Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕하십니까 | annyeonghasimnikka | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠ɕʰimnik͈a̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | formal |
| 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | polite |
| 안녕 | annyeong | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | informal |
The polite form 안녕하세요 is the safest and most common way for English speakers to greet people in daily life without accidentally being rude.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 'annyeong' literally means 'peace' or 'well-being'.
Which one should you use?
The informal form 안녕 can be used as both 'hello' and 'goodbye' among close friends or to people younger than you. In contrast, use 안녕하십니까 instead of 안녕하세요 in highly formal settings like news broadcasts, military contexts or when addressing a much higher-ranking person.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
안녕 is informal. 안녕하세요 is the most common formal way to say hello. 안녕하십니까 is formal.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghaseyo
When do people say it?
When parting ways, 안녕히 가세요 means Goodbye (to someone leaving). When parting ways, 안녕히 계세요 means Goodbye (to someone staying). In the morning, you can greet someone by saying 좋은 아침입니다.
Did you know?
- When using 안녕 with close friends, it is common to omit the greeting entirely and instead ask 밥 먹었니? which means 'Did you eat?' This functions as a way of saying 'hello' and showing care.
- While 안녕하세요 is a greeting, it is technically a question asking if the other person is at peace. This is why the phrase ends with a rising intonation in many natural conversations.
- In Korean culture, a physical bow usually accompanies the greeting 안녕하세요. The deeper the bow, the more respect is being shown to the person being greeted.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Hello!This sentence is useful for a casual greeting using 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
- Person A: 안녕하세요? (Hello?) | Person B: 안녕하세요. 저는 [이름]입니다. (Hello. I am [name].)Person A: Hello? | Person B: Hello. I am [name].
- Person A: 안녕! (Hi!) | Person B: 안녕! 오랜만이다. (Hi! Long time no see.)Person A: Hi! | Person B: Hi! Long time no see.
- Person A: 좋은 아침입니다! (Good morning!) | Person B: 좋은 아침이에요. 어제 늦게까지 일했어요. (Good morning. I worked until late yesterday.)Person A: Good morning! | Person B: Good morning. I worked until late yesterday.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minjun and Jieun meet at a cafe.
- 민준 Min-jun안녕하세요, 지은 씨.Annyeonghaseyo, Jieun ssi.Hello, Jieun.
- 지은 Ji-eun안녕하세요, 민준 씨.Annyeonghaseyo, Minjun ssi.Hello, Minjun.
- 민준 Min-jun잘 지냈어요?Jal jinaesseoyo?Have you been doing well?
- 지은 Ji-eun네, 잘 지냈어요.Ne, jal jinaesseoyo.Yes, I've been doing well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries 안녕하십니까, 안녕하세요, 안녕, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
