Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕히 가세요 | annyeonghi gaseyo | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋʝi ka̠sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | honorific, informal |
| 안녕히 가십시오 | annyeonghi gasipsio | formal, honorific | |
| 안녕히 계십시오 | annyeonghi gyesipsio | formal, honorific | |
| 안녕히 계세요 | annyeonghi gyeseyo | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋʝi kje̞sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋʝi ke̞sʰe̞jo] (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) |
You use forms based on the verb 'to go' (가다) when someone is leaving, and forms based on the verb 'to stay/be' (있다 or the honorific 계시다) when someone is staying. For a general casual goodbye, you can simply use 안녕. You might also hear the playful, loanword-based 빠이빠이, which is similar to 'bye bye'.
What does it mean word for word?
Many polite farewells are built from the word 안녕히, which means 'peacefully' or 'in peace'.
Which one should you use?
The different forms are chosen based on who is moving: – If the person you are speaking to is leaving, use 안녕히 가세요 or the more formal 안녕히 가십시오 (meaning 'Please go in peace'). – If you are the one leaving and the other person is staying, use 안녕히 계세요 or the more formal 안녕히 계십시오 (meaning 'Please stay in peace'). – Among friends, if a friend is leaving, you can say 잘 가, which means 'go well'. – Among friends, if a friend is staying, you can say 잘 있어, which means 'stay well'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Korean-speakers use different registers for different social settings:
– Formal and honorific: 안녕히 가십시오 and 안녕히 계십시오 are used. – Honorific and informal: 안녕히 가세요 and 안녕히 계세요 are used. – Informal: 잘 가, 잘 있어 and 안녕 are used. 잘 가 specifically means 'go well'. – Slang: 빠이빠이 is a playful and very casual way to say goodbye, often used in cute contexts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Farewells for someone leaving are built from the verb 가다 (to go). Farewells for someone staying are built from the verb 있다 (to stay/be) or its honorific form 계시다.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghi gaseyo
When do people say it?
In North Korea, it is considered polite to use a slight bow or nod when saying goodbye.
Did you know?
- Using 빠이빠이 is often associated with 'aegyo', a Korean cultural concept of speaking and acting in a cute or flirtatious manner to show affection.
- In some contexts, it is common to tell someone to 'eat well' as a form of parting wish if they are heading to a meal, which can function as a situational goodbye.
- The roots of 안녕히 are Chinese characters, specifically the characters for 'peace' and 'tranquility'.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Goodbye!This example shows a casual way to say goodbye using 안녕.Tatoeba #5548647 by YUJIHEE, translation #516745 by minshirui
- 안녕히 계십시오.Goodbye.This example shows a formal way to say goodbye using 안녕히 계십시오.Tatoeba #9466301 by jujungsik, translation #2591566 by tanay
- 안녕히 가세요.annyeonghi gaseyo.Goodbye (to someone leaving).
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Dohyun is leaving Seoyeon's house.
- 도현 Do-hyeon이제 갈게요.Ije galgeyo.I will leave now.
- 서연 Seo-yeon네, 안녕히 가세요.Ne, annyeonghi gaseyo.Yes, goodbye.
- 도현 Do-hyeon다음에 또 봐요.Da-eume tto bwayo.See you again next time.
- 서연 Seo-yeon조심해서 가세요.Josimhaeseo gaseyo.Get home safely.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goodbye” translations and entries 안녕히 가세요, 안녕히 계세요, 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.
