Skip to main content
Try a free Korean lesson
beginner · freeInteractive lesson

안녕히 계세요

Goodbye; stay peacefully (said when you leave)

Try it freePractice this Korean dialogueShadow each line, then continue with the related scenario practice.Open →

Explanation

Say 안녕히 계세요 when you leave and the other person remains. 계시다 is the honorific form of 있다, “to be or stay,” so the expression is directed toward the listener who stays.

A customer leaving a small shop may say 안녕히 계세요 to the owner who remains. A student leaving a teacher’s office can use it when the teacher stays behind.

If the listener is the one leaving, use 안녕히 가세요 instead. The direction is determined from the speaker’s and listener’s positions, not by who speaks first.

In many modern interactions, 감사합니다, 수고하세요, or a simple greeting may replace the full directional goodbye, but the core distinction remains useful and correct.

Examples

선생님, 저는 먼저 가겠습니다. 안녕히 계세요.

seonsaengnim, jeoneun meonjeo gagetseumnida. annyeonghi gyeseyo.

Teacher, I will leave first. Goodbye.

감사합니다. 안녕히 계세요.

gamsahamnida. annyeonghi gyeseyo.

Thank you. Goodbye.

저 먼저 갈게요. 안녕히 계세요.

jeo meonjeo galgeyo. annyeonghi gyeseyo.

I will leave first. Goodbye.

Mini dialogue

이제 가 봐야겠어요.

I should get going now.

네, 조심히 가세요.

Okay, go safely.

안녕히 계세요.

Goodbye.

Common mistakes

  • Do not say 안녕히 계세요 to the listener who is walking away while you stay.
  • Do not translate 계세요 only as “be there.” In this fixed goodbye, it respectfully addresses the person remaining.

How to practice

  1. Identify yourself as the departing person.
  2. Confirm that the listener remains in the place or interaction.
  3. Use 안녕히 가세요 when those roles are reversed.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 1

You leave a teacher who remains in the office. What is correct?

Connected learning paths

When to use itAll Korean greeting situationsPlace this directional goodbye inside the complete greeting system.CounterpartWhen they are leaving: 안녕히 가세요Switch forms when the listener departs and you remain.Compare안녕히 가세요 vs 안녕히 계세요Use who leaves and who stays to choose the correct goodbye.PracticePractice who is stayingChoose the goodbye from the speaker and listener positions.

Keep learning

Korean greetings by situation안녕: casual hello and goodbye안녕하십니까: formal-deferential hello처음 뵙겠습니다만나서 반갑습니다여보세요: Korean phone hello안녕히 가세요잘 가요 and 잘 가

Ready to level up 안녕히 계세요?

Rehearse these lines as a real dialogue with listening, recall, and speaking practice.

Try a free Korean lesson

No account required for the demo. Cancel Pro anytime.