8 ways to say congratulations in Korean (축하해요 and what to add)
Nearly every Korean congratulation is built on one verb, 축하하다, with the occasion stuck in front of it. That makes the grammar easy and the choice of what to add the real skill: Koreans tend to follow a 축하 with a wish, or to skip it and praise the effort instead.
The eight lines below cover the big occasions and the quiet ones in polite 요 speech, with notes on when to shift up to the honorific or down to casual.
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축하해요.
chukahaeyo.
Congratulations.
The base form, polite and warm. 축하해 to friends in casual speech (반말), 축하합니다 in formal settings, and 축하드려요 when the person is older or senior, since 드리다 is the humble 'give'.
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생일 축하해요.
saengil chukahaeyo.
Happy birthday.
The song goes 생일 축하합니다. For a parent or grandparent the word for birthday itself changes to the honorific 생신, so 생신 축하드려요.
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합격 축하해요.
hapgyeok chukahaeyo.
Congratulations on passing.
합격 is passing an exam, an interview or a driving test, and in a country of entrance exams it is the congratulation people hear most. The opposite, 불합격, is rarely said out loud.
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취업 축하해요.
chwieop chukahaeyo.
Congratulations on the new job.
취업 is landing a job. Swap the noun for the occasion: 승진 (promotion), 이직 (moving jobs), 졸업 (graduation), 개업 (opening a business). The structure never changes.
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결혼 축하해요. 행복하세요.
gyeolhon chukahaeyo. haengbokaseyo.
Congratulations on your wedding. Be happy.
행복하세요 (be happy) is the stock wedding wish and what people write on the envelope of 축의금, the cash gift guests bring. 두 분 행복하세요 (may you both be happy) is the fuller version.
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잘됐네요.
jaldwaenneyo.
That's great news.
Literally: It turned out well.
For smaller wins that do not need a formal 축하: a good test result, a problem solved, a date that went well. The -네요 ending shows you are reacting in the moment.
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고생 많았어요.
gosaeng manasseoyo.
You worked so hard for this.
Literally: You had much hardship.
Koreans often congratulate by acknowledging effort rather than the result. Said after graduation, a finished project or a passed exam, it lands warmer than praise.
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대단해요.
daedanhaeyo.
That's amazing.
Admiration rather than congratulation, so it works for achievements that are not events: a marathon, a published piece, a year of study. 정말 대단해요 adds weight; 멋있어요 (that is cool) is the lighter alternative.
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The honorific ladder is worth learning once: 축하해 for friends, 축하해요 for most people, 축하드려요 for anyone senior. Get that right and you can attach it to any occasion, because the noun in front does not change the ending.