안녕하세요
annyeonghaseyo?[a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠sʰe̞jo]
The Korean phrase for "hello to someone" is 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo?).
안녕하세요 is a polite greeting used to say hello to another person.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase is a question asking, "Are you at peace?"
Which one should you use?
안녕하세요 is the standard polite way to greet someone. In contrast, 안녕 is an informal version, while 안녕하십니까 is a highly formal version used in settings such as business, news broadcasts or the military.
How does it change in a sentence?
The shortened form 안녕 is used only with close friends or people younger than you. It can function as both "hello" and "bye".
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghaseyo?
When do people say it?
When saying 안녕하세요 to an elder or superior, it is customary to bow slightly as a sign of respect. Additionally, when addressing educators in formal settings, appropriate titles include 선생님 for teachers and 교수님 for professors.
Did you know?
- When bowing while saying 안녕하세요, the depth of the bow conveys the level of respect. A 15-degree tilt is standard for polite greetings, while a 45-degree bow is reserved for deep respect or apologies.
- The concept of 'peace' in the greeting is deeply rooted in the Hanja (Chinese characters) used for the word 안녕, where 安 means 'safe' or 'stable'.
- In some traditional Korean contexts, it was considered too abrupt to say 안녕하세요 immediately. People would first ask about a person's health or recent activities to establish a social connection.
Examples in context
- 안녕하세요, 선생님?Hello, teacher?
- 안녕! 어디야?Hi! Where are you?
- 안뇽~ 오늘 뭐 할 거야?Heya! What are you up to today?
- 안녕하세요, 선생님.Annyeonghaseyo, seonsaengnim.Hello, teacher.
- 처음 뵙겠습니다. 안녕하세요.Cheoeum boepgetseumnida. Annyeonghaseyo.Nice to meet you. Hello.
- 안녕하세요, 좋은 아침이에요.Annyeonghaseyo, joeun achimieyo.Hello, good morning.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Dohyun meet at a cafe.
- 서연 Seo-yeon안녕하세요, 도현 씨!Annyeonghaseyo, Dohyun ssi!Hello, Dohyun!
- 도현 Do-hyeon아, 서연 씨, 안녕하세요.A, Seoyeon ssi, annyeonghaseyo.Oh, Seoyeon, hello.
- 서연 Seo-yeon여기서 보네요.Yeogiseo boneyo.I see you here.
- 도현 Do-hyeon네, 정말 반가워요.Ne, jeongmal bangawoyo.Yes, it's really good to see you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 안녕하세요, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
