안녕
annyeong[a̠nɲʌ̹ŋ]
In Korean, 안녕 (annyeong) is the way to say hi.
안녕 is a casual way to greet someone. In a broader sense, it is a friendly, informal greeting.
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 friends, the polite form 안녕하세요 is the standard greeting used for adults or strangers. If you are meeting someone for the first time and want to be formal, you might use 만나서 반갑습니다 (Nice to meet you) or 처음뵙겠습니다 to emphasize that it is your first meeting.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
It should not be used toward elders or people in higher social positions. For those situations, use the formal or polite versions like 안녕하세요.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeong
When do people say it?
In informal settings, you can also use the casual version of 'nice to meet you', which is 만나서 반가워.
Did you know?
- The same word 안녕 can be used to say 'goodbye', meaning you are wishing the other person 'peace' as they depart.
- In modern K-dramas and pop culture, characters often prolong the vowel in 안녕 to express aegyo, or a cute and flirtatious tone.
- In historical Korea, the concept of 안녕 was often used as a question to ask if someone had avoided illness or disaster.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Hi!This sentence shows a casual use of 안녕.Tatoeba #5548647 by YUJIHEE, translation #2742244 by MTC
- 안녕.Hi.Tatoeba #8355888 by Eunhee, translation #538123 by CM
- 안녕하세요, 제 이름은 민지입니다. 만나서 반갑습니다.Hello, my name is Minji. Nice to meet you.
- 안녕, 나는 민수야. 만나서 반가워.Hi, I'm Minsu. Nice to meet you.
- 안녕, 잘 지냈어?annyeong, jal jinaesseo?Hi, have you been doing well?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minji and Jihun run into each other at a park.
- 민지 Min-ji안녕, 지훈아!annyeong, jihun-a!Hi, Jihun!
- 지훈 Ji-hun어, 민지야! 안녕.eo, minji-ya! annyeong.Oh, Minji! Hi.
- 민지 Min-ji여기서 뭐 해?yeogiseo mwo hae?What are you doing here?
- 지훈 Ji-hun그냥 산책하고 있었어.geunyang sanchaekhago isseosseo.I was just taking a walk.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries 안녕, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
