Before you learn to speak Korean, you need to be aware of the varying levels of the spoken language. Speech levels show how the speaker addresses the listener. Honorifics also include ways to show respect toward the person being discussed; these are related but distinct concepts. Respect is extremely important in the Korean culture – respect for age, position, rank, experience, etc., and hierarchy is interwoven into every aspect of life.
This lesson will explain the ins and outs of the Korean levels of formality and when to use them.
Once these “formalities” are in order, we will learn the following simple phrases in the second part of the lesson:
Hello, how are you?
Good-bye.
I am (name).
Levels of formality
For a beginner’s introduction, we will focus on three common styles. Korean has other speech levels as well:
- 1Casual
- 2Polite
- 3Formal
Casual
The casual form is used between close friends, close family members, and when speaking to a young child. Its appropriateness depends on the relationship, age, role, and setting; close family members do not necessarily use it with everyone in the family.
Using casual speech with an unfamiliar adult can sound rude or overly familiar. It does not necessarily indicate an intentional insult. When unsure, begin with polite speech.
Polite
The polite form is the one that is most commonly used in everyday speech. It is a useful starting point with unfamiliar adults. More formal settings, such as an interview or presentation, may call for formal polite speech.
Formal
Formal polite speech is used in situations such as customer service, announcements, presentations, and formal introductions. You will hear the formal speech most often when listening to news broadcasts. The formal speech is also used when speaking in front of a group in business or academic settings.
Fun Fact!
Here is an interesting scenario that often takes place when meeting someone new in a casual setting:
When you meet someone new, you would normally communicate with each other in the polite form. If or when you decide to become closer friends, you first need to find out who is older or younger in order to determine how to properly address each other. You may then agree to use casual speech; becoming friends does not automatically mean both people will switch.
There are some instances where one person continues with the polite form but the other switches to the casual form. The choice depends on the relationship and social roles. As a learner, do not assume you can switch simply because you are older; follow the other person’s preferences.
Greetings and Introduction in Korean
Let’s take a look at our first phrase.
Saying hello in Korean
| Level | Phrase | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | 안녕 | annyeong |
| Polite | 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo |
| Formal | 안녕하십니까 | annyeonghasimnikka |
Notice that the casual form is the most condensed and the formal form has the longest ending. As a reference, the usual pattern is that the sentences in the polite form will end in “요,” and the formal will end in -ㅂ니다 / -습니다 (statements) or -ㅂ니까 / -습니까 (questions).
In this and all future lessons, I will mostly be using the polite way of speaking. It is the most common and also the safest to use in order not to offend anyone by mistake. It is better to err on the side of being polite, and the formal way would sound strange when not appropriate.
Let’s dig deeper into the phrase, “안녕하세요?”
This is a phrase that you will say on a daily basis every time you encounter someone. It is basically the Korean version of “Hello, how are you?” in English. But the actual meaning is somewhat different.
| Word | Romanization | Definition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕 | annyeong | noun | The state of being well, comfortable, at peace |
| 안녕하다 | annyeonghada | adjective (dictionary form) | To be well or at peace; the base of 안녕하세요 |
Literally, the phrase “안녕하세요?” means, “Are you well (comfortable, at peace)?”
As a routine greeting, 안녕하세요 is normally answered with 안녕하세요, often preceded by 네 [ne] (“yes”). It does not usually call for a literal report on your well-being.
아니요 [aniyo] means “no,” but it is not a usual reply to a routine 안녕하세요 greeting.
The usual greeting goes like this:
Person A: “안녕하세요?” (Hello, are you well?)
Person B: “네, 안녕하세요?” (Yes, and are you well?)
Goodbyes in Korean
Let’s now look at the phrase “Goodbye.”
There are two different forms of the parting phrase, depending on who is leaving and who is staying. Say 안녕히 계세요 (“Stay in peace”) to someone who is staying when you leave. Say 안녕히 가세요 (“Go in peace”) to someone who is leaving.
The two phrases are:
| Phrase | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕히 가세요 | annyeonghi gaseyo | Go in peace. |
| 안녕히 계세요 | annyeonghi gyeseyo | Stay in peace. |
The first phrase is comprised of the following parts:
| Word | Romanization | Definition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕히 | annyeonghi | adverb | Well, peacefully, comfortably |
| 가다 | gada | verb (dictionary form) | To go |
The second phrase is comprised of the following:
| Word | Romanization | Definition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕히 | annyeonghi | adverb | Well, peacefully, comfortably |
| 계시다 | gyesida | verb (dictionary form) | To exist (referring to a person respectfully) |
I will explain more about verb conjugations as we get more advanced in grammar. In these farewell expressions, 계세요 and 가세요 function as polite wishes or requests. These forms can also be used in statements or questions in other contexts.
Remember: “가세요” is “go,” and “계세요” is “stay.”
That takes care of the partings when one person stays and the other leaves, but what about when two people meet in a neutral location and both are leaving?
When both people are going their separate ways, then you would both say, “안녕히 가세요” (go in peace).
What if two people are having a phone conversation and both are at their own respective locations?
Then the “stay in peace” version would be more appropriate.
Of course there are many other greetings, such as, “See you later,” “Good night,” “Have a good day,” etc., but we will get to those as we learn more vocabulary.
Introductions: The pronoun “I” in Korean
The last thing to cover is how to simply introduce yourself.
Let’s first look at the pronoun “I.” There are two words to refer to yourself:
| Casual | 나 | [na] |
|---|---|---|
| Polite | 저 | [jeo] |
As I mentioned above, we will only be using the word 저 for the purpose of always erring on the side of being polite.
Korean sentence order: The predicate normally comes at the end.
The way a Korean sentence is constructed is much different from English. In English, the verb separates the subject and the object or complement of the sentence. In a standard Korean sentence, the predicate normally comes at the end. Spoken sentences can have afterthoughts or other variations.
Let’s look at the order of a sentence in both English and Korean.
| English | ||
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Verb | Complement |
| I | am | Linda |
For a Korean introduction, you can say 저는 린다예요 [jeoneun rindayeyo], “I’m Linda.” Here 는 is a topic particle, not a subject particle. After a name ending in a vowel, use 예요; after a consonant, use 이에요. For example, 저는 민수예요 [jeoneun minsuyeyo] and 저는 지민이에요 [jeoneun jiminieyo]. 저 is the humble form of “I.”
Conclusion
While you are greeting people and introducing yourself in Korean, the main thing to remember is that casual speech does not always imply friendliness.
Being too casual can often sound rude, so always try to use the polite or formal form of speech. Polite speech is a practical starting point with unfamiliar adults, though the most natural choice still depends on the setting and relationship.
We also touched on the basics of the Korean sentence structure. Please don’t get overwhelmed by grammar. I don’t know anyone who thinks grammar is exciting and fun … It is, however, a necessary evil when learning a new language!
For now, remember that the predicate normally comes at the end. Then find the appropriate markers for the subject and/or object. It’s that simple!
One last reminder:
Review and repeat every day, and you will make progress!
There is a popular Korean phrase that everyone uses for encouragement: “파이팅!!” It literally means “Fighting!” But the phrase implies, “I am rooting for you!!”
So … the following will now be my ending phrase on every lesson:
REVIEW AND REPEAT DAILY, AND YOU WILL SEE PROGRESS… 화이팅!!
Your feedback is always welcome, so please feel free to leave a comment!