The most common way to say hello in Korean is annyeonghaseyo (안녕하세요) — one polite greeting that works morning, noon, and night. There is no separate "good morning" or "good evening" to memorize, so annyeonghaseyo alone covers every hello you need, which makes it one of the friendliest greetings to start using on day one.
Say it with a slight bow of the head and you have already made a good impression. Koreans notice when a visitor tries, and this single word opens almost every door.
One word, any time of day
The root inside the greeting is annyeong (안녕), which comes from Sino-Korean characters meaning "peace" and "well-being." So annyeonghaseyo literally asks something like "are you at peace?" — a small, warm check-in rather than a time-stamped "good morning."
That is why you never have to match the hour. Whether it is dawn or midnight, annyeonghaseyo is correct. The -seyo ending is what makes it polite, and polite is exactly where a traveler wants to live.
안녕하세요
annyeonghaseyo
Hello (polite)
안녕
annyeong
Hi / bye (casual)
Casual hi and very formal hello
Among close friends, drop the ending and just say annyeong (안녕). It is the all-purpose casual greeting — and, usefully, it means both "hi" and "bye," so friends use the same word coming and going.
There is also a very formal version, annyeonghasimnikka (안녕하십니까), that you will hear from news anchors, in the military, and in ceremonial speeches. You should recognize it, but you will rarely need to say it; annyeonghaseyo is the sweet spot for daily life.
Korean politeness lives in the ending, not in your tone of voice. Save casual annyeong (안녕) for people you already know well — using it with strangers or elders comes across as too familiar. When unsure, the longer -seyo form is always the safe choice. Our guide to speech levels explains why.
The two goodbyes
Here is the detail that surprises everyone: Korean has two ways to say goodbye, and which one you use depends on who is leaving.
Say annyeonghi gaseyo (안녕히 가세요), "go peacefully," to the person who is walking away. Say annyeonghi gyeseyo (안녕히 계세요), "stay peacefully," to the person who is staying put.
So when you leave a shop or a cafe, you are the one leaving — you say gyeseyo to the shopkeeper who stays, and they say gaseyo to you. When two friends part on the street and both walk off, they each say gaseyo to the other.
안녕히 가세요
annyeonghi gaseyo
Goodbye (to the one leaving)
안녕히 계세요
annyeonghi gyeseyo
Goodbye (to the one staying)
Mixing up gaseyo and gyeseyo is the classic beginner slip. If you freeze, a simple annyeong (안녕) works with friends, and a small bow covers the rest. Native speakers will always understand you — but getting the pair right earns a real smile.
Hello on the phone and in shops
Two more greetings round out the set. When you answer the phone, Koreans do not say annyeonghaseyo — they say yeoboseyo (여보세요). It is a phone-only hello, so use it when you pick up and nowhere else.
And when you walk into almost any store or restaurant, the staff will call out eoseo oseyo (어서 오세요), "welcome." You do not need to reply — a nod or a small smile is plenty.
여보세요
yeoboseyo
Hello (on the phone)
어서 오세요
eoseo oseyo
Welcome (shop greeting)
Keep learning Korean
One greeting that works any hour, one casual version for friends, and two goodbyes for who comes and goes — that is genuinely all you need to start. Keep going with our free Korean greetings, then practice saying them out loud with audio and spaced repetition in the Pretalk app until annyeonghaseyo feels automatic.
