안녕
annyeong[a̠nɲʌ̹ŋ]
The English phrase "hi" is translated into Korean as 안녕 (annyeong).
In English, 안녕 is the equivalent of a casual "Hi" or "Hey".
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
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 "hi" among friends, 안녕하세요 is the standard polite form used with adults or strangers and is equivalent to "Hello" in English.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In an informal context, you might also use 좋은 아침 to wish someone "Good Morning".
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 안녕 can also function as the root for "goodbye" when combined with verbs like 가세요 (go) or 계세요 (stay).
How do you pronounce it?
annyeong
Did you know?
- In professional settings, Koreans often skip the simple 안녕 and instead greet people by mentioning a shared activity, such as asking 식사하셨어요? which means 'Have you eaten?'
- If you use the informal 안녕 with someone older than you, it is not just 'casual', it is actually considered rude or even aggressive.
- The word 안녕 is composed of two Chinese characters, 安 and 寧, both of which mean 'peace'. This makes the greeting a literal wish for the other person to be in a state of peace.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Hi!Tatoeba #5548647 by YUJIHEE, translation #2742244 by MTC
- 안녕.Hi.Tatoeba #8355888 by Eunhee, translation #538123 by CM
- 안녕하세요, 선생님.Good morning, teacher.
- 좋은 아침이에요, 회장님.Good morning, chairman.
- 안녕, 친구야.Hi, friend.
- 좋은 아침, 형.Good morning, bro.
- 안녕, 잘 지냈어?annyeong, jal jinaesseo?Hi, have you been well?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Subin and Dohyeon meet at a cafe.
- 수빈 Su-bin도현아, 안녕!dohyeon-a, annyeong!Dohyeon, hi!
- 도현 Do-hyeon어, 수빈아. 안녕.eo, subin-a. annyeong.Oh, Subin. Hi.
- 수빈 Su-bin오늘 뭐 해?oneul mwo hae?What are you doing today?
- 도현 Do-hyeon그냥 집에서 쉬려고.geunyang jib-eseo swiryeogo.I'm just going to rest at home.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries 안녕, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 안녕, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
