안녕
annyeong[a̠nɲʌ̹ŋ]
The English phrase "hello casually" is translated into Korean as 안녕 (annyeong).
안녕 is an informal way to say hello. Literally, the word refers to a state of peace, safety or well-being.
Which one should you use?
While 안녕 is casual, the standard polite form 안녕하세요 is used with strangers, elders or in professional settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 안녕 is used only with friends, people younger than you or people you are very close to.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeong
Did you know?
- In Korea, 안녕 is used both for saying 'hello' and 'goodbye' when speaking casually. This means the same word used to greet a friend is also used to leave them.
- There is a specific cultural tension called 'banmal' when switching from polite speech to casual speech like 안녕. Friends will often explicitly ask for permission to 'speak casually' before using this word.
- If you are texting a close friend, you can shorten 안녕 even further to just ㅇㄴ using Korean consonants.
Examples in context
- 안녕, 잘 지냈어?annyeong, jal jinaesseo?Hi, how have you been?
- 친구야, 안녕!chin-gu-ya, annyeong!Hey, friend!
Example conversation
Two friends meet at a local park.
- 민준 Min-jun서연아, 안녕!seo-yeon-a, annyeong!Hi, Seoyeon!
- 서연 Seo-yeon민준아, 안녕! 오랜만이야.min-jun-a, annyeong! o-raen-man-i-ya.Hi, Minjun! It's been a long time.
- 민준 Min-jun응, 정말 오랜만이다.eung, jeong-mal o-raen-man-i-da.Yeah, it really has been a while.
- 서연 Seo-yeon오늘 뭐 해?o-neul mwo hae?What are you doing today?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 안녕, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
