Korean Greetings: Choosing Formal or Informal for Hello and Good Morning
Learn to pick the right Korean greeting for the situation, from 안녕하세요 to 안녕, with Hangul, Revised Romanization and clear context rules.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
Korean has more than one way to say hello, and the greeting you choose shows how you see the relationship and the situation. In this lesson you will learn the two most useful initial greetings, 안녕하세요 and 안녕, plus a morning greeting and a friendly hey. You will practice choosing between them based on who you are talking to and where you are. This lesson covers greetings only, not farewells, so you can start a conversation with the right tone from the first word.
By the end, you can…
- greet someone politely with 안녕하세요 in most public and formal situations.
- use 안녕 with close friends, younger people, or people I know well.
- choose a greeting based on age, relationship, and setting.
- recognize when a casual greeting would sound rude and switch to the polite form.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
안녕하세요
Hello / Good day (polite)
an-nyeong-ha-se-yo
The safe, polite default. Use with strangers, older people, teachers, coworkers you do not know well, and in shops or offices.
안녕
Hi / Hey (casual)
an-nyeong
Use only with close friends, people clearly younger than you, or children. It can sound rude to a stranger or an older person.
좋은 아침이에요
Good morning (polite)
jo-eun a-chim-i-e-yo
A polite morning greeting. It is less common than 안녕하세요 in daily life but useful in workplaces and with people you meet in the morning. Note that 좋은 아침이에요 is a calque of the English 'good morning' and is not a traditional everyday Korean greeting; many Koreans find it slightly awkward or translated-sounding, so 안녕하세요 is usually the safer choice.
좋은 아침
Good morning (casual)
jo-eun a-chim
Casual morning greeting for friends or close colleagues. Without the polite ending 이에요, it is informal. Like 좋은 아침이에요, this is a literal rendering of English 'good morning' rather than a common native greeting; use it sparingly.
안녕하십니까
Hello (very formal)
an-nyeong-ha-sim-ni-kka
A formal greeting used in business, presentations, the military, and very polite settings. It is more formal than 안녕하세요.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The polite greeting 안녕하세요 ends in the polite ending -세요, which signals respect and distance. The casual 안녕 has no polite ending, so it signals closeness or lower social distance. Compare: 안녕하세요, 선생님 (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo, seon-saeng-nim) 'Hello, teacher' and 안녕, 민수야 (an-nyeong, Min-su-ya) 'Hey, Minsu.' The same word 안녕 appears in both, but the ending changes the politeness level. For morning, 좋은 아침이에요 adds the polite 이에요, while 좋은 아침 drops it. Note that 안녕하세요 is not built from a noun plus a polite verb ending in the way many textbook patterns are; it is a fixed set expression, so treat -세요 here as part of the whole greeting rather than as a slot you can freely swap.
When to use it
Use 안녕하세요 when you are not sure, when the person is older or has higher status, or in any public or professional setting. Use 안녕 only when you are sure the relationship is close and equal or you are older. For example, say 안녕하세요 to a new coworker, a shop owner, or your friend's parents. Say 안녕 to your best friend, a younger sibling, or a child. If you are meeting someone for the first time, start with 안녕하세요 even if they look your age; you can switch to 안녕 later if they invite you to speak casually.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
안녕하세요, 처음 뵙겠습니다.
Hello, nice to meet you.an-nyeong-ha-se-yo, cheo-eum boep-get-seum-ni-da안녕하세요, 반갑습니다.
Hello, nice to meet you.an-nyeong-ha-se-yo, ban-gap-seum-ni-da좋은 아침이에요. 오늘 회의가 있죠?
Good morning. We have a meeting today, right?jo-eun a-chim-i-e-yo. o-neul hoe-ui-ga it-jyo?네, 맞아요. 안녕, 지훈 씨.
Yes, that's right. Hey, Jihoon.ne, ma-ja-yo. an-nyeong, Ji-hun ssiA little context goes a long way
Korean politeness is not only about age; it also depends on the situation and how well you know the person. A coworker your age may still expect 안녕하세요 at work, while a close friend may find it distant. When in doubt, use the polite form first and let the other person suggest casual speech. Also note that 안녕하세요 works at any time of day, so you do not need a separate greeting for morning, afternoon, and evening in most situations. The morning greetings 좋은 아침이에요 and 좋은 아침 are understood but are not the everyday default; they often sound like translations from English, so many speakers simply use 안녕하세요 in the morning too.
One thing to watch for
Using 안녕 with a stranger or an older person because it is shorter and easier.
Try this instead: Use 안녕하세요 with strangers, older people, and in formal settings. For example, say 안녕하세요, 사장님 (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo, sa-jang-nim) 'Hello, boss,' not 안녕, 사장님. Save 안녕 for close friends or younger people, such as 안녕, 지민아 (an-nyeong, Ji-min-a) 'Hey, Jimin.'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You meet your friend's grandmother for the first time. Which greeting do you use?
Show a sample answer
안녕하세요
안녕하세요 is the polite default for someone older and unfamiliar. 안녕 would be too casual and could sound rude.
2Your close friend calls you in the morning. Which greeting fits best?
Show a sample answer
안녕 or 좋은 아침
Both are casual and friendly. 안녕 is the most common; 좋은 아침 is also fine if you want to say good morning. 안녕하세요 would sound unnecessarily formal between close friends.
3You are starting a business presentation. Which greeting is most appropriate?
Show a sample answer
안녕하십니까
안녕하십니까 is the most formal greeting and fits presentations and business settings. 안녕하세요 is also acceptable in many workplaces, but 안녕하십니까 sets a more formal tone.
Start with 안녕하세요 unless you are sure the relationship is close and casual; then 안녕 is natural. Match the greeting to the person and the setting, not just the time of day.
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