Korean Greetings: 10+ Ways to Say “Hello” in Korean

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Having your first conversation in Korean starts with a simple “hi”. And that’s why you need to learn “hello” in Korean, as well as some basic Korean greetings!

Learning how to say hello in Korean is pretty simple, and you may even have heard it before…

Long before I had an interest in learning the language, I learned how to say “hello” in Korean while watching Arrested Development. If you’ve seen the show, you might remember they thought “Annyeong” was his name, but it really meant hello (which is why he was always saying it).

The Bluths’ mistake was my memory gain!

But saying hello has a bit more to it than that. The Korean language has a hierarchy of formality based on who you’re talking to.

I’ll explain which greetings fit different situations, so you can use them in your first conversations in Korean.

To get you started though, here’s a quick list of Korean greetings:

• “Hello” (polite): 안녕하세요 (annyeong haseyo)
• “Hi” / “Hello” (casual): 안녕 (annyeong)
• “Good day” / “Hello” (formal): 안녕하십니까 (annyeong hasimnikka)
• “Hello” when answering the phone: 여보세요 (yeoboseyo)
• “Good morning”: 좋은 아침이에요 (joeun achimieyo)
• “Long time no see” (polite): 오랜만이에요 (oraenmanieyo)
• “Nice to meet you” (formal): 만나서 반갑습니다 (mannaseo bangapseumnida)
• “What’s up?” / “What’s going on?” (casual): 무슨 일이야? (museun ir-iya?)
• “How are you?”: 어떻게 지내세요? (eotteoke jinaeseyo?)
• “Did you eat?” (casual): 밥 먹었어? (bap meogeosseo?)
• “Yo!” / “Hey!” (very casual; can sound rude): 야! (Ya!)
• “Please look after me”: 잘 부탁드립니다 (jal butak deurimnida)

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Korean for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

How to Say Hello in Korean

Linguists describe several Korean speech levels, but beginners will mainly hear three in modern daily life: 해체 (hae-che, casual), 해요체 (haeyo-che, polite) and 합쇼체 (hapsyo-che, formal). Honorifics are related, but they aren’t the same thing as speech level.

Casual speech is for close relationships where both people are comfortable using it, often with family, close friends and people the same age or younger.

Polite speech is the safest everyday default when you don’t yet know what the relationship calls for.

Formal speech appears in presentations, announcements, customer service, the military and some workplace or first-meeting settings.

Age, familiarity, hierarchy and the setting all matter, so there isn’t a mechanical rule that every boss uses one level and every employee another.

It’s important to know these levels of formality so when you learn the phrases below, you know when to use them correctly and why there are variations for the same thing.

Understanding these basics gives you a starting point for learning Korean.

With those speech levels in mind, let’s look at the greetings you can use.

I’ll write them in both Hangul (Korean characters) and romanised letters. Hangul helps you read the words more accurately, though listening practice matters for pronunciation too. You can get started with Hangul in a few minutes.

안녕하세요 (Annyeong Haseyo) – “Hello”

This is the usual everyday polite greeting in Korean.

안녕하세요 is a polite, respectful form of 안녕하다, meaning to be well or at peace. Although 하세요 (haseyo) can also be a form of 하다 (hada), “to do”, the greeting comes from 안녕하다 as a whole.

It’s a good phrase for almost all situations, especially if you’re unsure what level of formality to use.

Although 안녕 relates to peace and well-being, 안녕하세요 functions as a greeting rather than a literal health question. Raising your intonation doesn’t turn it into a direct ‘How are you?’ question, and the natural response is usually another 안녕하세요.

It’s normal to bow a little when you greet someone with this phrase.

안녕 (Annyeong) – “Hi”

안녕 (annyeong) is your informal, casual way to greet those you’re close to, such as friends and family.

안녕 (annyeong) works at any time of day with people you use casual speech with. There are time-specific expressions such as “good morning”, which I’ll show you below, but you don’t need to switch to a separate “good afternoon” or “good evening” greeting: 안녕 or the polite 안녕하세요 can serve throughout the day.

So, 안녕 (annyeong) is a good one to know because you can use it at all times of the day, and even to say goodbye.

You can recognise 안녕 in the polite greeting 안녕하세요 too, but don’t treat 하세요 (haseyo) as a polite ending you can add to any word. Here the full form comes from 안녕하다.

안녕하십니까 (Annyeong Hasimnikka) – “Good Day”

안녕하십니까 is a formal-polite greeting. You’ll hear it in news and military settings, formal presentations, customer service and some corporate first meetings. It can sound stiff in an ordinary casual exchange, but it isn’t limited to broadcasters or shop staff.

여보세요 (Yeoboseyo) – “Hello”

여보세요 is the usual “hello” on the phone. You can use it when speaking to someone older or younger; it isn’t a casual-only expression.

You use 여보세요 (yeoboseyo) during a phone call, including when you answer. If you’ve studied Japanese greetings, think of the phone-greeting role of もしもし (moshi moshi).

여보세요 (yeoboseyo) can also call someone’s attention nearby, rather like “Hello there!” or “Excuse me!”

For a first conversation, remember it as the phone greeting, rather than your default face-to-face hello. You may also hear it when someone calls out to check whether anyone is there.

좋은 아침이에요 (Joeun Achimieyo) – “Good Morning”

좋은 아침이에요 (joeun achimieyo) is a polite, literal ‘good morning’, while 좋은 아침 (joeun achim) is casual. Both are understood, but 안녕하세요 is much more natural as an everyday morning greeting.

오랜만이에요 (Oraenmanieyo) – “Long Time No See”

If you haven’t seen someone in a while, you can use this phrase as a greeting, like you would in English.

For close friends, say 오랜만이야 (oraenmaniya). 오랜만이에요 (oraenmanieyo) is polite, and 오랜만입니다 (oraenmanimnida) is formal. These are forms built from 오랜만, not a general rule that an ‘e’ ending is casual and ‘nida’ is always the most formal.

만나서 반갑습니다 (Mannaseo Bangapseumnida) – “Nice to Meet You”

만나서 반갑습니다 (mannaseo bangapseumnida) is the common formal-polite version. It’s a standard phrase for first introductions.

In a more relaxed polite setting, you can say 만나서 반가워요 (mannaseo bangawoyo). With a close peer, 만나서 반가워 (mannaseo bangawo) is casual.

You can also say 반갑습니다 (bangapseumnida) on its own. It keeps the same formal-polite tone; it doesn’t become the equivalent of a casual ‘Nice to meet ya.’

무슨 일이야? (Museun Ir-iya?) – “What’s up?”

무슨 일이야? (museun iriya?) literally asks ‘What’s going on?’ or ‘What happened?’ Close friends may use it where English speakers say ‘What’s up?’, but it can also sound as though you think something has happened.

You can also add 이게 (ige) to the beginning of the phrase to say 이게 무슨 일이야 (ige museun ir-iya), “What’s happening?”

어떻게 지내세요? (Eotteoke Jinaeseyo?) – “How are you?”

For a direct ‘How have you been?’, ask 어떻게 지내세요? (eotteoke jinaeseyo?). This is polite and more explicitly asks how someone is doing than 안녕하세요.

With friends, you could say 요즘 어때? (yojeum eottae?) which is a very casual way to say “What’s up,” “How’s it going?” or “How are you?”

밥 먹었어? (bap meogeosseo?) literally means ‘Did you eat?’ Between close people it can also show care for someone’s wellbeing, but it isn’t a universal substitute for ‘hello’.

야! (Ya!) – “Yo!”

야! (ya!) is very casual and gender-neutral. You can use it to call a close friend of the same age or someone younger, but it can sound abrupt or rude outside that relationship. Depending on intonation, it can be ‘Hey!’ or an exclamation of surprise.

잘 부탁드립니다. (Jal Butak Deurimnida) – “Please look after me.”

잘 부탁드립니다 (jal butak deurimnida) is a formal expression used when beginning a working relationship, making a respectful request or entrusting something to someone. There’s no single natural English equivalent; ‘I look forward to working with you’ or ‘Thank you in advance’ may fit, depending on context.

You could also use it when leaving a child with a teacher or carer, where it asks them respectfully to take good care of the child.

Which Korean Greeting Will You Use?

You’re one step closer to starting your first conversation in Korean!

If you’re ready to start learning more, check out these 35 free Korean resources. You can also check out founder of Fluent in 3 Months Benny Lewis’ favourite Korean resources.

My favourite resource? 90 Day Korean.