안녕하세요
annyeonghaseyo[a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠sʰe̞jo]
안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) is the Korean way to say good evening. Wiktionary also lists 좋은 저녁이에요 (jo'eun jeonyeog-ieyo) and 좋은 저녁입니다 (jo'eun jeonyeog-imnida).
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | |
| 좋은 저녁이에요 | jo'eun jeonyeog-ieyo | uncommon | |
| 좋은 저녁입니다 | jo'eun jeonyeog-imnida | uncommon |
In Korean, the standard greeting 안녕하세요 is used regardless of the time of day (morning, afternoon or evening).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 좋은 저녁이에요 is a literal translation of 'It is a good evening' using 좋은 (good) and 저녁 (evening).
Which one should you use?
While 좋은 저녁이에요 is a literal translation of 'good evening', 안녕하세요 is the much more natural and common way to greet someone in the evening. 좋은 저녁이에요 and 좋은 저녁입니다 are uncommon.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghaseyo
Did you know?
- Historically, 안녕하세요 became a common greeting because of the frequent wars and instability on the Korean peninsula. Checking if someone was 'peaceful' was a genuine necessity of daily life.
- The root word 안녕 shares the same Chinese characters as the word for 'peace' in Japanese あんねい and Chinese 安宁. It reflects a shared East Asian cultural value of stability and safety.
- In Korean culture, the physical act of bowing while saying 안녕하세요 is just as important as the words. The depth of the bow changes depending on the social status of the person you are greeting.
Examples in context
- 안녕하세요?Good evening!This sentence demonstrates the use of 안녕하세요 for a greeting.Tatoeba #10663803 by Adelpa, translation #2265983 by _undertoad
- 늦은 시간인데 안녕하세요.neujeun siganinde annyeonghaseyo.It is late, but good evening.
Example conversation
Minji meets Hyunwoo in the hallway at a building during the evening.
- 민지 Min-ji안녕하세요, 현우 씨.annyeonghaseyo, hyunwoo ssi.Good evening, Hyunwoo.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo안녕하세요, 민지 씨.annyeonghaseyo, minji ssi.Good evening, Minji.
- 민지 Min-ji오늘 퇴근이 늦으시네요.oneul toegeuni neujeusineyo.You are leaving work late today.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 일이 좀 많았어요.ne, iri jom manasseoyo.Yes, there was a lot of work.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good evening” translations and entries 안녕하세요, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
