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 |
While the most common way to say hello is 안녕하세요, the informal version 안녕 can also be used to mean goodbye.
What does it mean word for word?
The core part of these expressions, 안녕, literally means peace or well-being.
Which one should you use?
안녕하십니까 is used in highly formal settings such as news broadcasts, the military or when addressing high-ranking officials. 안녕하세요 is the standard polite greeting used for strangers, colleagues or people older than you. 안녕 is a simple and popular way to say hello among friends.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
안녕하십니까 is a formal greeting. 안녕하세요 is a polite greeting. 안녕 is an informal greeting used only with close friends, siblings or people significantly younger than you.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghaseyo
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use the informal 안녕 with elders or superiors, as this can be perceived as rude.
Did you know?
- The word 안녕 is derived from two Chinese characters, 安 meaning 'peaceful' and 寧 meaning 'serenity'.
- In Korean culture, a physical bow usually accompanies 안녕하세요. The deeper the bow, the more respect is being shown to the other person.
- The greeting 안녕하세요 is actually a question asking 'Are you at peace?', meaning you are literally asking about the other person's well-being.
Examples in context
- 안녕!Hello!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
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Jihoon meet at a cafe.
- 서연 Seo-yeon안녕하세요.annyeonghaseyo.Hello.
- 지훈 Ji-hun안녕하세요, 서연 씨.annyeonghaseyo, seoyeon ssi.Hello, Seoyeon.
- 서연 Seo-yeon잘 지냈어요?jal jinaesseoyo?Have you been well?
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 잘 지냈어요.ne, jal jinaesseoyo.Yes, I have been well.
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.
