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 |
The term is used to greet people, and the meaning is rooted in wishing someone peace or well-being. While 안녕하세요 is the most common and standard way to say hello, you should use 여보세요 specifically when answering a phone call.
What does it mean word for word?
The core part of these expressions, 안녕, literally means 'peace' or 'well-being'.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on the level of respect and the social setting. 안녕하십니까 is used in highly formal environments like news broadcasts, military contexts or when addressing high-ranking officials. 안녕하세요 is the standard polite way to greet colleagues, strangers or elders in daily life. 안녕 is a shortened version used among friends or in casual settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
안녕하십니까 is the formal version. 안녕하세요 is the polite version, suitable for most daily situations. 안녕 is the informal version and should only be used with close friends, siblings or people younger than you.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghaseyo
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the informal 안녕 with strangers or elders, as this is considered rude.
When do people say it?
When addressing elders or superiors, you can show respect by adding the honorific suffix -nim to a person's name.
Did you know?
- Although 안녕하세요 is a greeting, it is grammatically a question. It literally asks the other person if they are currently in a state of peace.
- The word 안녕 is not just a greeting but also a way to say 'goodbye'. You can use it to both welcome someone and bid them farewell.
- Depending on the social hierarchy, a Korean speaker might choose not to say 안녕하세요 first and instead wait for the person of higher status to initiate the greeting.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Hello!This example shows an informal exclamation of hello.Tatoeba #5548647 by YUJIHEE, translation #373330 by CK
- 안녕.Hello.This example shows a casual hello.Tatoeba #8355888 by Eunhee, translation #1858850 by LanguageExpert
- 또 안녕.Hello again.This example shows how to say hello again informally.Tatoeba #11104741 by intertime, translation #1764868 by Amastan
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Min-jun meet at a cafe.
- 지은 Ji-eun안녕하세요, 민준 씨.annyeonghaseyo, minjun ssi.Hello, Min-jun.
- 민준 Min-jun안녕하세요, 지은 씨.annyeonghaseyo, jieun ssi.Hello, Ji-eun.
- 지은 Ji-eun잘 지냈어요?jal jinaesseoyo?Have you been well?
- 민준 Min-jun네, 잘 지냈어요.ne, jal jinaesseoyo.Yes, I have been well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries 안녕하세요, 안녕하십니까, 안녕, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
