How to Say “Hello” in Korean

Woman in teal shirt with her hand by her mouth gesturing hello

Last Updated on


Learning how to say “hello” in Korean helps you make friends, greet acquaintances, and seem like an overall friendly person! It’s very likely one of the words that you will use most often when speaking Korean.

There are multiple ways of saying it, and not all of them are polite. We’ll show you which ones you need to know, and which ones to avoid in certain situations.

Let’s get to it!

Woman in teal shirt with her hand by her mouth gesturing hello

This lesson is written using both Hangeul (the Korean Alphabet) and in romanized English. You don’t need to know Hangeul to read the words, but it will help you with pronunciation of you plan to learn Korean.


Get ready. This lesson is going to take you through some of the different ways to say “hello” in Korean!

The Korean word for “hello” changes based on who you are speaking with. This is because there are different ways of speaking depending on where you fall in the social hierarchy. Generally speaking, the more formal versions of the words are longer whereas the informal versions are shorter and simpler.


We’ll also explain some other greetings you might hear so you can be prepared to start speaking with Koreans–in Korean!

Formal “Hello” in Korean


1. 안녕하십니까? (annyeonghasimnikka)

This form of “hello” is often used in announcements, speeches, or on the news. It is the formal way of saying “hello”. You would use 안녕하십니까 (annyeonghasimnikka) when you want to show high levels of respect to the other person.



Associations for Formal “Hello”

Let’s use an association to help remember this phrase. An association is a story you use to help remember a word or phrase.


안녕하십니까 (annyeonghasimnikka)?

Ann Young has a sneaker?

Associations don’t have to be exact, in this case we want a strong enough image to remind us of the correct way to say this greeting.

Standard “Hello” in Korean

1. 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo)

This is the standard way of saying “hello” in Korean. If you are going to learn only one way to say hello, then this is the one you should learn!

You can use this phrase in any situation. For example, you might use it with a convenience store clerk, a new business associate, or to your Korean teacher.



The 세 (se) part of the word comes from 시 (si) which is often inserted into words to show more respect. The 시 (si) character is used when speaking to somebody older than you, but it can also be used when asking a question.

Sometimes you will see the standard word for “hello” written with a question mark after it. Technically it is a question, and the correct reply is 네, 안녕하세요? (ne, annyeonghaseyo? | yes, hello?)



In that case, you should still reply with 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo). It shows good manners, and you will be sure to maintain harmony in all of your interactions.

Associations for Standard “Hello” 



안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo)

Ann Young has say, yo!

Ann is quite influential!

Informal “Hello” in Korean

1. 안녕 (annyeong)

Usually people learn standard Korean before informal Korean. The reason is, standard Korean can be used with almost all people. You would only use informal Korean with people who are lower than you in the social rank.


4 young people waving saying hello


“Annyeong” is used in a similar way to how the word ‘hi’ is used in English. Make sure to only use it with close friends or to children since it is informal.

It can also be used as an informal way of saying “bye.”

Associations for Informal “Hello”


In other words:

Ann Young always says hello and goodbye



Telephone “Hello” in Korean

1. 여보세요 (yeoboseyo)

Bonus image for how to say hello in Korean

If you’re excited about all the varieties of “hello” in Korean, we’ve got one more in store for you! There is a special word for “hello” that is used when answering the telephone. This word is 여보세요 (yeoboseyo).

It’s a polite way to answer the phone, even if you don’t know who the caller is. Be careful not to use this greeting in person—phone calls only!

Associations for Telephone “Hello”


Who do you most often spend talking on the phone with?


여보세요 (yeoboseyo)

Remember this to know how to say “hello” on the telephone.

Bonus Ways to Say “Hello” in Korean


Bonus image for how to say hello in Korean


1. 좋은 아침이에요 (joeun achimieyo)



The actual meaning of the phrase is “It is a good morning”. In English, we’d use this as a greeting. In Korean, you can use it as a greeting as well, but it’s not nearly as common.


2. 잘 잤어요? (jal jasseoyo)





3. 오랜만이에요 (oraenmanieyo)




4. 안뇽 (annyong)




5. 밥 먹었어요? (bap meogeosseoyo)


This phrase translates to “have you eaten?” However, it’s a common way to say hello in Korean. Use it as a greeting with people you know well already.




Happy greeting!


    14 replies to "How to Say “Hello” in Korean"

    • Xiaolu._.

      It’s very useful thank you!

    • WS

      Thanks for sharing!

    • 중 숭 밝

      Thank you for the lesson.. ??

    • 90 Day Korean

      Hi W! 안뇽 is a cute way to say 안녕 ^^

    • W

      Isn’t the ‘cute’ hello 안녕?

      • 90 Day Korean

        Hi W, 안녕 is the standard version of casual hello and 안뇽 is the cute version of that. ^^

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.