Korean Greetings: How to Say Hello and Goodbye Politely
1. Start with 안녕하세요
안녕하세요.
annyeonghaseyo — Hello.
Use this polite greeting with a new classmate, a colleague you do not know well, a teacher or a stranger. It works in the morning, afternoon and evening.
For your first Korean conversations, make 안녕하세요 your everyday default. You can usually respond with the same greeting. You do not need a separate time-of-day phrase to begin.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Greet someone politely, give your name and respond at a first meeting.
- Choose a goodbye according to who is leaving and who is staying.
- Recognise when casual language fits the relationship and complete a short exchange.
Lesson 02 helped you build and read Hangul blocks. These expressions also include final consonants and sound patterns you have not studied yet. Learn the short phrases as whole expressions for now. Latin reading aids follow Revised Romanization; they support reading, rather than representing exact English sounds.
Your first response: A new colleague says 안녕하세요. Complete your reply using today’s everyday greeting: ________.
Check your reply
안녕하세요. — Hello. A matching polite greeting is enough to start.
2. Meet someone and give your name
저는 민수입니다.
jeoneun Minsuimnida — I’m Minsu.
Use the pattern 저는 [name]입니다. to introduce yourself politely. Replace [name] with your name, and write 입니다 immediately after it.
For example: 저는 안나입니다. — I'm Anna.
저는 introduces “I”, and 입니다 supplies the polite “am” in this pattern. Write 입니다 directly after the name: 민수입니다, not 민수 입니다. The same pattern works whether the written Korean name ends in a vowel or a consonant; you do not need to choose a different ending here.
만나서 반갑습니다.
mannaseo bangapseumnida — Nice to meet you.
A polite, formal expression for a first meeting. You can use it after giving your name or in response to someone’s introduction.
Both 안녕하세요 and the 입니다 / 반갑습니다 endings are polite. The latter sound more formal, but they work naturally together in an introduction. You do not need the full grammar system to use this short pattern.
Situation A — A new classmate
Minsu and Anna meet for the first time at an adult Korean class. They use polite speech.
Minsu: 안녕하세요. 저는 민수입니다.
Hello. I’m Minsu.
Anna: 안녕하세요. 저는 안나입니다. 만나서 반갑습니다.
Hello. I’m Anna. Nice to meet you.
Minsu: 만나서 반갑습니다.
Nice to meet you.
Make it yours. Cover Anna’s line. Greet Minsu, say your own name and add “Nice to meet you.” Say the whole introduction, then write it. If you don't know how to write your name in Hangul yet, use your usual spelling for this practice. Later, you can learn to write your name in Hangul.
See a sample introduction
Sample with Anna’s name: 안녕하세요. 저는 안나입니다. 만나서 반갑습니다.
Your name will differ. Check for a polite greeting, 저는, your name joined to 입니다, and a first-meeting expression.
3. Choose a goodbye by looking at the other person
English uses “goodbye” in both situations below. Korean often chooses a different expression. First ask: Is the person I am speaking to leaving, or staying here?
안녕히 가세요.
annyeonghi gaseyo — Goodbye.
Say this to someone who is leaving. A useful reminder is “Go well.”
안녕히 계세요.
annyeonghi gyeseyo — Goodbye.
Say this when you leave and the other person stays. A useful reminder is “Stay well.”
The “go/stay well” hints help you choose; in normal English, both expressions are simply “Goodbye.” Choose by the situation, not by which English translation you prefer.
Situation B — You leave the office
You are going home. Your colleague is staying in the office to work.
You: 안녕히 계세요.
Goodbye. (Your colleague is staying.)
Colleague: 안녕히 가세요.
Goodbye. (You are leaving.)
Situation C — Your visitor leaves
You remain at home. A visitor is leaving after a short visit. You use polite speech with each other.
You: 안녕히 가세요.
Goodbye. (Your visitor is leaving.)
Visitor: 안녕히 계세요.
Goodbye. (You are staying.)
If both people leave the meeting place and go their separate ways, 안녕히 가세요 can be appropriate on both sides. This is a practical guide, not a rule based only on which person moves first. In less clear situations, the setting and the other person’s plans matter.
Choose before looking: (a) You leave a classroom; your teacher stays inside. (b) You stay in the classroom; your classmate leaves. What would you say in each case using the two polite goodbyes above?
Check the two goodbyes
(a) 안녕히 계세요. — the teacher stays. (b) 안녕히 가세요. — the classmate leaves. Focus on the person you are addressing.
4. Polite, casual or formal?
| Greeting | When it fits |
|---|---|
| 안녕하세요. annyeonghaseyo | Polite everyday hello. Your default for people you have just met. |
| 안녕. annyeong | Casual “Hi” or “Bye” when casual speech is appropriate between you. |
| 안녕하십니까? annyeonghasimnikka? | A more formal polite hello, often used in official introductions, speeches or other formal settings. |
Polite speech is often called 존댓말; casual, non-polite speech is called 반말. “Casual” is not automatically rude: it can fit close relationships. But being younger, being a classmate or becoming friendly does not by itself give someone permission to use it.
Consider the relationship, what is comfortable and accepted between you, and the setting. Close friends may still use polite speech in a formal event. If you are unsure, keep 안녕하세요 rather than switching to 안녕. 안녕하십니까? is useful to recognise; you do not need it for every new acquaintance.
Situation D — A close friend
Two close friends who already use casual speech meet in a café. This is a casual greeting, not a model for greeting a new colleague.
Friend A: 안녕!
Hi!
Friend B: 안녕!
Hi!
The same 안녕 can also mean “Bye” when these friends part. It is the shared situation that tells you which meaning is intended.
5. More expressions for later
Keep the first-meeting and goodbye expressions above as your core set. These additional expressions are useful to recognise; you do not need to memorise all four today.
| Expression | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| 처음 뵙겠습니다. cheoeum boepgetseumnida | A formal, respectful first-meeting greeting. A natural English equivalent is “Pleased to meet you.” |
| 만나서 반가워요. mannaseo bangawoyo | “Nice to meet you.” Polite, but less formal than 만나서 반갑습니다. |
| 오랜만이에요. oraenmanieyo | “It’s been a while.” Say this to someone you already know when you meet again after some time. |
| 잘 지냈어요? jal jinaesseoyo? | “Have you been well?” / “How have you been?” A check-in with someone you know, often after a gap, rather than a first-meeting greeting. |
For a polite reunion, you might say 오랜만이에요. 잘 지냈어요? — “It’s been a while. How have you been?” One possible reply is 네, 잘 지냈어요. — “Yes, I’ve been well.” Here, 네 is “yes”.
Optional situation check: You meet a friendly colleague again after several months. Which of the four expressions above lets you ask about that time? Why would it not fit a first meeting?
Check the reunion expression
잘 지냈어요? asks how the person has been. With someone you have never met or spoken to before, it is not a natural default greeting. Do not treat it as interchangeable with every English “How are you?” encounter. 오랜만이에요 also fits this reunion, but states that it has been a while rather than asking a question.
6. Put the greetings to work
Try these tasks without copying the dialogues. For items with more than one natural response, compare your answer with the sample and its checklist.
- A new adult classmate greets you before class. Choose the everyday polite default taught here: 안녕 / 안녕하세요 / 안녕하십니까.
- Introduce yourself with 저는 [name]입니다. Write the complete sentence using your own name.
- You leave the office. Your colleague stays at their desk. Complete your goodbye with 가세요 or 계세요: 안녕히 ________.
- Your guest is leaving your home while you remain there. Complete your goodbye: 안녕히 ________.
- You stay in the classroom while your teacher leaves. You say 안녕히 계세요. Correct your goodbye using one of this lesson’s two polite forms.
- Minsu says 안녕하세요. 저는 민수입니다. It is your first meeting. Write a polite reply that gives your name and includes “Nice to meet you.”
- You meet a younger adult coworker for the first time. A learner says, “They are younger, so 안녕 is automatically appropriate.” Explain what to change.
- Which expression is casual, and which is more formal: 안녕 or 안녕하십니까?
- Two close friends who already use casual speech meet informally. Write a short greeting and a matching response using 안녕.
- Role-play: You visit a teacher’s office for your first meeting. Greet the teacher, give your name and say “Nice to meet you.” Later you leave; the teacher stays. Write your introduction and your goodbye, then practise both parts aloud.
Check all 10 answers and sample responses
- 안녕하세요. 안녕하십니까? is also polite and can be appropriate, but the question asks for the everyday default; 안녕 is casual.
- Sample: 저는 안나입니다. Use your own name. Join 입니다 to the name, without a space.
- 안녕히 계세요. Your colleague stays.
- 안녕히 가세요. Your guest leaves.
- 안녕히 가세요. You are addressing the teacher who is leaving; your own position does not change that choice.
- Sample: 안녕하세요. 저는 안나입니다. 만나서 반갑습니다. A different name is expected. 만나서 반가워요. is also a natural polite first-meeting phrase; it is less formal.
- Age alone does not establish an appropriate casual relationship. Start with 안녕하세요. and consider the relationship, mutual expectations and setting before using casual speech.
- 안녕 is casual. 안녕하십니까? is more formal and polite.
- Sample: A: 안녕! B: 안녕! The prompt establishes an informal setting and an accepted casual relationship.
- Sample introduction: 안녕하세요. 저는 안나입니다. 만나서 반갑습니다. Sample goodbye: 안녕히 계세요. Check your own name, polite expressions and the fact that the teacher remains. A possible reply from the teacher is 안녕히 가세요.. This self-practice does not verify pronunciation accuracy.
7. Keep one short conversation ready
Start with 안녕하세요, use 저는 [name]입니다 to introduce yourself, and choose your goodbye by the other person’s situation. If you mixed up the goodbyes, point to “the person leaving” and “the person staying” in one dialogue, then try the opposite role.
Once you can complete the first-meeting role-play, move on to numbers. You can return to the additional reunion expressions when you need them.