How to Say 'Dear Mr. Smith' in Korean: Formal Email Openings
Learn Korean formal email greetings for addressing a recipient by name or title, using honorific titles, company names, and the right level of politeness.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
Korean business emails rarely open with a direct equivalent of 'Dear Mr. Smith.' Instead, the recipient's name is usually followed by an honorific title such as 님, and often by the name of their organization. The greeting itself is a short, set phrase placed at the very top of the message. This lesson teaches only those opening lines: how to address a named person, an unnamed person, and a whole team, at an intermediate level of politeness suitable for work. Closings are not covered here.
By the end, you can…
- open a formal Korean email by addressing a named recipient with the correct honorific title.
- choose between a named greeting, a company-based greeting, and a general greeting depending on what I know about the recipient.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
김민수 님께
To Mr. Kim Minsu
gim min-su nim-kke
The most common named opening. 님 is an honorific suffix attached to the name, and 께 marks the recipient as the honored addressee. Use the full name, or surname plus given name, not the given name alone.
스미스 선생님께
To Mr. Smith
seu-mi-seu seon-saeng-nim-kke
선생님 literally means 'teacher' but is also a respectful title for an adult whose exact position you do not know. It is a safe choice when you cannot confirm a job title.
박사님께
To Dr. (holder of a doctorate)
bak-sa-nim-kke
Use for someone with a doctoral degree. In a clinical setting, a medical doctor is usually addressed as 의사 선생님 rather than 박사님.
㈜한국물산 담당자님께
To the person in charge at Hankuk Mulsan Co., Ltd.
(ju) han-guk mul-san dam-dang-ja-nim-kke
Use when you know the company but not the individual's name. 담당자님 means 'the person in charge' and avoids inventing a name. ㈜ is read as 주식회사 in full or as 주 in this abbreviated reading.
안녕하십니까, 김민수 님.
Hello, Mr. Kim Minsu.
an-nyeong-ha-sim-ni-kka, gim min-su nim
A formal spoken-style greeting that can also open an email body after the address line. The honorific 님 stays attached to the name.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 이름 + 님 + 께 for a named recipient, as in 김민수 님께 or 스미스 선생님께. The suffix 님 raises the person you are addressing, and 께 marks them as the recipient of the message. If you do not know the name, replace the name with a role or organization: 담당자님께, or ㈜한국물산 담당자님께. A general opening such as 안녕하십니까, 관계자 여러분. works when writing to a group. Notice that Korean does not use a word like 'Dear' in these lines; the honorific ending does that work.
When to use it
Choose the named form when you have confirmed the spelling of the recipient's name from a business card, signature, or previous email. Choose the company-based form when you only know the organization, for example ㈜한국물산 담당자님께. Choose the general form when addressing several people, as in 안녕하십니까, 관계자 여러분. If you are unsure of someone's exact rank, 선생님 is a safe respectful title, while titles such as 부장님 or 과장님 should only be used when you know the person holds that position.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
김민수 님께
To Mr. Kim Minsugim min-su nim-kke안녕하십니까, 김민수 님.
Hello, Mr. Kim Minsu.an-nyeong-ha-sim-ni-kka, gim min-su nim성함을 몰라서 ㈜한국물산 담당자님께라고 썼어요.
I didn't know the name, so I wrote 'To the person in charge at Hankuk Mulsan Co., Ltd.'seong-ha-meul mol-la-seo (ju) han-guk mul-san dam-dang-ja-nim-kke-ra-go sseo-sseo-yo네, 그 표현이 맞아요.
Yes, that expression is correct.ne, geu pyo-hyeon-i ma-ja-yoA little context goes a long way
Korean workplace writing often places the recipient's organization before the individual, so a company-based opening can be more natural than a personal one when rank is unclear. Honorifics like 님 are not optional decoration; omitting them can read as abrupt. When in doubt, a slightly more respectful opening is safer than an overly casual one.
One thing to watch for
Writing '친애하는 김민수' as a direct translation of 'Dear Kim Minsu.'
Try this instead: 친애하는 sounds like a personal letter or a translation artifact and does not fit routine business email. Use 김민수 님께 or 안녕하십니까, 김민수 님. instead.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You know the recipient's name is 이서연 and she holds a managerial position. Write a formal opening line.
Show a sample answer
이서연 님께
The name plus 님 plus 께 is the standard named opening. 이서연 부장님께 is also valid if you are certain of her exact title.
2You are writing to a company called ㈜대한전자 but do not know who will read the email. Write the opening.
Show a sample answer
㈜대한전자 담당자님께
This addresses the responsible person without inventing a name. ㈜대한전자 관계자님께 is a valid alternative when writing to several staff.
3Rewrite 'Dear Mr. Smith' when you do not know Mr. Smith's exact position.
Show a sample answer
스미스 선생님께
선생님 is a respectful default title when the rank is unknown. If you later learn his title, you can replace it with that title plus 님.
Open Korean business emails with a name or role plus 님 and 께, and keep the tone honorific rather than translating 'Dear' literally.
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