좋은 아침이에요, 어떻게 지내세요?
joeun achimieyo, eotteoke jinaeseyo?
In Korean, "good morning, how are you?" is said as 좋은 아침이에요, 어떻게 지내세요? (joeun achimieyo, eotteoke jinaeseyo?)
This phrase is a polite greeting used in the morning to wish someone well and inquire about their current state. While 좋은 아침이에요 is a direct translation of "good morning", in many natural Korean social settings, people often skip the "good morning" part and go straight to asking how the person is or simply saying 안녕하세요 (hello).
What does it mean word for word?
The component 좋은 아침 means "good morning", composed of 좋은 (good) and 아침 (morning).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 좋은 아침이에요, 어떻게 지내세요? uses the -에요 and -세요 endings, making it a polite way to greet someone you are not close with or someone older than you. In an informal setting with close friends or younger people, you can drop the polite endings to say 좋은 아침, 어떻게 지내?
How do you pronounce it?
joeun achimieyo, eotteoke jinaeseyo?
When do people say it?
In Korean culture, bowing is a common gesture while greeting someone.
Did you know?
- In Korea, asking 식사하셨어요? ('Have you eaten?') is often used as a standard morning greeting to show care for another person's well-being.
- While 좋은 아침이에요 is a literal translation of 'good morning', it is actually a relatively modern Western-style expression in Korea. Traditionally, Koreans would greet each other by asking if they have eaten or by using time-specific greetings like 안녕히 주무셨어요? (Did you sleep well?).
- The verb inside the phrase, 지내다, does not just mean 'to be', but implies the continuous 'passing' or 'spending' of time.
Example conversation
Subin and Hyunwoo meet at the office elevator in the morning.
- 수빈 Su-bin현우 씨, 좋은 아침이에요, 어떻게 지내세요?Hyeon-u ssi, joeun achim-ieyo, eotteoke jinaeseyo?Hyunwoo, good morning, how are you?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo안녕하세요, 수빈 씨. 저는 잘 지내요.Annyeonghaseyo, Subin ssi. Jeoneun jal jinaeyo.Hello, Subin. I am doing well.
- 수빈 Su-bin다행이네요. 오늘 날씨가 정말 좋아요.Dahaeng-ineyo. Oneul nalssiga jeongmal joayo.That's a relief. The weather is really nice today.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo맞아요. 좋은 하루 보내세요!Majayo. Joeun haru bonaeseyo!You're right. Have a great day!
