Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | polite |
| 안녕하십니까 | annyeonghasimnikka | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠ɕʰimnik͈a̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | formal |
| 안녕 | annyeong | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | informal |
These terms are used to greet others. While typically used as a greeting, the informal form 안녕 can also be used to say goodbye.
What does it mean word for word?
The root word 안녕 literally means 'peace' or 'well-being'.
Which one should you use?
The form 안녕하십니까 is used for highly formal situations such as news broadcasts, military contexts or when addressing someone of much higher rank. The form 안녕하세요 is the most common and versatile polite greeting. The form 안녕 is used for both 'hello' and 'goodbye' in informal settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
안녕하십니까 is a formal way to greet someone and can also mean 'Good afternoon.' The polite form 안녕하세요 is the standard way to greet strangers, colleagues or elders. The informal form 안녕 is reserved for close friends, people younger than you or those you are on intimate terms with.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghaseyo
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the informal 안녕 with elders or superiors, as this can be perceived as rude.
Did you know?
- When saying 안녕하세요, Koreans often accompany the greeting with a bow, the depth of which depends on the social rank of the person being greeted.
- In the highly formal version 안녕하십니까, the final syllable is an interrogative particle, which means you are technically phrasing your greeting as a question.
- Because 안녕하세요 is phrased as a question asking if you are at peace, it is common for the other person to respond by confirming their well-being before returning the greeting.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Hello!This example shows the informal greeting 안녕.Tatoeba #5548647 by YUJIHEE, translation #373330 by CK
- 안녕.Hello.Tatoeba #8355888 by Eunhee, translation #1858850 by LanguageExpert
- 또 안녕.Hello again.Tatoeba #11104741 by intertime, translation #1764868 by Amastan
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minji and Jihun meet in a hallway at work.
- 민지 Min-ji안녕하세요, 지훈 씨.annyeonghaseyo, jihun ssi.Hello, Jihun.
- 지훈 Ji-hun아, 안녕하세요, 민지 씨.a, annyeonghaseyo, minji ssi.Oh, hello, Minji.
- 민지 Min-ji오늘 날씨가 정말 좋네요.oneul nalssiga jeongmal jonneyo.The weather is really nice today.
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 정말 따뜻하네요.ne, jeongmal ttatteuthaneyo.Yes, it is very warm.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries 안녕하세요, 안녕하십니까, 안녕, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 안녕, 안녕하세요, 안녕하십니까, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
