 지냈어요? How Have You Been?
This is a great add on phrase to oraenmanieyo, as it’s a way of asking someone you’ve not seen in a while how they’ve been. Important here is the use of the Korean past tense.
If you’re talking to a stranger, it’s better to use annyeong haseyo, because you’re just meeting for them for the first time!
Once more, just cut the 요 to make the informal form 잘 지냈어.
15. Eoseo Oseyo 어서 오세요 Welcome
This is likely a phrase that you’ll hear more than you use, but it’s very helpful to know when you’re out and about in Korea.
This phrase means “come in quickly” and is now a common way of greeting shop customers.
So, if you’re in Korea and go to a convenience store to get some instant noodles, expect the store staff to welcome you with eoseo oseyo!
If you’re in a more formal setting, such as a job interview or in a business context, you are more likely to hear the most formal form of this phrase: 어서 오십시요.
16. Bap Meogeosseoyo 밥 먹었어요? Have You Eaten?
This is a very uniquely Korean way of greeting somebody by asking if they’ve eaten!
This is a way of taking care and enquiring about the wellbeing of somebody who you are close with.
17. Mannaseo Bangapseumnida 만나서 반갑습니다 Nice To Meet You
If you’ve just said annyeong haseyo to a new acquaintance for the first time, this is a great phrase to follow up with.
The phrase is “I am happy to meet you”, and is quite formal, using the -습니다 verb ending. This phrase is particularly handy when you’re introducing yourself to people senior to you.
If you want to drop the formality a bit and are speaking to somebody of similar status to you, the polite version 만나서 반가워요 is suitable. As using this phrase implies you’ve just met someone, you should avoid using the informal style!
Getting To Grips With Korean Greetings
It might take a while to get around all the different greetings and formality levels in Korean, but with some practice you’ll soon get the hang of it.
Nailing the right greeting or response can boost your confidence, and practicing Korean greetings is helpful for both listening and speaking skills. After all, any conversation you have is going to have to start with a greeting!
K-dramas and K-pop interviews and variety shows can be a great way of listening out for and hearing how Korean greetings are used in everyday speech.
Failing that, read books in Korean, especially short stories in Korean so that you can see these greetings in context, in dialogue between the characters.
Olly Richards
Creator of the StoryLearning® Method
Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.
Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.
When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.
