Korean Informal Greetings: Say Hey and What's Up with Friends
Learn casual Korean greetings for friends and peers, including time-of-day versions like jal jasseo and jal ja, plus slangy alternatives such as eo and mwo hae.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
Korean has two main politeness worlds: formal or polite speech (jondaenmal) and informal speech (banmal). This lesson focuses only on informal greetings you use with close friends, same-age peers, younger people you are close to, and sometimes siblings. You will learn short, relaxed greetings such as eo, ya, jal jasseo, jal ja, and mwo hae. These are not rude by themselves, but they are only appropriate when your relationship allows banmal. If you are unsure, use a polite greeting instead. The goal is to recognize and produce natural casual greetings and to match them to the right time of day.
By the end, you can…
- greet a close friend casually in Korean at different times of day.
- recognize when an informal greeting is appropriate and when a polite greeting is safer.
- use short slangy greetings like eo and mwo hae in a natural peer conversation.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
어
Hey / Oh (casual attention getter)
eo
Very short and casual. Use when you suddenly see a close friend or want to get their attention. It is not a full greeting by itself in every situation, but it works as a relaxed hey.
야
Hey! (to a close friend or someone younger)
ya
Use only with close friends or people younger than you in informal relationships. It can sound sharp if used with strangers or older people.
잘 잤어?
Did you sleep well? / Morning
jal jasseo?
A common casual morning greeting among friends. It literally asks whether the person slept well, but it functions like good morning in informal speech.
뭐 해?
What are you doing? / What's up?
mwo hae?
A very common casual way to check in. It can mean what are you doing right now or what's up, depending on context and tone.
잘 자
Sleep well / Good night
jal ja
Said to a close friend or younger person when parting at night. It is informal and friendly, not formal.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Many informal greetings are built from the adverb jal (well) plus a verb. jal jasseo? means did you sleep well? and jal ja means sleep well. The verb ending -eosseo is past tense informal, and the bare verb ja is a casual imperative. You can also use the short question mwo hae? literally what do you do? as a relaxed what's up. Notice that these forms do not use the polite ending -yo. Adding -yo changes the register: jal jasseoyo? and jal jayo are polite, not informal.
When to use it
Use these greetings only when the other person is a close friend, a same-age peer who has agreed to banmal, or someone younger you are close to. For example, you can say eo, jal jasseo? to a friend in the morning, or jal ja when leaving a friend's house at night. Do not use ya or mwo hae? with a professor, a stranger, or an older person you do not know well. In those situations, use a polite greeting such as annyeonghaseyo. If you are not sure whether banmal is allowed, stay polite until the other person invites you to speak casually.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
어, 잘 잤어?
Hey, did you sleep well?eo, jal jasseo?응, 잘 잤어. 너는?
Yeah, I slept well. You?eung, jal jasseo. neoneun?나도. 지금 뭐 해?
Me too. What are you doing now?nado. jigeum mwo hae?그냥 집에 있어. 이따 봐!
I'm just at home. See you later!geunyang jibe isseo. itta bwa!A little context goes a long way
Korean age and social relationship strongly affect which greeting is appropriate. Banmal is not simply casual language; it is a register that shows closeness or a senior-to-junior relationship. Two people born in the same year often use banmal together, but even then, some people prefer to keep polite speech at first. When in doubt, use annyeonghaseyo and wait. If a Korean friend says mal pyeonhage hae or uses banmal with you first, that is a common signal that informal greetings are welcome.
One thing to watch for
Using ya or mwo hae? with someone older or with a stranger because it sounds friendly.
Try this instead: Use ya only with close friends or people younger than you in an informal relationship. With an older person or a stranger, use a polite greeting such as annyeonghaseyo. For example, say annyeonghaseyo, seonsaengnim rather than ya, seonsaengnim.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You meet a close friend at 8 a.m. What is a natural informal morning greeting?
Show a sample answer
잘 잤어? (jal jasseo?)
This asks did you sleep well? and works as a casual morning greeting among friends. You could also say eo, jal jasseo? if you want to add hey first.
2You are leaving a friend's house at 11 p.m. What informal good night can you say?
Show a sample answer
잘 자 (jal ja)
jal ja means sleep well and is used informally with close friends or younger people. A polite alternative would be annyeonghi jumuseyo, but that is not informal.
3Your friend texts you and you want to ask what's up casually. What can you write?
Show a sample answer
뭐 해? (mwo hae?)
mwo hae? literally means what are you doing? and commonly functions as what's up in casual texting. You could also write eo, mwo hae? to sound more relaxed.
Informal Korean greetings are short, friendly, and tied to banmal relationships. Use eo, ya, jal jasseo?, mwo hae?, and jal ja with close friends or younger people you know well, and switch to polite greetings when the relationship is not informal.
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