How to Say Hello, Thank You & Basic Korean Greetings

Greetings are where every Korean learner should start, because they show up constantly and they teach you the single most important habit in Korean: matching your level of politeness to who you're talking to. Below are the phrases you'll use every day, written in Hangul with romanization and meaning.

How to say hello in Korean

• 안녕하세요annyeonghaseyo

  Hello (polite)

  Your default greeting with almost anyone — strangers, coworkers, elders, shopkeepers.

• 안녕annyeong

  Hi / Bye (casual)

  Only with close friends, people younger than you, or kids. Doubles as a casual goodbye.

• 안녕하십니까annyeonghasimnikka

  Hello (formal)

  Very formal — announcements, the military, news broadcasts, formal business.

Notice 안녕 (annyeong) sits inside all three. It literally means 'peace / well-being', so you're essentially asking 'are you at peace?'. The ending is what changes the politeness level.

How to say thank you in Korean

• 감사합니다gamsahamnida

  Thank you (polite/formal)

  The safe, standard 'thank you'. Use it freely.

• 고맙습니다gomapseumnida

  Thank you (polite)

  Slightly warmer and more native-feeling; interchangeable with 감사합니다 in most situations.

• 고마워gomawo

  Thanks (casual)

  For close friends only.

Goodbye, sorry, and other essentials

• 안녕히 가세요annyeonghi gaseyo

  Goodbye (to the person leaving)

  Literally 'go in peace'. Say this when the other person is the one walking away.

• 안녕히 계세요annyeonghi gyeseyo

  Goodbye (said by the person leaving)

  Literally 'stay in peace'. Say this when you are the one leaving.

• 죄송합니다joesonghamnida

  I'm sorry (polite)

  For apologies and excusing yourself.

• 괜찮아요gwaenchanayo

  It's okay / I'm fine

  Wildly useful — answers 'are you okay?' and politely declines an offer.

• 네 / 아니요ne / aniyo

  Yes / No

존댓말 vs 반말: the politeness rule you can't skip

Korean builds politeness directly into the grammar. There are two broad registers you'll meet first: 존댓말 (jondaenmal), polite/formal speech, and 반말 (banmal), casual speech. The difference isn't just word choice — it's how the verb ends. Say the wrong one to the wrong person and it lands as either oddly stiff or genuinely rude.

• Use 존댓말 (the -요 / -ㅂ니다 endings) with strangers, anyone older, coworkers, teachers, and in any formal setting. When in doubt, default here.
• Use 반말 (the plain endings) only with close friends, family younger than you, or after someone explicitly says it's okay to 'speak comfortably' (말 놓다).
• Age and relationship decide the register, not familiarity alone — Koreans often stay in 존댓말 with someone older even after years of friendship.

Getting a feel for when to switch registers is hard from a textbook because it depends on the relationship. That's exactly where conversation practice helps. In our AI character chat, different characters speak to you at different politeness levels, so you can practice replying in 존댓말 or 반말 and build an instinct for it — without the fear of offending a real person.