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 |
In casual and informal situations, Koreans often use the word 안녕 on its own.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 안녕 literally means 'peace' or 'well-being'.
Which one should you use?
While 안녕 is used for casual situations, 안녕하세요 is the standard polite greeting. For highly formal settings such as news broadcasts, military contexts or business presentations, use 안녕하십니까 to show extreme respect.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
안녕하십니까 is a formal form used for extreme respect. 안녕하세요 is a polite form used for strangers, colleagues or people older than you. 안녕 is an informal form used only with close friends, siblings or people younger than you.
How does it change in a sentence?
When saying goodbye to someone who is staying, you use 안녕히 계세요 instead of just 안녕.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghaseyo
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using the informal 안녕 with superiors is considered rude.
Did you know?
- Koreans may avoid saying 안녕하세요 to people they see constantly in a shared workspace. Instead, they might use a phrase that asks if the person has eaten yet.
- The greeting 안녕하세요 is phrased as a question. It literally asks 'Are you at peace?', reflecting a culture that values checking on another person's well-being.
- When using the formal 안녕하십니까, the speaker's entire body language, including the angle of a bow, must change to match the level of respect.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Hello!This example shows the use of the informal 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
Hyunwoo and Jieun meet in a hallway at work.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo안녕하세요, 지은 씨.annyeonghaseyo, Jieun ssi.Hello, Jieun.
- 지은 Ji-eun아, 현우 씨, 안녕하세요!a, Hyunwoo ssi, annyeonghaseyo!Oh, Hyunwoo, hello!
- 현우 Hyeon-woo오늘 날씨가 참 좋네요.oneul nalssiga cham jonneyo.The weather is really nice today.
- 지은 Ji-eun네, 정말 그렇네요.ne, jeongmal geureonneyo.Yes, it really is.
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.
