Simply Korea 101

Simply Korea 101 Β· Chapter 1 | Hello in Korean: 5 Essential Greetings

 Welcome to Simply Korea 101! 

You’ve learned the basics of Hangul.

Now it’s time to start using Korean in everyday life.

And what better place to start than with a simple hello?

Today, we’ll learn 5 simple Korean greetings that you can use when meeting people in Korea.

πŸ‘‹ 1. μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš” β€” Hello

μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”

Pronunciation: annyeonghaseyo

English: Hello

This is the most common polite greeting in Korean.

You can use μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš” when meeting someone for the first time, greeting a store employee, talking to a stranger, or simply saying hello to someone you know.

It works in many everyday situations.

πŸ—£οΈ Practice

μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”.

β†’ Hello.

Say it slowly:

μ•ˆ β€” λ…• β€” ν•˜ β€” μ„Έ β€” μš”

πŸŒ… 2. μ•ˆλ…• β€” Hi / Bye

μ•ˆλ…•

Pronunciation: annyeong

English: Hi / Bye

μ•ˆλ…• is a casual greeting.

You can use it with close friends, family members, or people who are younger than you in appropriate situations.

It can mean both β€œHi” and β€œBye.”

Example

A: μ•ˆλ…•!

β†’ Hi!

B: μ•ˆλ…•!

β†’ Hi!

Later:

A: μ•ˆλ…•!

β†’ Bye!

B: μ•ˆλ…•!

β†’ Bye!

πŸ™‡ 3. μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ°€μ„Έμš” β€” Goodbye

μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ°€μ„Έμš”

Pronunciation: annyeonghi gaseyo

English: Goodbye

This phrase is used when the other person is leaving.

Literally, it means something like:

β€œGo peacefully.”

You might hear this from a cafΓ© employee, restaurant staff, or a store employee when you leave.

Example

Staff: κ°μ‚¬ν•©λ‹ˆλ‹€. μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ°€μ„Έμš”!

β†’ Thank you. Goodbye!

You: κ°μ‚¬ν•©λ‹ˆλ‹€.

β†’ Thank you.

πŸšͺ 4. μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ³„μ„Έμš” β€” Goodbye

μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ³„μ„Έμš”

Pronunciation: annyeonghi gyeseyo

English: Goodbye

This one can be confusing for beginners because it also means β€œGoodbye.”

The difference is simple:

μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ°€μ„Έμš”

β†’ The other person is leaving.

μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ³„μ„Έμš”

β†’ You are leaving.

Easy way to remember:

κ°€μ„Έμš” = Go

κ³„μ„Έμš” = Stay

So if you leave, say:

μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ³„μ„Έμš”.

If the other person leaves, say:

μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ°€μ„Έμš”.


🀝 5. λ§Œλ‚˜μ„œ λ°˜κ°€μ›Œμš” β€” Nice to Meet You

λ§Œλ‚˜μ„œ λ°˜κ°€μ›Œμš”

Pronunciation: mannaseo bangawoyo

English: Nice to meet you

Use this when meeting someone for the first time.

It is a warm and polite way to say that you’re happy to meet someone.

Example

μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”. μ €λŠ” Aylaμ˜ˆμš”.

β†’ Hello. I’m Ayla.

λ§Œλ‚˜μ„œ λ°˜κ°€μ›Œμš”.

β†’ Nice to meet you.

πŸ’¬ Mini Conversation

Let’s put everything together!

A: μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”.

β†’ Hello.

B: μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”.

β†’ Hello.

A: μ €λŠ” Emmaμ˜ˆμš”. λ§Œλ‚˜μ„œ λ°˜κ°€μ›Œμš”.

β†’ I’m Emma. Nice to meet you.

B: μ €λŠ” Aylaμ˜ˆμš”. 저도 λ°˜κ°€μ›Œμš”.

β†’ I’m Ayla. Nice to meet you, too.

A: 그럼 λ‹€μŒμ— λ΄μš”!

β†’ See you next time!

B: λ„€, μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ°€μ„Έμš”!

β†’ Yes, goodbye!

Korean Tip

In Korean, μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš” is your safest greeting when you’re not sure which expression to use.

You can use it with people you don’t know, older people, employees, teachers, and in many everyday situations.

So if you remember only one Korean greeting today, remember:

μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”! 

πŸ—£οΈ Read Aloud & Repeat

μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”.

Hello.

μ•ˆλ…•.

Hi / Bye.

μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ°€μ„Έμš”.

Goodbye.

μ•ˆλ…•νžˆ κ³„μ„Έμš”.

Goodbye.

λ§Œλ‚˜μ„œ λ°˜κ°€μ›Œμš”.

Nice to meet you.

Try saying each expression three times.

Don’t worry about perfect pronunciation.

The most important thing is to practice speaking out loud.

Click, listen, read aloud, and repeat.

🎯 Today’s Korean Challenge

Can you greet someone in Korean?

Imagine you’re meeting a Korean person for the first time.

Try saying:

μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ„Έμš”. μ €λŠ” Aylaμ˜ˆμš”. λ§Œλ‚˜μ„œ λ°˜κ°€μ›Œμš”.

β†’ Hello. I’m Ayla. Nice to meet you.

πŸŽ‰ Congratulations!

You just completed your first Korean conversation.

🌸 See You Tomorrow

Tomorrow, we’ll learn another set of useful Korean expressions that you can use in everyday life.

Keep practicing, one word at a time.

See you in Chapter 2! 


β€” Ayla

Let’s discover Korea, one word, one dish, and one story at a time.