LEARN + KOREAN / 1 of 125 TOPIK I
Nice to Meet You 만나서 반가워요
a
When you meet someone new, you might exchange names and ask what to call one another. 만나서 반가워요 is a warm “nice to meet you”; the greeting and speech level you choose depend on the setting and your relationship.
Essential Greetings
annyeonghaseyo?
Hello / How are you?
mannaseo bangawoyo
Nice to meet you.
annyeonghi gaseyo
Goodbye (to someone leaving).
annyeonghi gyeseyo
Goodbye (to someone staying).
In Real Life
You’ll almost never hear 안녕하십니까 outside a news broadcast, a military base, or a very stiff corporate greeting. In daily life Koreans move straight from casual 안녕 to polite 안녕하세요 and mostly skip formal register altogether. Learn it to spot it, not because you’ll need it at a cafe.
How to Introduce Yourself
이다 (to be) is the single most-used word in the language, and its shape depends entirely on the sound right before it. If the noun ends in a consonant (has 받침, batchim), attach 이에요. If it ends in a vowel, attach 예요 instead, since Korean avoids stacking two vowel sounds back to back.
- Use 이에요 for consonants (e.g., 사람 + 이에요 → 사람이에요).
- Use 예요 for vowels (e.g., 뭐 + 예요 → 뭐예요).
ireumi mwoyeyo?
What is your name?
jigeobi mwoyeyo?
What is your job?
eoneu nara saramieyo?
Where are you from?
Hint · 힌트
Once the context is obvious, Korean drops the subject entirely. If you’ve already established you’re talking about yourself, saying 저는 in every single sentence sounds as unnatural as an English speaker starting every reply with “As for me.” Natives just say 학생이에요, not 저는 학생이에요, unless they’re contrasting themselves with someone else.
Real World Examples
jeoneun minsuyeyo. haksaengieyo.
I am Minsu. I am a student.
je ireumeun jihyeyeyo. hanguk saramieyo.
My name is Jihye. I am Korean.
Vocabulary
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
seonsaengnim | teacher |
uisa | doctor |
hoesawon | office worker |
haksaeng | student |
daehaksaeng | university student |
ganhosa | nurse |
gyeongchal | police officer |
yorisa | chef / cook |
hoesa | company / office |
hoju | Australia |
hanguk | Korea |
ilbon | Japan |
miguk | USA |
jungguk | China |
kaenada | Canada |
peurangseu | France |
beteunam | Vietnam |
yeoboseyo | hello (answering the phone) |
oraenmanieyo | long time no see |
jal jinaeyo? | how have you been? |
annyeonghi jumuseyo | good night (polite) |
TRY IT YOURSELF
Quick check
You are meeting someone for the first time. Which greeting is a natural polite choice?
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