Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 좋은 아침 | jo'eun achim | endearing | |
| 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | polite |
| 안녕 | annyeong | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | |
| 안녕히 주무셨어요? | annyeonghi jumusyeosseoyo? | polite | |
| 잘 잤어? | jal jasseo? | ||
| 좋은 아침입니다 | jo'eun achimimnida | polite | |
| 굿모닝 | gunmoning | endearing |
While a literal translation of "good morning" exists, the most common and natural way to greet someone politely is to use a standard greeting. Additionally, it is culturally common to ask if someone slept well when addressing them in the morning.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 좋은 아침 is composed of 좋은 (good) and 아침 (morning).
Which one should you use?
While 좋은 아침 is a literal translation of "good morning", 안녕하세요 is the much more common and natural way to greet someone in a polite setting. To show respect to elders or superiors, it is more culturally appropriate to use the honorific form 안녕히 주무셨어요? instead of a literal "good morning". The informal version of this question is 잘 잤어?, which you use with friends or people younger than you. You may also encounter 굿모닝, which is an endearing way to say good morning.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal settings, such as professional environments or announcements, use 좋은 아침입니다. In polite, everyday situations, use 안녕하세요. The phrase 좋은 아침 and 굿모닝 can be used in endearing or informal contexts. For casual use with friends, you can use 안녕 or the informal 좋은 아침! and 좋은 아침이야!
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the formal ending -입니다 to 좋은 아침 creates the formal phrase 좋은 아침입니다, making it suitable for professional settings.
How do you pronounce it?
jo'eun achim
When do people say it?
In Korean culture, when greeting elders or superiors in the morning, it is more appropriate to ask if they slept well using the honorific 안녕히 주무셨어요? rather than using a literal translation of "good morning". In very formal settings, 안녕하십니까? can also be used as a greeting equivalent to "good morning".
Did you know?
- Using 안녕히 주무셨어요? involves a specific honorific verb for 'sleeping' that is different from the verb used for peers.
- The word 안녕 is a Sino-Korean term rooted in the Chinese characters for 'peaceful' and 'serenity'.
- The phrase 안녕 can be used as both a 'hello' and a 'goodbye'.
Examples in context
- 좋은 아침이예요.Good morning.This sentence uses the form 좋은 아침.Tatoeba #5548652 by YUJIHEE, translation #2258234 by _undertoad
- 여러분 안녕하세요.Good morning, everybody.This sentence uses the form 안녕하세요.Tatoeba #11105250 by intertime, translation #22122 by CK
- 안녕?Good morning!This sentence uses the form 안녕.Tatoeba #13174783 by atitarev, translation #329713 by YURY0608
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Jihoon are roommates waking up in the kitchen.
- 서연 Seo-yeon좋은 아침, 지훈아!Joeun achim, Jihun-a!Good morning, Jihoon!
- 지훈 Ji-hun응, 좋은 아침이야.Eung, joeun achim-iya.Yeah, good morning.
- 서연 Seo-yeon잘 잤어?Jal jasseo?Did you sleep well?
- 지훈 Ji-hun응, 아주 잘 잤어.Eung, aju jal jasseo.Yes, I slept very well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries 안녕하세요, 안녕, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 안녕, 안녕하세요, 안녕히, 잘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
