Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕히 계세요 | annyeonghi gyeseyo | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋʝi kje̞sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋʝi ke̞sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
honorific, informal |
| 안녕히 가십시오 | annyeonghi gasipsio | formal, honorific | |
| 안녕히 계십시오 | annyeonghi gyesipsio | formal, honorific | |
| 안녕히 가세요 | annyeonghi gaseyo | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋʝi ka̠sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | honorific, informal |
| 잘 가 | jal ga | [t͡ɕa̠ɭ ka̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | informal |
| 잘 있어 | jal isseo | [t͡ɕa̠ɭ is͈ʌ̹] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | informal |
| 안녕 | annyeong | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | informal |
| 빠이빠이 | ppaippai | [p͈a̠ip͈a̠i] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
Korean uses different farewell expressions based on the movement of the people involved. While 안녕 is a simple way to say goodbye or see you later in casual settings, other forms are more specific to whether you or the other person is departing. The noun 작별 can be used to refer to an utterance of goodbye.
What does it mean word for word?
The component 안녕히 means peacefully or in peace.
Which one should you use?
The choice of phrase depends on the direction of movement: use 안녕히 가세요 or 안녕히 가십시오 when the other person is leaving (meaning 'go in peace'), and use 안녕히 계세요 or 안녕히 계십시오 when you are the one leaving and the other person is staying (meaning 'stay in peace'). In informal settings among friends, use 잘 가 (go well) if the other person is leaving or 잘 있어 (stay well) if you are leaving and the other person is staying.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The language has distinct levels of politeness. Formal and honorific options include 안녕히 가십시오 and 안녕히 계십시오. Honorific but slightly less formal options include 안녕히 가세요 and 안녕히 계세요, the latter of which can be used when saying goodbye to a boss, coworkers or someone you do not know well. Informal options include 잘 가, 잘 있어 and 안녕. For a very casual and playful tone, you can use the slang loanword 빠이빠이.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghi gyeseyo
Did you know?
- In Korea, it is common to accompany a formal goodbye with a slight bow from the waist to show respect to the person remaining or departing.
- The word 안녕 (annyeong), used in both 'hello' and 'goodbye', is rooted in the Hanja characters for 'peace' and 'tranquility'.
- The loanword 빠이빠이 is a phonetic adaptation of the English 'bye-bye' and is used almost exclusively in cute or very childish contexts.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Goodbye!This example shows a casual use of 안녕.Tatoeba #5548647 by YUJIHEE, translation #516745 by minshirui
- 안녕히 계십시오.Goodbye.This example shows a formal use of 안녕히 계십시오.Tatoeba #9466301 by jujungsik, translation #2591566 by tanay
- 안녕히 계세요, 선생님.annyeonghi gyeseyo, seonsaengnim.Goodbye, teacher.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hyunwoo is leaving Subin's house after visiting her.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo이제 가야겠어요.ije gayagess-eoyo.I should go now.
- 수빈 Su-bin네, 조심해서 가세요.ne, josimhaeseo gaseyo.Yes, go safely.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo안녕히 계세요, 수빈 씨.annyeonghi gyeseyo, Subin ssi.Goodbye, Subin.
- 수빈 Su-bin다음에 또 봐요!daeume tto bwayo!See you next time!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goodbye” translations and entries 안녕히 계세요, 안녕히 가세요, 잘 가, 잘 있어, 안녕, 빠이빠이, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 안녕히, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
