Greetings & Essential Phrases

🎯 What You'll Learn

Learn how to greet people, introduce yourself, and use essential polite expressions. You'll also understand Korea's speech levels (존댓말 vs 반말) and when to use each.

Estimated Time: 45–55 minutes

📖 Speech Levels in Korean

Korean has multiple speech levels based on formality and politeness. As a beginner, focus on two:

Level	Name	When to Use	Ending
Formal Polite	합쇼체 (hapsyo-che)	Business, presentations, strangers, elders	-습니다 / -ㅂ니다
Informal Polite	해요체 (haeyo-che)	Everyday conversations, most situations	-아요 / -어요

⚠️ Important: 존댓말 (Polite Speech)

Always use polite speech (존댓말) with people you've just met, people older than you, or in formal situations. Using casual speech (반말) with the wrong person is considered very rude in Korean culture. When in doubt, go formal!

👋 Basic Greetings

Korean	Romanization	Meaning	When to Use
안녕하세요	annyeong-haseyo	Hello	Any time of day, any polite situation
안녕하십니까	annyeong-hasimnikka	Hello (very formal)	Business, military, formal speeches
안녕	annyeong	Hi / Bye (casual)	Close friends, younger people only
안녕히 가세요	annyeonghi gaseyo	Goodbye (to the person leaving)	You're staying, they're going
안녕히 계세요	annyeonghi gyeseyo	Goodbye (to the person staying)	You're leaving, they're staying

✅ Two Ways to Say Goodbye!

Korean has two goodbyes depending on who's leaving. If you're both leaving, either works, but 안녕히 가세요 is most common.

🤝 Self-Introduction (자기소개)

안녕하세요. (Hello.)

저는 [이름]입니다. (I am [name].)

미국 사람입니다. (I am American.)

만나서 반갑습니다. (Nice to meet you.)

잘 부탁합니다. (Please take care of me. / I look forward to working with you.)

Key Vocabulary

Korean	Romanization	Meaning
저	jeo	I/me (humble, polite)
나	na	I/me (casual)
는/은	neun/eun	topic marker
이름	ireum	name
입니다	imnida	is/am (formal)
이에요/예요	ieyo/yeyo	is/am (polite casual)
사람	saram	person
학생	haksaeng	student

🙏 Essential Polite Expressions

Korean	Romanization	Meaning
감사합니다	gamsahamnida	Thank you (formal)
고마워요	gomawoyo	Thank you (casual polite)
죄송합니다	joesonghamnida	I'm sorry (formal)
미안해요	mianhaeyo	I'm sorry (casual polite)
네	ne	Yes
아니요	aniyo	No
괜찮아요	gwaenchanayo	It's okay / I'm fine
실례합니다	sillyehamnida	Excuse me (getting attention)
저기요	jeogiyo	Excuse me! (calling someone, like a waiter)
잠깐만요	jamkkanmanyo	Just a moment, please

❓ Useful Questions

Korean	Romanization	Meaning
이름이 뭐예요?	ireumi mwoyeyo?	What's your name?
어디에서 왔어요?	eodieseo wasseoyo?	Where are you from?
한국어 할 수 있어요?	hangugeo hal su isseoyo?	Can you speak Korean?
이해했어요?	ihaehesseoyo?	Do you understand?
뭐라고요?	mworagoyo?	What did you say? / Pardon?
영어 하세요?	yeongeo haseyo?	Do you speak English?

💬 Practice Dialogue

Meeting Someone New

A: 안녕하세요! (Hello!)

B: 안녕하세요! (Hello!)

A: 저는 레이입니다. 이름이 뭐예요? (I'm Ray. What's your name?)

B: 저는 수진이에요. 만나서 반가워요! (I'm Sujin. Nice to meet you!)

A: 어디에서 왔어요? (Where are you from?)

B: 한국에서 왔어요. 레이 씨는요? (I'm from Korea. How about you, Ray?)

A: 미국에서 왔어요. (I'm from America.)

🌏 Countries & Nationalities

Country	Korean	Nationality (+ 사람)
Korea	한국	한국 사람
USA	미국	미국 사람
Japan	일본	일본 사람
China	중국	중국 사람
Philippines	필리핀	필리핀 사람
UK	영국	영국 사람
Canada	캐나다	캐나다 사람
Australia	호주	호주 사람

✍️ Quiz

Q1: How do you say goodbye to someone who is leaving?

Q2: What's the formal way to say "thank you"?

🎯 Summary

🎉 Key Takeaways

Use 존댓말 (polite speech) with strangers, elders, and in formal settings
안녕하세요 works as "hello" in any polite situation
There are two goodbyes: 가세요 (to the leaver) and 계세요 (to the stayer)
Self-introductions use 저는 [이름]입니다
Add 씨 after first names or full names as an honorific
Nationality = country name + 사람 (person)

🇰🇷 Lesson 4: Greetings & Essential Phrases