안녕하세요, future Korean speaking superstars! I hope you’re ready to get your Korean learning groove on because today we’re going to tackle the bread and butter of every language – greetings and farewells!
Have you ever wanted to greet your favorite K-pop idol in Korean at a fan meeting, but all you could muster was a shy wave? Or wished you could understand and respond to your favorite K-drama characters when they say “안녕하세요” and “안녕히 계세요”? Well, today’s your lucky day! We’re about to dive headfirst into the world of “안녕하세요’s” and “잘 가요’s”.
Learning greetings and farewells in Korean is as important as knowing how to properly enjoy a plate of Kimchi! It’s the essential starting point for any conversation and will show your respect and understanding of the Korean culture. Plus, who doesn’t love the astonished faces of Koreans when you pull out an effortless “안녕히 계세요”?
So, grab your notebooks, pencils, and most importantly, your sense of humour. Learning Korean is a journey filled with laughter, tears, and maybe some mild confusion. But don’t worry, we’ll do this together. You bring the enthusiasm, and I’ll bring the fun (and the dad jokes!). Ready to say hello to your Korean adventure? Let’s get started! 화이팅!
How to say “Hello” in Korean
One of the most important things when learning the Korean language is to be able to greet someone. It is often the first word people will learn when studying any language, and it is a basis of any etiquette no matter where in the world you are. Korean culture emphasizes the need to show courtesy and respect toward each other and therefore the greeting is not just a simple form of communication, but it is an expression of respect and appreciation towards others that should come from one’s heart.
So, what is “Hello” in Korean?
There are a few ways to say “Hello” in Korean. The most commonly used phrase is “안녕하세요” (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo).
PLEASE NOTE: In order to learn Korean, it is really important that you do learn the Korean alphabet. You can check out this Lesson introducing the Hangul Letters.
- 안녕 – means “peace”, “well-being”
- 하세요 – means “do you”, “are you”
So to literally translate this phrase, it means “Are you well”/”Are you at peace”. It is similar to asking someone “Have you been well?”. You should note that this is actually a question although over time, it became more of a phrase rather than a question.
Alternatively, the 녕 in 안녕 can also refer to “soul” or “spirit”. The meaning here is to check their well being or a state. It is the expression of caring and respect for the soul in another human being.
You would use this phrase to greet someone you don’t know or someone older than you. If you are not aware already, there is formal way of speaking and a non formal way of speaking in Korean. Korean language is about showing respect to other people and therefore if you speak to someone you don’t know or is older than you, you will need to be respectful through the use of the language.
However, if you are speaking with a friend then using the polite form of Korean might feel a bit awkward as well as it can put an invisible wall between you, making it more difficult to become close friends. To say “Hello” in an informal way, you just drop the -하세요 and it becomes “안녕” (an-nyeong).
Other greetings in Korean
만나서 반갑습니다 – This phrase is equivalent to “Nice to meet you” or “Pleased to meet you.” It is commonly used when you’re introduced to someone new.
반갑습니다 – This phrase is essentially the same as the above, just a shorter version. If you have noticed, it is missing the word “만나서” which is “to meet” and “반갑습니다” translates to “be glad” or “it’s a pleasure”. Both of these are ok to use interchangeably.
좋은 아침입니다 – This greeting translates to “Good morning.”. “좋은” means “good” or “nice”, 아침 means “morning” and “입니다” means “it is”.
오랜만입니다 – This greeting translates to “Long time no see” or more literally “Long time no see” and is used when you meet someone you haven’t seen in a while.
잘 지냈어요? – This phrase translates to “Have you been well?” It’s a warm greeting often used when catching up with someone you haven’t seen in a while. In Korean there is not really an expression “How are you”, like there is in English. Instead they use this expression.
Vocabulary check
| Korean | English |
| 안녕하세요 | Hello (Polite and formal) |
| 안녕 | Hello (Informal) |
| 만나서 반갑습니다 | Nice to meet you |
| 반갑습니다 | Nice to meet you |
| 좋은 아침입니다 | Good morning |
| 오랜만입니다 | Long time no see |
| 잘 지냈어요? | Have you been well? |
And how can you say “Goodbye” in Korean?
There are actually two ways to say goodbye in Korean using the formal way of speech. It depends on the situation.
- 안녕히 계세요 – an-neyong-hi gye-se-yo
- 안녕히 가세요 – an-neyong-hi ga-se-yo
As you can see, both words starts with 안녕히 which comes from the same 안녕 in 안녕하세요 and means “peace” and “well-being”. The second part is where it is different. “계” comes from “계시다” which means “to be”/”to stay”. So, to translate this, it would be “stay in peace” or “stay well” and is used when the person saying goodbye is leaving and the person they are saying goodbye is staying.
“가” comes from “가다” which means “to go”. so 안녕히 가세요 means “go in peace”.
When you want to say “goodbye” to a friend or someone who you speak informally to, you can simply say “안녕”, just like when you say “hello” to a friend. You can also say “잘 가” (jal-ga). 잘 means “well” and 가 means “go”. So, similarly with 안녕히 가세요, 잘 가 means “go well”.
I know this might sound a bit confusing so let’s look at few examples to make it as clear for you as possible.
Example 1
Laura has an appointment to get her hair done. She arrives at the salon and greets the lady by saying “안녕하세요”. The lady replies with “안녕하세요”. In this situation, both of them do not know each other personally, are not friends, and so the polite form is used. Once Laura’s hair is done, she pays and as she leaves she tells the lady “안녕히계세요”. This is because Laura is leaving the salon and the lady is staying, she is not going anywhere so Laura wishes her to stay well/stay in peace. The lady then replies “안연히 가세요” since Laura is leaving, the lady wishes her to go in peace.
Example 2
Tom is walking down the street and sees a co-worker Ben from a different department. They are no friends, only spoke in the office a few times when Tom needed something from Ben’s department. They both greet each other by saying “안녕하세요”. After a short conversation, they both greet each other by saying “안녕히 가세요”. This is because they have met on the street and none of them is staying there. They have other places to go to, therefore they both would wish the other to “go in peace”.
Example 3
Hannah and Louise are best friends from school. They have decided to meet in front of a restaurant and have a meal together. Hannah has arrived first and is waiting for Louise. She finally sees Louise and says “안녕”. Louise replies ” 안녕”. They have a meal together and after leaving the restaurant they say their goodbyes. Hannah says “잘 가” and Louise replies “안녕”. In this scenario, “잘 가” and “안녕” can be used interchangeably, it doesn’t matter what each of them says. Either one is fine.
Other Farewell expressions
안녕 – Same as when saying hello to a friend, this expression can also be used to say bye to a friend. Please note this is not a polite and formal expression so should not be used to someone older than you or someone you don’t know.
굿나잇 – This phrase is borrowed from English and is used to say “Good night.”
다음에 봐요 – This phrase translates to “See you next time” and is used when you expect to meet the person again in the future.
잘 가요 – This phrase translates to “Go well” or “Take care.” It’s often used when saying goodbye to someone leaving.
잘 자요 – This phrase translates to “Sleep well.” It is used when saying goodnight to someone before they go to bed.
Vocabulary check
| Korean | English |
| 안녕히 계세요 | Goodbye (Stay in peace) |
| 안녕히 가세요 | Goodbye (Go in peace) |
| 안녕 | Bye (Informal) |
| 굿나잇 | Good night |
| 다음에 봐요 | See you next time |
| 잘 가요 | Go well or Take care |
| 잘 자요 | Sleep well |
Activity 1
Fill in the blanks with the correct greeting or farewell.
- You meet a friend for a casual lunch. You say, “________” (Hint: Informal greeting)
- Your boss who you need to be polite and respectful to is about to leave work. You say, “________” (Hint: Farewell to the person leaving)
- It’s morning and you enter your office, seeing your boss. You say, “________.” (Hint: Good morning)
- It’s late in the evening and you’re saying goodbye to your colleagues. You say, “________.” (Hint: Goodbye to the people staying)
- You are introduced to a new colleague at work. You say, “_____________” (Hint: Nice to meet you)
Activity 2
Translate the following English sentences to Korean.
- “See you next time.”
- “Hello, how have you been?”
- “Good morning.”
- “Nice to meet you.”
- “Goodnight, sleep well.”
Activity 3
Match the following Korean phrases with the English ones.
- “안녕히 가세요” _____
- “오랜만입니다” _____
- “좋은 아침입니다” _____
- “잘 가요” _____
- “반갑습니다” _____
A. “Go well.” B. “Nice to meet you.” C. “Good morning.” D. “Goodbye.” E. “Long time no see.”
Remember to take your time with these exercises. Practice makes perfect, so feel free to repeat them until you feel comfortable with the greetings and farewells. Keep up the good work!
Activity 1 Answers
- You meet a friend for a casual lunch. You say, “안녕“ (Hint: Informal greeting)
- Your boss who you need to be polite and respectful to is about to leave work. You say, “안녕히 가세요” (Hint: Farewell to the person leaving)
- It’s morning and you enter your office, seeing your boss. You say, “좋은 아침입니다“. (Hint: Good morning)
- It’s late in the evening and you’re saying goodbye to your colleagues. You say, “안녛히 계세요.” (Hint: Goodbye to the people staying)
- You are introduced to a new colleague at work. You say, “만나서 반갑습니다 OR 반갑습니다“ (Hint: Nice to meet you)
Activity 2 Answers
- “See you next time.” – 다음에 봐요
- “Hello, how have you been?” – 안녕하세요. 잘 지냈어요?
- “Good morning.” – 좋은 아침입니다
- “Nice to meet you.” – 만나서 반가워요 OR 반가워요
- “Goodnight, sleep well.” – 굿나잇. 잘 자요.
Activity 3 Answers
- “안녕히 가세요” – D
- “오랜만입니다” – E
- “좋은 아침입니다” – C
- “잘 가요” – A
- “반갑습니다”- B
A. “Go well.” B. “Nice to meet you.” C. “Good morning.” D. “Goodbye.” E. “Long time no see.”
Wrap up
And just like that, our first adventure in the land of Korean greetings and farewells comes to an end! Amazing job, everyone! You’ve just taken your first steps into the big, wonderful world of Korean conversation. It’s like learning how to do the Gangnam Style dance. It might feel a little awkward at first, but with some practice, you’ll be doing it in your sleep!
Now, you’re equipped with the right words to start and end conversations in Korean. Whether it’s saying “안녕하세요!” to the friendly 아줌마 at the Korean supermarket, or bidding your K-drama binge session goodbye with a casual “잘 가요”, you’re now one step closer to embracing the Korean culture like a local. Soon, you’ll be throwing around “안녕히 계세요” and “안녕히 가세요” like they’re going out of style!
Remember, my fellow Korean explorers, practice makes perfect! The more you use these greetings and farewells, the more natural they’ll feel. So go out there, greet your plants, your pets, your mirror – practice your newly learned expressions wherever and whenever you can!
Thank you for joining me today. Don’t forget to leave a comment below, saying goodbye in Korean – it’s your time to shine! Can’t wait to see your creative sentences! And if anyone asks why you’re walking around saying hello and goodbye in Korean, just tell them you’re preparing for your debut in a K-drama.
Well, that’s all for today! Grab some kimchi, watch some K-pop, and I’ll see you in our next lesson! 잘 가세요, my fellow 한글 heroes! You’re doing great!
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Thank you for joining us, and we look forward to hearing from you. Happy learning!
안녕히계세요