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 word used to greet someone depends on the social hierarchy and your specific relationship with the listener. There are specific forms used for different levels of respect and different situations, such as answering the phone.
What does it mean word for word?
The base word 안녕 literally means peace or well-being.
Which one should you use?
The form 안녕 can be used as both 'hello' and 'goodbye' among close friends or to people younger than you. The form 안녕하세요 is the standard, most versatile greeting for strangers, colleagues or people older than you. The form 안녕하십니까 is used 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?
안녕하십니까 is formal. 안녕하세요 is polite. 안녕 is informal.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghaseyo
When do people say it?
In Korean culture, the level of politeness in your greeting is determined by the social hierarchy and your relationship with the listener. When answering the phone, you may use the formal phrase 여보세요 or the formal and polite 안녕하십니까.
Did you know?
- While 안녕하세요 is a greeting, it is grammatically a question asking if you are at peace. In the past, this was a genuine inquiry into a person's health and safety during unstable times.
- In Korea, a greeting is often accompanied by a bow. The depth and duration of the bow change based on whether you use 안녕, 안녕하세요 or 안녕하십니까.
- The words in 안녕 are Sino-Korean, meaning they are derived from Chinese characters. Specifically, they combine the characters for 'peaceful' and 'serenity'.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Hello!This is useful for a casual 'Hello!'Tatoeba #5548647 by YUJIHEE, translation #373330 by CK
- 안녕.Hello.Tatoeba #8355888 by Eunhee, translation #1858850 by LanguageExpert
- 또 안녕.Hello again.This is useful for saying 'Hello again.' using the form 안녕.Tatoeba #11104741 by intertime, translation #1764868 by Amastan
- 안녕하십니까? 저는 [Your Name]입니다.Hello? This is [Your Name].
- 안녕! [Your Name]야.Hey! It's [Your Name].
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minji and Jihoon see each other in the hallway at work.
- 민지 Min-ji안녕하세요, 지훈 씨.Annyeonghaseyo, Jihoon ssi.Hello, Jihoon.
- 지훈 Ji-hun안녕하세요, 민지 씨.Annyeonghaseyo, Minji ssi.Hello, Minji.
- 민지 Min-ji오늘 날씨가 참 좋네요.Oneul nalssiga cham jonneyo.The weather is very nice today.
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 정말 그렇네요.Ne, jeongmal geureonneyo.Yes, it really is.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries 안녕하십니까, 안녕하세요, 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.
