10 Essential Korean Greetings You Need to Know
Written by Erik Claesson · Founder of Chamelingo · Korean learner · Software engineer
Korean does not use one greeting for every relationship and situation. The safest ordinary face-to-face default is 안녕하세요, but close friends, formal events, phone calls, first meetings, arrivals, and departures each have more specific choices.
Start with the complete Korean greetings map when you want to see how all of these expressions connect.
1. 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo), Hello
안녕하세요 is the everyday polite greeting for unfamiliar adults, teachers, coworkers, neighbors, shop staff, and most first meetings. It works at most times of day.
It is broad, but not literally universal. Use 여보세요 on an ordinary phone call, 안녕 only where casual speech is appropriate, and 안녕하십니까 when the setting is deliberately formal.
Usage: The normal polite face-to-face default.
Study 안녕하세요 with examples, register notes, and related expressions.
2. 안녕 (annyeong), Hi or bye
안녕 belongs to casual 반말. Use it with close friends, children, family members who speak casually together, or someone who has explicitly agreed to switch to casual speech.
Do not use it automatically with strangers, teachers, customers, or older adults merely because English would say “hi.”
Usage: Established casual relationships.
3. 안녕하십니까 (annyeonghasimnikka), Formal hello
안녕하십니까 is formal-deferential. It can fit official introductions, presentations, announcements, military-style speech, and other settings where the whole interaction uses 합니다/습니까 endings.
It is respectful, but it is not the ordinary default for cafés, classrooms, relaxed workplaces, or most everyday first meetings.
Usage: Deliberately formal settings.
4. 처음 뵙겠습니다 (cheoeum boepgetseumnida), It is nice to meet you for the first time
처음 뵙겠습니다 respectfully marks a first encounter. It commonly follows 안녕하세요 in business introductions, interviews, and meetings with someone senior.
Usage: Respectful first meetings.
Learn 처음 뵙겠습니다 in a complete introduction.
5. 만나서 반갑습니다 (mannaseo bangapseumnida), Pleased to meet you
만나서 반갑습니다 expresses that you are pleased to meet the other person. It can appear with 처음 뵙겠습니다 because the two phrases contribute different meaning.
In a warmer everyday polite meeting, 만나서 반가워요 may sound less ceremonial.
Usage: First meetings and introductions.
Compare the two common first-meeting expressions.
6. 여보세요 (yeoboseyo), Hello on the phone
여보세요 is the conventional opener for an ordinary telephone call. After saying it, identify yourself or confirm who answered.
여보세요 is not a normal face-to-face greeting. In person, use 안녕하세요 or another relationship-appropriate expression.
Usage: Answering or beginning an ordinary phone call.
Learn 여보세요 with a short phone dialogue.
7. 오랜만이에요 (oraenmanieyo), Long time no see
오랜만이에요 greets someone politely after a meaningful period apart. A natural follow-up is 잘 지냈어요?, “Have you been well?”
Use 오랜만입니다 in a more formal setting and 오랜만이야 only in an established casual relationship.
Usage: Reunions after time apart.
Study 오랜만이에요 and its speech-level variants.
8. 어서 오세요 (eoseo oseyo), Welcome
어서 오세요 welcomes someone who is arriving or entering. Shop and restaurant staff use it frequently, and hosts can use it for guests.
It is not merely another translation of “hello”: it specifically highlights and welcomes an arrival.
Usage: Welcoming customers, guests, or other arrivals.
Learn when 어서 오세요 differs from 안녕하세요.
9. 안녕히 가세요 (annyeonghi gaseyo), Goodbye to the person leaving
Say 안녕히 가세요 to the person who is leaving while you remain. The verb 가다, “to go,” points toward the listener’s departure.
A shop worker can say it to a customer walking out, or a host can say it to a departing guest.
Usage: The listener leaves; the speaker stays.
Study 안녕히 가세요 with departure examples.
10. 안녕히 계세요 (annyeonghi gyeseyo), Goodbye when you leave
Say 안녕히 계세요 when you are leaving and the other person remains. 계시다 is the honorific form of “to be or stay,” so the expression addresses the listener who stays.
A customer leaving a small shop can say it to staff who remain inside.
Usage: The speaker leaves; the listener stays.
Practice choosing the two directional goodbyes.
A simple decision order
- Is this a phone call? Use 여보세요.
- Is casual speech already established? 안녕 may fit.
- Is the setting deliberately formal? Consider 안녕하십니까.
- Otherwise: use 안녕하세요.
- For a first meeting: add 처음 뵙겠습니다 or 만나서 반갑습니다.
- For a goodbye: identify who leaves and who stays.
When unsure, ordinary polite speech is safer than guessing at casual speech or forcing maximum formality.
Practice these distinctions
Use the greeting-register practice to choose between casual, everyday polite, and formal greetings. Then try the complete first-meeting dialogue and phone-greeting practice.
For the broader language system behind these choices, continue to the Korean honorifics guide and the interactive honorifics tool.
Tags: greetings · phrases · speaking · beginner