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First Greetings & Survival Phrases · Lesson 1 of 6

Saying Hello — 안녕하세요

One warm greeting covers morning, noon, and night — plus the famous two ways to say goodbye.

10 min
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안녕하세요one greeting, all day

Here's a gift Korean gives beginners: there is no “good morning / good afternoon / good evening” puzzle. One warm greeting covers the entire day.

The greeting that does everything

안녕하세요

annyeonghaseyo

Hello (any time of day)

The polite default — safe with strangers, shopkeepers, coworkers, anyone. Often said with a light nod.

It's warmer than it looks: 안녕 (annyeong) means peace, well-being — so the greeting literally asks “are you at peace?”. Korean greetings tend to check on you, the same instinct behind “did you eat?”.

안녕

annyeong

Hi / Bye (casual)

Close friends and children only — it does double duty as both hello and goodbye.

팁
You can read all of this! 안녕 is ㅇ+ㅏ+ㄴ and ㄴ+ㅕ+ㅇ — silent ㅇ, the y-vowel ㅕ, and the ng 받침, all from the Hangul course.

The two goodbyes (everyone mixes these up once)

Korean goodbyes depend on who is leaving:

안녕히 가세요

annyeonghi gaseyo

Goodbye — said to the person LEAVING

Literally “go peacefully”. You stay, they go → 가세요 (go).

안녕히 계세요

annyeonghi gyeseyo

Goodbye — said to the person STAYING

Literally “stay peacefully”. You leave a shop → say this to the staff who stay.

팁
Memory hook: 가 (ga) = go, 계 (gye) = stay. Leaving a café? They stay → 안녕히 계세요. Mixing them up is a beloved beginner rite of passage — Koreans will smile and understand.

Try it

You're leaving a restaurant. The staff stay behind. Which goodbye do you say?Show answer
안녕히 계세요 (annyeonghi gyeseyo) — they're staying, so you wish them “stay peacefully”.
Your friend heads home from your place. Which goodbye?Show answer
안녕히 가세요 — they're the one going. (With a close friend, a simple 안녕 works too.)

What you just learned

  • 안녕하세요 covers hello at any time of day — politely.
  • 안녕 means peace/well-being; casual 안녕 = hi and bye with close people.
  • 안녕히 가세요 to the one going; 안녕히 계세요 to the one staying.

Quick check

Did it stick?

Three quick questions — instant answers, no grades, no pressure.

1.When can you use 안녕하세요?

2.You're leaving a shop; the staff stay. Which goodbye?

3.What does 안녕 literally mean?

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The reading path explains the culture and logic that make Korean click — a perfect companion to these lessons.

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