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Korean speech levels show how a speaker addresses a listener. Honorifics can also show respect toward a person being discussed. These systems work together, but they are not the same thing. Age, familiarity, social roles, and the setting all influence the choice.
This beginner lesson focuses on three useful speech styles, everyday greetings, goodbyes, and introducing yourself by name. You do not need to master every honorific form before you start speaking.
Three useful speech styles
Korean has more speech levels than these three. We will start with the styles you are likely to hear in daily conversation and formal introductions.
| Style | Typical form | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Casual (해체) | 안녕. | With a close friend or family member when casual speech is appropriate in that relationship. Closeness does not automatically mean you can speak casually to everyone. |
| Informal polite (해요체) | 안녕하세요. | A useful starting point with unfamiliar adults and in many everyday interactions. |
| Formal polite (하십시오체) | 안녕하십니까? | Formal introductions, announcements, interviews, and presentations. This is also polite speech; “formal” does not mean every situation requires it. |
Informal polite speech commonly has endings with 요. Formal polite statements often end in -ㅂ니다 or -습니다, and questions in -ㅂ니까 or -습니까. These are patterns to recognize, not complete conjugation rules.
People may agree to use casual speech as they become closer. They may also keep polite speech, or use different levels with each other because of their relationship or roles. Being older does not automatically give you permission to switch to casual speech. When unsure, begin politely and follow the other person’s preferences.
Speech level and honorifics: two different choices
A sentence ending addresses the listener. Subject honorifics show respect toward the person doing or experiencing something. The marker -(으)시- and special words such as 계시다 can serve this second purpose.
| Korean | Revised Romanization | Meaning and context |
|---|---|---|
| 선생님은 학교에 계세요. | seonsaengnimeun hakgyoe gyeseyo | The teacher is at school. 계시다 respectfully refers to the teacher’s presence; the 요 ending addresses the listener politely. |
| 저는 린다예요. | jeoneun rindayeyo | I’m Linda. 저 is humble “I.” The sentence politely introduces the speaker; it does not honor the speaker with -(으)시-. |
You can speak politely to a listener while talking about yourself without using a subject honorific for yourself. We will study the full system gradually; for now, learn these expressions in context.
Saying hello in Korean
| Style | Korean | Revised Romanization | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casual | 안녕. | annyeong | Hi. Use it where casual speech is appropriate. |
| Informal polite | 안녕하세요. | annyeonghaseyo | Hello. A routine polite greeting. |
| Formal polite | 안녕하십니까? | annyeonghasimnikka | Hello. A formal polite greeting. |
안녕하세요 comes from 안녕하다, “to be well or at peace.” Its literal background resembles “Are you well?” In ordinary use, however, it is a greeting, not usually a request for a report on your health. You do not need to greet the same person again every time you pass them during the day.
| Word | Revised Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕 | annyeong | Well-being or peace; also used as a casual greeting. |
| 안녕하다 | annyeonghada | To be well or at peace. An adjective in its dictionary form. |
A routine exchange might be:
| Speaker | Korean | Revised Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Person A | 안녕하세요. | annyeonghaseyo | Hello. |
| Person B | 네, 안녕하세요. | ne, annyeonghaseyo | Hello. 네 acknowledges the greeting here. |
네 (ne) can mean “yes,” and 아니요 (aniyo) means “no.” A routine 안녕하세요 greeting normally gets a greeting in return; mechanically answering 아니요 would be unusual.
Goodbyes: who is leaving?
The common polite farewell depends on what the other person is doing. Say 안녕히 가세요 to someone who is leaving. Say 안녕히 계세요 to someone who is staying as you leave.
| Korean | Revised Romanization | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕히 가세요. | annyeonghi gaseyo | Goodbye. Literally, “go in peace.” Said to the person leaving. |
| 안녕히 계세요. | annyeonghi gyeseyo | Goodbye. Literally, “stay in peace.” Said to the person staying. |
If you leave a shop and the clerk stays, you can say 안녕히 계세요; the clerk can answer 안녕히 가세요. If both people go their separate ways, both can say 안녕히 가세요.
| Word | Revised Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕히 | annyeonghi | Peacefully; comfortably. An adverb. |
| 가다 | gada | To go. A verb in its dictionary form. |
| 계시다 | gyesida | To be present or stay, referring to a person respectfully. A verb in its dictionary form. |
In these farewell expressions, 가세요 and 계세요 function as polite wishes. The same forms can be statements or questions in other contexts, so do not assume that every sentence ending in -세요 is a command.
A phone call does not always follow the physical leaving-and-staying distinction. 안녕히 계세요 can close a polite call, but the most natural closing depends on the conversation and relationship.
Introducing yourself: “I” in Korean
| Korean | Revised Romanization | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 나 | na | Plain “I,” commonly used in casual speech. Its choice depends on the relationship and context. |
| 저 | jeo | Humble “I,” useful when introducing yourself politely to an unfamiliar adult. |
We will use 저 in these polite introductions. Korean normally puts the predicate at the end of the sentence. English “I am Linda” has the order “I + am + Linda”; the Korean introduction is 저는 + 린다예요.
| Korean | Revised Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 저는 린다예요. | jeoneun rindayeyo | I’m Linda. |
| 저는 민수예요. | jeoneun minsuyeyo | I’m Minsu. |
| 저는 지민이에요. | jeoneun jiminieyo | I’m Jimin. |
는 marks the topic here; it is not a subject particle. After a name ending in a vowel, use 예요, as in 민수예요. After a name ending in a consonant, use 이에요, as in 지민이에요. The ending attaches directly to the name.
In a formal introduction, you can also say 저는 린다입니다 (jeoneun rindaimnida), “I’m Linda.” 입니다 is a formal polite form. It attaches directly to the name.
Practise one greeting and introduction
Imagine meeting an unfamiliar adult. Say 안녕하세요, introduce yourself using 저는 and your name, and choose the farewell according to who leaves. With a close friend, choose casual speech only if it fits your relationship.
Review a few expressions regularly and check your pronunciation against recordings. 파이팅 (paiting) is a common expression of encouragement, such as “You can do it!” or “Good luck!” 화이팅 is also heard, but 파이팅 is the standard spelling. It does not refer to a literal fight in this use.
To continue, see Common Korean Particles and Their Functions. The Latin spellings in the tables follow Revised Romanization; they are reading aids, not an exact English pronunciation guide.
