Korean Greetings: Hello, Goodbye,
and Everything In Between

Before you learn grammar, before you tackle vocabulary lists, before you even learn the alphabet — you need to know how to say hello. Korean greetings aren't just pleasantries. They signal your social awareness, your respect for the other person, and your understanding of how Korean culture works. Getting them right matters from day one.

This guide covers every important Korean greeting: formal, polite, and casual — plus the two goodbyes that confuse almost every learner, and a few phrases you'll use in every single conversation.

Hello — the three levels

Before the phrases themselves, you need one core concept: Korean is a speech-level language. Almost everything you say — including a simple hello — changes form depending on your relationship with the listener. Polite speech (존댓말, jondaetmal) is used with strangers, elders, and anyone you're not close to. Casual speech (반말, banmal) is reserved for close friends, children, and people younger than you who have agreed to speak casually with you.

This is why Koreans often ask your age early in a conversation — it's not rudeness, it's grammar. They literally cannot choose the right way to speak to you without knowing where you stand relative to them. (And note: your Korean age isn't the same as your international age — check yours with our Korean age calculator.) As a learner, you don't need to master every level. You need one safe default (the polite form) and an awareness of when the others appear.

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  안녕하세요 Annyeonghaseyo Hello / Good day Polite Your everyday hello. Use it with strangers, shopkeepers, teachers, colleagues, neighbours — anyone you're not extremely close to. This is the greeting you'll use 95% of the time and it's never wrong.
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  안녕하십니까 Annyeonghasimnikka Hello / Good day Formal The highly formal version — used in business meetings, official speeches, news broadcasts, and the military. You likely won't need this in daily life, but you'll hear it in K-dramas set in offices or formal settings.
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  안녕 Annyeong Hey / Hi Casual Casual speech (반말 / banmal) — for close friends, younger people, or children only. Do not use with anyone you don't have an established close relationship with. Saying this to a stranger or elder is considered rude.

Phone greeting

Korean has a hello that exists only on the phone — say it in person and you'll get a confused look. English does something similar ("Hello?" with rising intonation when you pick up), but Korean makes it a completely separate word:

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  여보세요 Yeoboseyo Hello? (phone only) Polite Used exclusively when answering or making phone calls — never in person. You'll hear it in every K-drama phone scene. The origin is uncertain but it essentially means "hello, are you there?"

Goodbye — the most common confusion

This is where most learners get tripped up. Korean has two different goodbyes, and which one you use depends on who is leaving — not on who is speaking.

The trick: 안녕히 가세요 contains 가 (ga = go). Use it when the other person is going. 안녕히 계세요 contains 계 (gye = stay/remain). Use it when they're staying.

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  안녕히 가세요 Annyeonghi gaseyo Goodbye — said to the person leaving Polite Literally "go in peace." You say this when the other person is walking out the door, getting in a taxi, leaving your shop. You are staying; they are going.
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  안녕히 계세요 Annyeonghi gyeseyo Goodbye — said when you are leaving Polite Literally "stay in peace." You say this when you are the one leaving — walking out of a shop, ending a visit at someone's home, leaving the office. They are staying; you are going.
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  잘 가 / 나 먼저 갈게 Jal ga / Na meonjeo galge Bye / I'll go first Casual Casual goodbyes for close friends. 잘 가 (jal ga) literally means "go well." 나 먼저 갈게 means "I'll go ahead / I'll head off first" — very common among friend groups when someone leaves early.

Nice to meet you

First meetings in Korea follow a fairly predictable script: greeting → name → a light bow (and in business settings, a two-handed business card exchange). Having these two phrases ready means you can carry your half of that script from day one:

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  처음 뵙겠습니다 Cheoeum boepgesseumnida How do you do / Nice to meet you Formal The most formal first-meeting expression. Use it when meeting a client, a senior colleague, or someone much older than you for the first time. It literally means "I am seeing you for the first time."
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  처음 만나서 반가워요 Cheoeum mannaseo bangawoyo Nice to meet you Polite The everyday polite version — warmer and more natural than the formal one above. Often shortened to just 반가워요 (bangawoyo). You'll hear 반갑습니다 (bangapseumnida) as a slightly more formal version too.

How have you been?

Here's something that surprises many learners: Koreans don't really ask "how are you?" the way English speakers do. There's no automatic "How are you?" – "Fine, thanks" exchange with strangers. These phrases are for people you already know and genuinely haven't seen in a while:

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  잘 지내셨어요? Jal jinaesyeosseoyo? How have you been? Polite Used with someone you already know — a teacher, colleague, or acquaintance you haven't seen in a while. Response: 네, 잘 지냈어요 (ne, jal jinaesseoyo) — "Yes, I've been well."
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  오랜만이에요 Oraenmanieyo Long time no see Polite Said when you haven't seen someone in a while — weeks, months, or longer. Often said alongside 잘 지내셨어요? The casual version is 오랜만이야 (oraenmaniya).

The greeting textbooks skip: "Have you eaten?"

Spend any time around Korean speakers and you'll notice a greeting that isn't in most textbooks at all:

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  밥 먹었어요? Bap meogeosseoyo? Have you eaten? (= How are you?) Polite Literally "Did you eat rice?" — but it's rarely a genuine question about food. It's a warm way of saying "I care about how you're doing." The standard reply is 네, 먹었어요 (ne, meogeosseoyo — "Yes, I ate"), even if you haven't.

The phrase carries real history: through war and the hard decades that followed, having eaten meant being okay — so asking about someone's last meal became a way of asking after their wellbeing. If a Korean friend, host, or teacher greets you this way, they're not offering lunch. Answer warmly, ask it back (밥 먹었어요?), and you'll sound far more natural than any textbook dialogue.

Quick reference table

Hangul	Romanization	Meaning	Level	When to use
안녕하세요	Annyeonghaseyo	Hello	Polite	Everyone, everyday
안녕하십니까	Annyeonghasimnikka	Hello (formal)	Formal	Business, official
안녕	Annyeong	Hi / Bye (casual)	Casual	Close friends only
여보세요	Yeoboseyo	Hello (phone)	Polite	Phone calls only
안녕히 가세요	Annyeonghi gaseyo	Goodbye (they leave)	Polite	When they are going
안녕히 계세요	Annyeonghi gyeseyo	Goodbye (you leave)	Polite	When you are going
처음 뵙겠습니다	Cheoeum boepgesseumnida	How do you do	Formal	First meetings (formal)
반가워요	Bangawoyo	Nice to meet you	Polite	First meetings (everyday)
잘 지내셨어요?	Jal jinaesyeosseoyo?	How have you been?	Polite	Reconnecting
오랜만이에요	Oraenmanieyo	Long time no see	Polite	After a long absence
밥 먹었어요?	Bap meogeosseoyo?	Have you eaten? (= how are you?)	Polite	Warm check-in with people you know

Putting it together: your first conversation

Here's how these pieces actually flow in a real first meeting — say both parts out loud:

You: 안녕하세요! 처음 만나서 반가워요. — Hello! Nice to meet you.
Them: 반가워요! 어느 나라에서 왔어요? — Nice to meet you! Which country are you from?
You: (answer, chat, time to go…)
You: 안녕히 계세요! — Goodbye! (you're leaving, they're staying)
Them: 안녕히 가세요! — Goodbye! (said to you, the one going)

Notice the ending: each person uses the other goodbye. That exchange — one 가세요, one 계세요 — happens millions of times a day across Korea, and getting it right instantly marks you as someone who has studied properly. If you want more full phrases to slot into the middle of that conversation, the 20 essential Korean phrases list picks up exactly where greetings leave off.

A note on bowing

Korean greetings almost always come with a bow. The depth of the bow signals the level of respect:

• Slight nod (5–10°) — casual acknowledgement, passing someone in the hallway
• Polite bow (15–30°) — standard greeting for most everyday situations
• Deep bow (45–90°) — formal occasions, meeting elders, sincere apologies

As a foreigner, a genuine 15–30° bow with 안녕하세요 will always be warmly received. Koreans appreciate the effort far more than they expect perfection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 안녕하세요 literally mean?

안녕하세요 literally means "Are you at peace?" — 안녕 (annyeong) means peace or wellbeing, and 하세요 is a polite verb ending. Over centuries it evolved into the all-purpose polite hello, just as "how do you do" stopped being a genuine question in English.

Is 안녕 rude to say to adults?

Yes — 안녕 is casual speech (반말) and should only be used with close friends, younger people, or children. Saying it to a stranger, elder, or anyone in a formal setting comes across as rude or overly familiar. When in doubt, always use 안녕하세요.

How do Koreans greet on the phone?

Koreans answer the phone with 여보세요 (yeoboseyo) — used exclusively for phone calls, never in person. You'll hear it in every K-drama phone scene. It's the equivalent of picking up and saying "hello?" in English. For more phrases like this, see the full list of essential Korean phrases for beginners.

Why do Koreans ask "Have you eaten?" as a greeting?

Because for much of Korea's history, having eaten meant being okay. 밥 먹었어요? evolved into a warm stand-in for "how are you?" — it's about care, not food. Reply 네, 먹었어요 ("yes, I ate") and ask it back. Korean expresses affection sideways like this a lot — see all the ways of saying I love you in Korean.

Why are there two goodbyes?

Because Korean goodbyes describe what's happening next, not who's speaking. 안녕히 가세요 means "go in peace" — said to whoever is leaving. 안녕히 계세요 means "stay in peace" — said to whoever is staying. Once you know this, it clicks immediately. Practise saying both out loud — use our guide on how to practise speaking Korean by yourself to build the muscle memory.