About this word
안녕하세요 is the default polite greeting for most adults, teachers, coworkers, shop staff, and people you are meeting for the first time. It works at most times of day.
Use 안녕 only with close friends, children, or people who have agreed to speak casually. 안녕하십니까 is a much more formal, deferential greeting. 여보세요 is used on the phone, not as an ordinary face-to-face hello.
안녕히 가세요 and 안녕히 계세요 are goodbyes, not alternate hellos. Say 안녕히 가세요 to the person who is leaving; say 안녕히 계세요 when you are leaving and the other person is staying.
The -세요 form contains the honorific marker -시-, but 안녕하세요 is best learned as a fixed polite greeting rather than translated word by word.
Related greetings and expressions
Example sentences
안녕하세요. 저는 민지예요.
annyeonghaseyo. jeoneun minji-yeyo.
Hello. I am Minji.
안녕하세요. 처음 뵙겠습니다.
annyeonghaseyo. cheoeum boepgetseumnida.
Hello. It is nice to meet you.
선생님, 안녕하세요.
seonsaengnim, annyeonghaseyo.
Hello, teacher.
Keep learning
Korean greetings by situation
See how 안녕하세요 changes across friends, phones, first meetings, and goodbyes.
Casual variant: 안녕
Switch to 안녕 only with close friends, children, or an agreed 반말 relationship.
More formal: 안녕하십니까
Compare the everyday polite greeting with the formal-deferential form.
On the phone: 여보세요
Use a different opener when answering or initiating an ordinary phone call.
First meeting: 처음 뵙겠습니다
Follow the hello with a respectful first-meeting expression.
After a long absence: 오랜만이에요
Use a reunion-specific greeting instead of only saying hello.
Welcoming an arrival: 어서 오세요
Welcome someone entering a place rather than simply greeting them.
안녕하세요 vs 안녕하십니까
Choose between everyday polite and formal-deferential greetings.
안녕하세요 vs 안녕
Choose between polite speech and casual 반말.
여보세요 vs 안녕하세요
Separate phone openings from ordinary face-to-face greetings.
Practice 안녕하세요 in context
Choose the safe everyday greeting against casual and formal alternatives.
Korean honorifics tool
Explore 존댓말, 반말, titles, and respectful language choices.
여보세요 and phone greetings
Use the right opening and polite phrases on Korean phone calls
Honorifics and speech levels
Understand -시-, polite endings, titles, and relationship-aware Korean
Grammar guides
Particles and patterns for building Korean sentences
Example sentences
More example Korean sentences to study
Vocabulary index
Browse free vocabulary pages
Common mistakes
Learner traps near this word family
All free Korean references
Dictionary, TOPIK, Hangul, tools, and practice guides
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