안녕하세요!(Korean Greetings)

	반말[banmal] (Between friends)	존댓말[jondaemal] (Honorifics)
Good morning/afternoon/evening!	안녕 [annyoung]	안녕하세요 [annyounghaseyo]
Good bye (The speaker leaving)	잘 있어 [jal issuh]	안녕히 계세요 [annyounghee geyseyo]
Good bye (The speaker staying)	잘 가 [jal ga]	안녕히 가세요 [annyounghee gaseyo]

💻Let’s speak together!

🏐Things you should know

① The difference between “Good morning” and “안녕하세요”

In English, we use different greetings depending on the time of day. For example, “Good morning.” in the morning.

However, in Korean, we use the expression “안녕하세요?” regardless of the time of day. That said, in Korea, influenced by Western culture, people also sometimes use time-based greetings such as “좋은 아침” (Good morning). But the frequency is significantly lower than “안녕하세요” (Hello).

Similar phenomena occur in East Asia and the Middle East. The word “안녕” in “안녕하세요” means “Peace.”

In Arabic culture, there are greetings like “Sala’am,” meaning “Peace,” and “merhaba,” meaning “welcome,” which are used regardless of time, similar to how “안녕” is used in Korea.

If you want to know about the meaning of “안녕하세요,” it translates to “I wish peace upon you.”

 

② Trasition of situation 

Unlike in English, Korean people use the expressions “안녕히 가세요.” or “안녕히 계세요.” depending on whether the person speaking is staying at the location or leaving the location. If one person is leaving the current location, the person leaving says “안녕히 계세요” to the person staying.

Conversely, the person staying says “안녕히 가세요” to the person leaving. 

If we translate them into English, they are like below:

“안녕히 가세요.”(Please go peacefully) / “안녕히 계세요.”(Please stay peacefully)

 

③ 반말 & 존댓말

We get to the good stuff😁

In Korea, depending on the other person’s age, position, or social status, people may use either “반말(informal language)” or “존댓말formal language”.

Formal language, known as “존댓말” (jondaemal), is used when speaking to someone older, in a higher position, or with a higher social status. On the other hand, informal language, known as “반말” (banmal), is used when speaking to someone younger, a close friend, or in a lower position.

Age is the most important criterion, but it’s not always the only factor. If there isn’t much familiarity with the other person, you can use “존댓말formal language” , even if they are younger than you.

Of course, for those unfamiliar with the differences between informal and formal language, it might seem complex. Therefore, if you are an absolute beginner, I strongly recommend you to learn and practice “존댓말formal language” first until it becomes familiar. This way, you can avoid mistakes when having conversations in Korean. 

 

🎫Let’s practice!

가. Greetings

① Most typical situation (If meeting someone for the first time)

     가: 안녕하세요. 

     나: 안녕하세요.

② Between friends (same age)

    가: 안녕.

    나: 안녕.

③ Between someone older than you

    가(older): 안녕.

    나(younger): 안녕하세요. 

나. Saying Good bye

① Most typical situation (If meeting someone for the first time)

    가(The speaker leaving): 안녕히 계세요. 

    나(The speaker staying): 안녕히 가세요.

② Between friends (same age)

    가(The speaker leaving): 잘 있어(Stay well).

    나((The speaker staying): 잘 가(Go well).

③ Between different ages

    가(older): 잘 있어 or 잘 가 (depending on situations)

    나(younger): 안녕히 계세요 or 안녕히 가세요 (depending on situations)

💎 What if…?

Q: What if both people need to leave the current location?

A: Both can say “잘 가” or “안녕히 가세요.” to each other.

In any case, because your partner is leaving the current location, saying “잘 가” or “안녕히 가세요” is appropriate.