만나서 반갑습니다
mannaseo ban'gapseumnida[ma̠nna̠sʰʌ̹ pa̠nɡa̠ps͈ɯmnida̠]
만나서 반갑습니다 (mannaseo ban'gapseumnida) is the Korean way to say "nice to meet you".
This phrase is a polite expression used to greet someone for the first time after being introduced.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, it means "It is a pleasure because I met you".
Which one should you use?
While 반갑습니다 is a common formal way to say "Nice to meet you", the version 처음뵙겠습니다 is a more polite version used in formal settings. For a more casual approach, 반가워 serves as a shortened and colloquial way to express the sentiment.
How does it change in a sentence?
The polite version 만나서 반가워요 can be used in everyday social situations where a full formal tone is not strictly required, and the informal version 만나서 반가워 is used only with people of the same age or younger in casual settings.
How do you pronounce it?
mannaseo ban'gapseumnida
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with 만나서 반갑습니다, a natural response is to say 저도 반갑습니다, which means "I am also glad [to meet you]".
Did you know?
- In professional business contexts, 처음 뵙겠습니다 is often paired with the exchange of business cards, where the card is presented with both hands as a sign of respect.
- While English speakers often shake hands while saying 'nice to meet you', a Korean person might wait for the senior person to initiate the handshake first.
- The word 반갑다 used in these greetings describes a specific feeling of joy at seeing someone again or for the first time that has no direct single-word equivalent in English.
Examples in context
- 반갑습니다. 저는 민지입니다.Nice to meet you. My name is Minji.
- 처음뵙겠습니다. 전 이순신입니다.Nice to meet you. I am Yi Sun-sin.
- 반가워! 나는 지현이야.Nice to meet you! I'm Jihyeon.
- 만나서 반갑습니다.mannaseo bangapseumnida.Nice to meet you.
- 처음 뵙겠습니다. 만나서 반갑습니다.cheoeum boepgetseumnida. mannaseo bangapseumnida.It is the first time meeting you. Nice to meet you.
Example conversation
Dohyun and Subin are introduced by a mutual friend at a cafe.
- 도현 Do-hyeon안녕하세요, 도현입니다. 만나서 반갑습니다.annyeonghaseyo, dohyun-imnida. mannaseo bangapseumnida.Hello, I'm Dohyun. Nice to meet you.
- 수빈 Su-bin안녕하세요, 수빈이에요. 저도 만나서 반갑습니다.annyeonghaseyo, subin-ieyo. jeodo mannaseo bangapseumnida.Hello, I'm Subin. Nice to meet you, too.
- 도현 Do-hyeon이야기 많이 들었어요.iyagi mani deureosseoyo.I've heard a lot about you.
- 수빈 Su-bin감사합니다. 저도요.gamsahamnida. jeodoyo.Thank you. Me too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 만나서 반갑습니다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
