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.

But no worries! I’ll fill you in on all the details so you can start having conversations in Korean with ease.

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?”: 무슨 일이야? (museun ir-iya?)
• “How are you?”: 어떻게 지내세요? (eotteoke jinaeseyo?)
• “Did you eat?”: 밥 먹었어? (bab meogeoss-eo?)
• “Yo!”: 야! (Ya!)
• “Please look after me”: 잘 부탁드립니다 (jalbutag 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.

Korean can be easy to learn once you understand some of the basics like this.

Okay! That’s out of the way. Let’s learn some Korean greetings.

I’ll write them in both Hangul (Korean characters) and romanized letters. But it’s best to learn Hangul for proper pronunciation. In fact, you can learn Hangul in just a few minutes.

안녕하세요 (Annyeong Haseyo) – “Hello”

This is your most common way to greet someone in Korean. It’s the familiar, polite speech pattern.

You use 하세요 (haseyo) to show a bit of extra respect. 하세요 comes from the verb 하다 (hada), which means “to do.”

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.

What’s nice about 안녕 (annyeong) is that it’s used in many ways. Unlike other languages, Korean doesn’t have phrases for different times of the day. Although there is a “good morning” phrase (which I’ll show you later), you won’t hear “good afternoon” or “good evening.”

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.

This informal version is also the building block for adding the more polite parts of the word, like how you add 하세요 (haseyo) to be more polite.

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”

Yes, another way to say “hello,” but this one has nothing to do with formality.

You only use 여보세요 (yeoboseyo) when you answer the phone. If you’ve ever studied Japanese greetings, it’s like saying もしもし (moshi moshi).

여보세요 (yeoboseyo) can also be used very informally to get someone’s attention, like saying “Look over here!”

It’s almost exclusively used over the phone, or if you’re calling out “hello” and unsure who you’re talking to or if 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' favorite Korean resources.

My favorite resource? 90 Day Korean.