Learn all you need to know about greetings in Korean
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Intro |
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| Michael: Which greetings depend on the time of day in Korean? |
| Kyejin: And can they be replaced with time-neutral greetings? |
| Michael: At KoreanClass101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following scenario: It's one in the afternoon. Ben Morris is greeting his friend, but he hasn't noticed how late it has become. Ben says, |
| "Good morning!" |
| Ben Morris: 좋은 아침이에요! (Joeun achimieyo!) |
| Dialogue |
| Ben Morris: 좋은 아침이에요! (Joeun achimieyo!) |
| Ga-eun Gim: 아침은 아니죠. 지금 오후 한 시잖아요. (Achimeun anijyo. Jigeum ohu han sijanayo.) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben Morris: 좋은 아침이에요! (Joeun achimieyo!) |
| Michael: "Good morning!" |
| Ga-eun Gim: 아침은 아니죠. 지금 오후 한 시잖아요. (Achimeun anijyo. Jigeum ohu han sijanayo.) |
| Michael: "It's not morning. It's one in the afternoon." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: So, what do you say to someone when greeting them in the morning? In this case, you can say |
| Kyejin: 좋은 아침이에요. (Joeun achimieyo.) |
| Michael: This is the equivalent of the English “Good morning.” |
| Kyejin: Korean doesn’t really have greetings equivalent for “Good afternoon” or “Good evening,”. When greeting someone in the afternoon or in the evening, you can simply say |
| Kyejin: 안녕하세요. (Annyeonghaseyo.) |
| Michael: which is the universal Korean greeting equivalent to the English “Hello.” |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let’s find out by reviewing the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Ben Morris says "Good morning?” |
| Kyejin: 좋은 아침이에요! (Joeun achimieyo!) |
| Michael: As we’ve already learned, this is the equivalent of the English “Good morning.” |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Now, let’s take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Ga-eun Gim says "It's not morning. It's one in the afternoon?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Ga-eun Gim: 아침은 아니죠. 지금 오후 한 시잖아요. (Achimeun anijyo. Jigeum ohu han sijanayo.) |
| Michael: We mentioned that Korean doesn’t really have a greeting for “Good afternoon”, or “Good evening”, at least not in the way it’s used in English. However, asking each other if they’ve eaten is part of the greetings in Korean. So, you will often hear Koreans say |
| Kyejin: (아침) 식사 하셨어요? ((achim) Siksa hasyeosseoyo?) |
| Kyejin: (점심) 식사 하셨어요? ((jeomsim) Siksa hasyeosseoyo?) |
| Kyejin: (저녁) 식사 하셨어요? ((jeonyeok) Siksa hasyeosseoyo?) |
| Michael: “Have you had your meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner)?” Again, in daily conversations, Koreans don’t really use “Good afternoon/evening”. Instead, they simply say |
| Kyejin: 안녕하세요. (Annyeonghaseyo.) |
| Michael: when greeting someone in the afternoon and evening, or practically any time of the day. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, we learned that, if you want to greet someone in the morning, you can say |
| Kyejin: 좋은 아침입니다. (Joeun achimimnida) |
| Michael: which means “Good morning.” If you want to greet someone in the evening, you can use the universal Korean greeting, |
| Kyejin: 안녕하세요. (Annyeonghaseyo.) |
| Michael: or “hello.” The same is true whenever you want to greet someone throughout the day |
| Expansion |
| Michael: What about other types of greetings? Is it okay to simply say “Hi” or “Hello” in Korean? The good news is, it is! In Korean, you can simply say |
| Kyejin: 안녕하세요. (Annyeonghaseyo.) |
| Michael: or “Hello,” as an alternative to “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” or “Good evening.” This is the most common way to greet someone in Korean in a polite and respectful manner. Another way you can greet people in Korean is by saying |
| Kyejin: 안녕하십니까? (Annyeonghasibnikka?) |
| Michael: This one also means “Hello,” but it’s more of the equivalent of “Good day” in English and is used mainly in very formal situations. Nowadays, you will only hear it on the news or when business owners or employees greet their customers. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion (Optional) |
| Michael: A lot of non-Korean speakers, or even those who study the Korean language, think that there’s really no difference between the greetings |
| Kyejin: 안녕! (Annyeong!) |
| Keyjin: and |
| Kyejin: 안녕하세요. (Annyeonghaseyo.) |
| Michael: They think that the two are the same, and would even use them interchangeably when greeting Korean people. The truth is: one of these is used as a casual greeting and the other one is said in settings where you need to show respect. If you’re greeting someone close to you, such as a family member or a friend, you can simply say |
| Kyejin: 안녕! (Annyeong!) |
| Michael: which is the equivalent of “Hi” in English. If you’re greeting someone higher in rank or someone who’s more senior, you have to use |
| Kyejin: 안녕하세요. (Annyeonghaseyo.) |
| Michael: A more formal greeting would be |
| Kyejin: 안녕하십니까? (Annyeonghasimnikka?) |
| Michael: It still means “Hello” or “How are you,” but it’s reserved for the most formal of situations, such as when you’re addressing a government official or the CEO of the company you’re working for. Still, you’d be on the safe side even if you only use |
| Kyejin: 안녕하세요 (Annyeonghaseyo) |
| Michael: which, by the way, is also often used as a substitute to “Good morning.” |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Kyejin: 안녕히 계세요 (Annyeonghi gyeseyo.) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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