안녕하세요
annyeonghaseyo?[a̠nɲʌ̹ŋɦa̠sʰe̞jo]
안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo?) is the Korean way to say 'kamusta'.
This phrase is a common greeting used to ask how someone is doing. When addressing someone, you can use the honorific suffix 씨 after their name to signify 'Mr.' or 'Miss'.
How do you pronounce it?
annyeonghaseyo?
Did you know?
- While 안녕하세요 is the standard greeting, Koreans often ask 밥 먹었어? meaning 'Did you eat?' as a way of saying 'How are you?'
- While 안녕하세요 is the general greeting, Koreans may avoid it in a hospital or during a tragedy. In those contexts, the focus shifts to health or sympathy rather than a general wish for peace.
- The 'haeyo' ending in 안녕하세요 is part of the 'haeyoche' style, which is the most common way to be polite yet friendly in daily life.
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Hyeon-u meet at a cafe.
- 지은 Ji-eun현우 씨, 안녕하세요!Hyeon-u ssi, annyeonghaseyo!Hello, Hyeon-u!
- 현우 Hyeon-woo아, 지은 씨 안녕하세요.a, Ji-eun ssi annyeonghaseyoOh, hello, Ji-eun.
- 지은 Ji-eun잘 지냈어요?jal jinaesseoyo?Have you been doing well?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 잘 지냈어요.ne, jal jinaesseoyoYes, I've been doing well.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 안녕하세요, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
