Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 좋은 아침 | jo'eun achim | endearing | |
| 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠sʰe̞jo] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | polite |
| 안녕 | annyeong | [a̠nɲʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) | |
| 안녕히 주무셨어요? | annyeonghi jumusyeosseoyo? | polite | |
| 잘 잤어? | jal jasseo? | ||
| 좋은 아침입니다 | jo'eun achimimnida | polite | |
| 굿모닝 | gunmoning | endearing |
In most social situations, Koreans use the general greeting 안녕하세요 rather than a phrase specifically meaning 'good morning'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 좋은 아침 is composed of 좋은 (good) and 아침 (morning).
Which one should you use?
If you want to literally say 'good morning', you use 좋은 아침 or the more formal 좋은 아침입니다 (it's a good morning). However, the polite way to greet someone in the morning is often to ask if they slept well using 안녕히 주무셨어요? and the informal way is to ask if they slept well using 잘 잤어?
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The level of politeness varies: 안녕하세요 is polite, while 안녕 is informal. For a literal 'good morning', 좋은 아침입니다 is formal, whereas 좋은 아침 and 굿모닝 are endearing. When asking if someone slept well, 안녕히 주무셨어요? is polite and 잘 잤어? is informal.
How do you pronounce it?
jo'eun achim
Did you know?
- The term 안녕 focuses on the absence of chaos. Historically, this greeting was used to ensure that the person had survived the night without trouble or disaster.
- The honorific phrase 안녕히 주무셨어요? uses a special verb for 'sleeping' that is only used for people of higher social status or age.
- In a professional Korean office, you might greet your boss with a slight bow while saying 안녕하세요. The physical gesture is as important as the words used.
Examples in context
- 좋은 아침이예요.Good morning.This example shows how to use 좋은 아침 to say 'Good morning'.Tatoeba #5548652 by YUJIHEE, translation #2258234 by _undertoad
- 여러분 안녕하세요.Good morning, everybody.This example shows how to use 안녕하세요 to say 'Good morning, everybody'.Tatoeba #11105250 by intertime, translation #22122 by CK
- 안녕?Good morning!This example shows how to use 안녕 as a greeting.Tatoeba #13174783 by atitarev, translation #329713 by YURY0608
- 안녕하세요, 김 선생님. 좋은 아침입니다.Hello, Teacher Kim. Good morning.
- 친구야, 좋은 아침!Hey, friend! Good morning!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Dohyun and Jieun are having coffee together in the morning.
- 도현 Do-hyeon좋은 아침, 지은아.joeun achim, Jieun-a.Good morning, Jieun.
- 지은 Ji-eun응, 도현아. 좋은 아침이야.eung, Dohyun-a. joeun achim-iya.Yeah, Dohyun. Good morning.
- 도현 Do-hyeon커피 마실래?keopi masillae?Do you want some coffee?
- 지은 Ji-eun고마워, 마실게.gomawo, masilge.Thanks, I will.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries 안녕하세요, 안녕, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
