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Korean greetings by situation

Hello, greetings, and goodbyes in real Korean

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Explanation

Korean does not use one greeting in every relationship. The safest face-to-face default for an adult learner is 안녕하세요. It is polite enough for unfamiliar adults, teachers, coworkers, shop staff, neighbors, and most first meetings without sounding unusually formal.

안녕 is the casual 반말 form. Use it with close friends, children, or people who have explicitly switched to casual speech with you. 안녕하십니까 moves in the other direction: it is formal-deferential and belongs in formal introductions, announcements, military-style speech, and some highly respectful service settings.

Phone calls have their own opener. 여보세요 is used when answering or beginning an ordinary call, but it is not a normal face-to-face hello. For a first meeting, 안녕하세요 can be followed by 처음 뵙겠습니다 or 만나서 반갑습니다.

Korean goodbyes often encode who moves. Say 안녕히 가세요 to the person who is leaving while you stay. Say 안녕히 계세요 when you are leaving and the other person stays. Friendly alternatives such as 잘 가요 and 또 봐요 focus less on that formal directional distinction.

Other expressions are situation-specific rather than interchangeable translations of “hello” or “goodbye.” 어서 오세요 welcomes an arrival, 수고하세요 acknowledges continuing effort, and 다녀오세요 is said to someone leaving temporarily and expected to return.

Examples

안녕하세요. 처음 뵙겠습니다.

annyeonghaseyo. cheoeum boepgetseumnida.

Hello. It is nice to meet you for the first time.

A respectful first-meeting sequence.

여보세요? 네, 민지 씨 맞으세요?

yeoboseyo? ne, minji ssi majeuseyo?

Hello? Yes, is this Minji?

여보세요 belongs to a phone call.

안녕히 가세요. 내일 봐요.

annyeonghi gaseyo. naeil bwayo.

Goodbye. See you tomorrow.

The listener is leaving; the speaker remains.

먼저 갈게요. 안녕히 계세요.

meonjeo galgeyo. annyeonghi gyeseyo.

I will leave first. Goodbye.

The speaker leaves; the listener remains.

Mini dialogue

안녕하세요. 저는 에릭이라고 합니다.

Hello. My name is Erik.

안녕하세요. 저는 지연이에요. 처음 뵙겠습니다.

Hello. I am Jiyeon. It is nice to meet you.

저도 만나서 반갑습니다.

I am pleased to meet you too.

Common mistakes

  • Do not use 안녕 as the automatic translation of “hi” with every stranger. It is casual speech and can sound rude or presumptuous when the relationship does not support 반말.
  • Do not use 여보세요 as a normal in-person greeting. It is primarily a telephone opener.
  • Do not reverse the two directional goodbyes: 안녕히 가세요 is addressed to the person leaving; 안녕히 계세요 is used when you leave someone who stays.
  • Do not force 안녕하십니까 into every first meeting. It is more formal than the ordinary polite default 안녕하세요.

How to practice

  1. Start with 안녕하세요 unless the relationship or setting clearly calls for something else.
  2. Notice whether the interaction is face to face, on the phone, a first meeting, a reunion, an arrival, or a departure.
  3. For departures, identify who leaves and who stays before choosing 안녕히 가세요 or 안녕히 계세요.
  4. Keep the speech level consistent through the rest of the conversation instead of changing only the greeting.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 2

You meet an unfamiliar adult neighbor in the elevator. What is the safest greeting?

Connected learning paths

Vocabulary안녕하세요 vocabulary referenceReview the default polite greeting, examples, register, and pronunciation.Situation안녕: casual hello and goodbyeUse 안녕 only where 반말 and a close relationship are appropriate.Situation안녕하십니까: formal greetingLearn where the formal-deferential greeting sounds appropriate rather than stiff.Situation처음 뵙겠습니다Open a respectful first meeting after 안녕하세요.Situation만나서 반갑습니다Say that you are pleased to meet someone in a natural polite introduction.Situation여보세요: phone helloUse the Korean phone opener without treating it as a face-to-face greeting.Situation안녕히 가세요Say goodbye to the person who is leaving while you stay.Situation안녕히 계세요Use this when you leave and the other person remains.Situation잘 가요 and 잘 가Choose a friendlier goodbye for peers and close relationships.Situation또 봐요Use a natural polite “see you again” when another meeting is expected.Situation오랜만이에요Greet someone politely after not seeing them for a long time.Situation어서 오세요Welcome someone into a shop, home, or event rather than merely saying hello.Situation수고하세요Understand the workplace and service contexts behind this effort-based farewell.Situation다녀오세요Use the leave-and-return exchange for someone going out temporarily.PracticePractice greeting registerChoose casual, polite, or formal greetings from relationship context.PracticePractice the phone branchApply one part of the greeting system in a call.PracticePractice a complete first meetingMove from greeting to name and first-meeting expression.GuideEssential Korean greetingsRead the longer editorial guide to common greeting situations.ToolKorean honorifics toolExplore speech levels and titles behind greeting choices.

Keep learning

안녕: casual hello and goodbye안녕하십니까: formal-deferential hello처음 뵙겠습니다만나서 반갑습니다여보세요: Korean phone hello안녕히 가세요안녕히 계세요잘 가요 and 잘 가

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