8 ways to say hello in Korean, from 안녕하세요 to 안녕
Korean has no word that just means hello. 안녕하세요 asks whether you are at peace, 밥 먹었어요 asks whether you have eaten, and which one you reach for depends on who is in front of you and how well you know them.
The eight below cover a first day in Korea and most days after it. They are in the polite 요 form unless the note says otherwise; one is stiffer than that and one is strictly for friends.
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안녕하세요.
annyeonghaseyo.
Hello.
Literally: Are you at peace?
The default. It works morning to night, with strangers and with anyone older than you. Goes with a small nod of the head; a deeper bow if the person is clearly senior.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
안녕하십니까.
annyeonghasimnikka.
Hello. (formal)
The stiff, formal version. You hear it from shop staff, in presentations and in the army; between acquaintances it sounds like a script. Worth recognising, rarely worth saying.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
안녕.
annyeong.
Hi. / Bye.
Casual (반말), for close friends your age or younger, and for children. It covers hello and goodbye. To a stranger or someone older it reads as rude, not friendly.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
밥 먹었어요?
bap meogeosseoyo?
Have you eaten?
Literally: Did you eat rice?
Works as a greeting between people who already know each other. The expected reply is a quick 네, 먹었어요 (yes, I ate); nobody wants a report.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
오랜만이에요.
oraenmanieyo.
Long time no see.
Literally: It has been a long while.
For anyone you have not seen in weeks or longer. Usually said right after 안녕하세요, as a second greeting of its own.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
잘 지냈어요?
jal jinaesseoyo?
How have you been?
Literally: Did you spend (the time) well?
The natural follow-up to 오랜만이에요. It asks about the stretch since you last met, so it does not work on someone you saw yesterday.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
처음 뵙겠습니다.
cheoeum boepgetseumnida.
Nice to meet you.
Literally: I see you for the first time.
The formal first-meeting line. It opens an introduction: 처음 뵙겠습니다, then your name and 입니다. Once per person, ever.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
여보세요?
yeoboseyo?
Hello? (on the phone)
Only on the phone, when you pick up or check the line is still live. Said face to face it gets a laugh.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase →
If you remember one rule, make it this: 안녕하세요 is never wrong, and 안녕 often is. Koreans forgive a foreigner's formality far more readily than a foreigner's familiarity, and the small bow that goes with 안녕하세요 does as much work as the word.