Learn Basic Korean Phrases for Everyday Life
If you’re just starting to learn Korean, you don’t need to memorize hundreds of words or understand complicated grammar right away.
Learning a few basic Korean phrases can help you communicate from your very first day in Korea.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say:
- Hello in Korean
- Goodbye in Korean
- Thank you in Korean
- Sorry in Korean
You’ll also learn the difference between polite and casual Korean, when to use each expression, and how to pronounce these essential Korean phrases naturally.
These expressions are especially useful when traveling in Korea, meeting Korean people, ordering at cafés and restaurants, shopping, or simply starting your first Korean conversation.
Table of Contents
🎬 Watch the full Korean lesson below and practice with Karen.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to use these expressions in real situations such as cafés, restaurants, shops, hotels, and conversations with Korean friends.
What You’ll Learn
- 안녕하세요 — Hello
- 안녕 — Hi / Bye
- 안녕히 가세요 — Goodbye (when the other person leaves)
- 안녕히 계세요 — Goodbye (when you leave)
- 감사합니다 — Thank you
- 고마워요 — Thank you (warmer and more personal)
- 고마워 — Thanks
- 죄송합니다 — I’m sorry / Excuse me
- 미안해요 — I’m sorry (softer and more personal)
- 미안해 — Sorry
Let’s get started!
Polite vs. Casual Korean
Before learning these expressions, there’s one important thing every Korean beginner should understand:
Korean changes depending on who you’re speaking to.
For beginners, the easiest distinction to remember is between polite Korean and casual Korean.
When Should You Use Polite Korean?
Polite Korean is the safest choice when you’re:
- Meeting someone for the first time
- Talking to someone older than you
- Speaking with a teacher
- Ordering at a restaurant or café
- Talking to hotel or store employees
- Speaking to someone you don’t know well
If you’re unsure which form to use, choose the polite form.
It will be appropriate in most everyday situations.
When Can You Use Casual Korean?
Casual Korean is commonly used between close friends, family members, couples, or people who have agreed to speak casually with each other.
If you’ve just met someone, don’t immediately switch to casual Korean simply because the person appears to be your age.
When in doubt, stay polite.
1. 안녕하세요 — Hello in Korean
안녕하세요
Romanization: annyeonghaseyo
Meaning: Hello
Speech Level: Polite
🔊 Listen: 안녕하세요
안녕하세요 is the most useful Korean greeting for beginners.
You can use it in almost any everyday situation.
For example, you can say 안녕하세요 when you:
- Meet someone for the first time
- Greet your Korean teacher
- Meet a coworker
- Enter a small shop or restaurant
- Meet someone at a hotel or café
If you only learn one Korean greeting before visiting Korea, 안녕하세요 should be the one.
Examples
안녕하세요!
Hello!
선생님, 안녕하세요!
Hello, teacher!
안녕하세요. 처음 뵙겠습니다.
Hello. Nice to meet you.
Casual Version: 안녕
Romanization: annyeong
Meaning: Hi / Bye
Speech Level: Casual
🔊 Listen: 안녕
With close friends, Koreans often shorten 안녕하세요 to simply 안녕.
For example:
안녕! 잘 지냈어?
Hi! How have you been?
Because 안녕 is casual, avoid using it with strangers, teachers, customers, or older people unless you already have a close relationship.
Common Mistake
❌ Meeting someone for the first time:
안녕!
This may sound too casual.
✅ A safer choice:
안녕하세요!
2. 안녕히 가세요 — Goodbye When the Other Person Leaves
Korean has more than one way to say goodbye.
This is an important difference that surprises many Korean beginners.
안녕히 가세요
Romanization: annyeonghi gaseyo
Meaning: Goodbye
Use it when: The other person is leaving
🔊 Listen: 안녕히 가세요
Imagine a friend visits your home.
Your friend is leaving, but you’re staying at home.
You can say:
안녕히 가세요.
Goodbye.
The important word here is 가세요, which comes from 가다, meaning “to go.”
An easy way to remember it is:
They GO → 안녕히 가세요
3. 안녕히 계세요 — Goodbye When You Leave
Now let’s look at the opposite situation.
안녕히 계세요
Romanization: annyeonghi gyeseyo
Meaning: Goodbye
Use it when: You are leaving and the other person stays
🔊 Listen: 안녕히 계세요
Imagine you’re leaving a café.
You walk toward the door while the employee stays inside.
You can say:
안녕히 계세요.
Goodbye.
계세요 comes from 계시다, an honorific verb meaning “to be” or “to stay.”
The easiest way to remember the difference is:
They GO → 안녕히 가세요
They STAY → 안녕히 계세요
Quick Practice
You’re leaving a Korean restaurant and the staff stays inside.
What should you say?
안녕히 계세요. ✅
Your Korean teacher finishes the lesson and leaves the classroom while you stay.
What should you say?
안녕히 가세요. ✅
Casual Goodbye
With a close friend, you don’t normally need to worry about these two long expressions.
You can simply say:
안녕!
Bye!
4. 감사합니다 — Thank You in Korean
감사합니다
Romanization: gamsahamnida
Meaning: Thank you
Speech Level: Polite
🔊 Listen: 감사합니다
감사합니다 is one of the most important Korean expressions you’ll ever learn.
It’s polite and works in a wide range of situations.
You can say 감사합니다 to:
- A stranger who helps you
- A restaurant employee
- A teacher
- A hotel employee
- A taxi driver
- Someone giving you something
- Someone doing you a favor
Examples
감사합니다!
Thank you!
도와주셔서 감사합니다.
Thank you for helping me.
고마워요 — A Warmer Thank You
Romanization: gomawoyo
Meaning: Thank you
Speech Level: Polite
🔊 Listen: 고마워요
고마워요 is also polite, but it can feel warmer and more personal than 감사합니다.
You may hear it between people who already know each other.
Casual Version: 고마워
Romanization: gomawo
Meaning: Thanks
Speech Level: Casual
🔊 Listen: 고마워
Use 고마워 with close friends or people with whom you already speak casually.
For example:
커피 사줘서 고마워!
Thanks for buying me coffee!
Which One Should Beginners Use?
If you’re unsure, use:
감사합니다.
It’s polite, natural, and appropriate in most situations.
5. 죄송합니다 — I’m Sorry in Korean
죄송합니다
Romanization: joesonghamnida
Meaning: I’m sorry / Excuse me
Speech Level: Polite
🔊 Listen: 죄송합니다
For beginners, 죄송합니다 is one of the safest ways to apologize politely in Korean.
You can use it when you:
- Make a mistake
- Accidentally bump into someone
- Need to apologize to a stranger
- Need someone’s attention politely
- Need to move past someone
Examples
죄송합니다.
I’m sorry.
늦어서 죄송합니다.
I’m sorry I’m late.
죄송합니다 Can Also Mean “Excuse Me”
Here’s an important real-life Korean tip.
Imagine you’re on a crowded subway and need to move past someone.
You may say:
죄송합니다.
In this situation, you’re not necessarily making a serious apology. The expression functions more like “Excuse me” as you politely move through the crowd.
This is a very useful Korean phrase to remember when traveling in Korea.
미안해요 vs. 미안해
There are also more personal ways to say sorry in Korean.
미안해요
Romanization: mianhaeyo
Meaning: I’m sorry
Speech Level: Polite
🔊 Listen: 미안해요
미안해요 is polite but often feels more personal and less formal than 죄송합니다.
미안해
Romanization: mianhae
Meaning: Sorry
Speech Level: Casual
🔊 Listen: 미안해
Use 미안해 with close friends or people with whom you already use casual Korean.
For example:
미안해. 내가 늦었어.
Sorry. I’m late.
As a beginner, if you’re apologizing to a stranger or aren’t sure which expression is appropriate, choose:
죄송합니다.
Basic Korean Phrases: Quick Reference
Here’s a quick review of the 10 basic Korean phrases from today’s lesson.
| Korean | Romanization | English | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo | Hello | Polite, most situations |
| 안녕 | annyeong | Hi / Bye | Close friends |
| 안녕히 가세요 | annyeonghi gaseyo | Goodbye | The other person leaves |
| 안녕히 계세요 | annyeonghi gyeseyo | Goodbye | You leave |
| 감사합니다 | gamsahamnida | Thank you | Polite, most situations |
| 고마워요 | gomawoyo | Thank you | Polite, more personal |
| 고마워 | gomawo | Thanks | Close friends |
| 죄송합니다 | joesonghamnida | I’m sorry / Excuse me | Polite, most situations |
| 미안해요 | mianhaeyo | I’m sorry | Polite, personal |
| 미안해 | mianhae | Sorry | Close friends |
Beginner Tip: If you’re not sure which expression to use, choose the polite form. It’s usually the safest option when speaking with someone you don’t know well.
Common Mistakes Korean Beginners Make
Knowing the words is only the first step. Using them in the right situation is just as important.
Mistake 1: Using 안녕 With Everyone
안녕 is easy to remember, but it’s casual.
Avoid automatically using it with strangers or people you’ve just met.
When you’re unsure, use:
안녕하세요. ✅
Mistake 2: Mixing Up the Two Korean Goodbyes
This is extremely common among beginners.
Remember this simple rule:
The other person GOES → 안녕히 가세요
The other person STAYS → 안녕히 계세요
Think about what the other person is doing.
Mistake 3: Using 고마워 With Strangers
고마워 means “thanks,” but it’s casual.
With a stranger, restaurant employee, teacher, or someone you don’t know well, use:
감사합니다. ✅
Mistake 4: Using Casual Korean Too Quickly
Being friendly doesn’t always mean you should immediately use casual Korean.
Politeness is an important part of Korean communication.
When you’re not sure, starting politely is usually the better choice.
Real-Life Korean Conversation
Let’s put several of today’s basic Korean phrases into a simple real-life situation.
At a Café
Customer: 안녕하세요.
Hello.
Staff: 안녕하세요.
Hello.
Customer: 아메리카노 하나 주세요.
One Americano, please.
Staff: 네. 감사합니다.
Yes. Thank you.
Customer: 감사합니다. 안녕히 계세요.
Thank you. Goodbye.
Why does the customer say 안녕히 계세요?
Because the customer is leaving while the café employee stays inside.
This is exactly the kind of situation where knowing the difference between 안녕히 가세요 and 안녕히 계세요 becomes useful.
Test Yourself: Mini Korean Quiz
Let’s see how much you remember.
Question 1
You meet your Korean teacher for the first time. What should you say?
A. 안녕
B. 안녕하세요
C. 미안해
Answer: B. 안녕하세요
It’s a polite greeting and is appropriate when meeting someone for the first time.
Question 2
You’re leaving a café while the employee stays inside. What should you say?
A. 안녕히 가세요
B. 안녕히 계세요
C. 고마워
Answer: B. 안녕히 계세요
The other person stays, so you use 안녕히 계세요.
Question 3
A stranger helps you find the subway station. What’s the safest way to thank them?
A. 고마워
B. 안녕
C. 감사합니다
Answer: C. 감사합니다
감사합니다 is polite and appropriate when speaking to a stranger.
Question 4
You accidentally bump into someone on the subway. What can you say?
A. 죄송합니다
B. 안녕히 가세요
C. 고마워
Answer: A. 죄송합니다
죄송합니다 is a polite way to apologize.
Question 5
Which expression is best with a close friend?
A. 고마워
B. 감사합니다
C. 안녕히 계세요
Answer: A. 고마워
고마워 is a casual way to say “thanks” to someone you’re close to.
Final Review: 10 Basic Korean Phrases to Remember
Great job!
You’ve just learned some of the most important basic Korean phrases for beginners.
Here’s what you learned:
안녕하세요 — Hello
안녕 — Hi / Bye
안녕히 가세요 — Goodbye when the other person leaves
안녕히 계세요 — Goodbye when you leave
감사합니다 — Thank you
고마워요 — Thank you, polite and more personal
고마워 — Thanks
죄송합니다 — I’m sorry / Excuse me
미안해요 — I’m sorry, polite and personal
미안해 — Sorry
You don’t need perfect Korean to start communicating.
Learning a few useful expressions and understanding when to use them can make everyday conversations much easier.
Practice saying these Korean phrases aloud several times and listen carefully to the pronunciation.
When you visit Korea or speak with a Korean person, try using one of these expressions in a real conversation.
Want to learn useful Korean words for school and studying? Learn 20 essential Korean school vocabulary words with pronunciation and easy examples.👇
Keep Learning Korean with HYUZ
If you enjoyed this lesson, watch the video again and repeat each expression with Karen.
Repeating short Korean phrases aloud is one of the easiest ways to become more comfortable speaking Korean.
Continue with the next HYUZ Korean lesson to build your vocabulary, pronunciation, and speaking confidence step by step.
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