Korean at work is a different register from the Korean you use with friends. The language has built-in formality levels, and the workplace sits firmly at the formal end: respect for rank and hierarchy shapes how you speak, write, and even hand over a business card. The good news is that business Korean is highly patterned — a set of reliable phrases and a few etiquette rules carry you a long way. This guide covers the formal speech style, email and meeting language, titles, and card etiquette, with romanization throughout.
The formal speech style (하십시오체)
The most formal speech level is 하십시오체 (hasipsioche), built on the -습니다 / -ㅂ니다 endings. It's what you hear in presentations, with clients, and from staff to superiors. It sounds crisp and respectful — more formal than the everyday polite -요 style. As a learner, defaulting to it in any professional first contact is always safe.
- 안녕하십니까.annyeonghasimnikka.
Hello. (most formal greeting)
The 하십시오체 greeting — used in formal/business first meetings.
- 감사합니다.gamsahamnida.
Thank you. (formal)
The standard formal thank-you; safe in any business setting.
- 확인하겠습니다.hwaginhagessseumnida.
I will check (on it).
The -겠습니다 ending signals a polite, formal intention to act.
Job titles and how to address colleagues
In a Korean office you address people by their title plus -님, almost never by first name. Titles map to rank, and using the right one is part of basic courtesy. Here are common titles you'll hear; add -님 when addressing the person (사장님, 부장님).
- 사장님sajangnim
Company president / boss
Owner or top executive; the -님 makes it respectful.
- 부장님bujangnim
Department head / general manager
- 과장님gwajangnim
Section chief / manager
- 대리님daerinim
Assistant manager
- 김 과장님Kim gwajangnim
Manager Kim
Surname + title + 님 — the normal way to address a titled colleague.
Email and written phrases
Business email follows a predictable frame: a titled greeting, a self-introduction, the body in formal endings, and a respectful sign-off. Keeping to these set phrases makes your writing read as appropriately professional.
- 안녕하세요, 김민수입니다.annyeonghaseyo, Kim Minsu-imnida.
Hello, this is Kim Minsu.
Greeting + self-introduction to open an email or call.
- 검토 후 회신 드리겠습니다.geomto hu hoesin deurigesseumnida.
I will review it and reply.
드리겠습니다 ('I will humbly give') is a polished business close to a request.
- 확인 부탁드립니다.hwagin butakdeurimnida.
Please confirm. / I'd appreciate your confirmation.
부탁드립니다 is the standard polite way to make a request in writing.
Meeting and presentation phrases
- 회의를 시작하겠습니다.hoeireul sijakhagesseumnida.
Let's begin the meeting.
- 의견 있으십니까?uigyeon isseusimnikka?
Do you have any thoughts/opinions?
Formal way to invite input from the room.
- 다시 한번 말씀해 주시겠어요?dasi hanbeon malsseumhae jusigesseoyo?
Could you say that once more?
말씀 is the honorific word for 'speech/words.'
Business card etiquette (명함)
- Offer and receive cards (명함, myeonghap) with both hands as a sign of respect.
- Present your card with the text facing the recipient so they can read it.
- Take a moment to look at the card you receive — don't pocket it immediately.
- Place received cards on the table in front of you during a seated meeting.
Business Korean is really applied honorifics: it's the formal end of the same speech-level system that runs through all of Korean. If the -습니다 vs -요 distinction feels unfamiliar, our guide to Korean honorifics (존댓말 vs 반말) explains the underlying levels, and the Korean culture and etiquette guide covers the social rules that surround them.
The fastest way to make formal phrases automatic is to rehearse them in realistic exchanges. In AI character conversation, you can role-play a meeting or a client call and practice the -습니다 style without the stakes of a real workplace. For a structured path through formal Korean from the ground up, our Korean courses build the register step by step.
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