· 7 min read
Korean Phrases for Travel and Beginners
By Language Lab editorial team
20 Korean phrases for travel and beginners, in Hangeul with pronunciation and meaning: greetings, thanks, yes and no, asking for help and saying goodbye.
Twenty Korean phrases will carry a beginner or a traveller through most first encounters. Hello is 안녕하세요, annyǒng haseyo. Thank you is 감사합니다, kamsahamnida. Yes is 네, ne, and no is 아니요, aniyo. For help, say 도와 주세요, towa juseyo, and to apologise, 죄송합니다, choesonghamnida. Goodbye has two forms, and which you use depends on who is leaving: 안녕히 가세요 to the person leaving, 안녕히 계세요 to the person staying. Korean is written in Hangeul, an alphabet of 24 basic letters grouped into syllable blocks, so it is worth learning to read the phrases as well as say them. The phrases and romanised spellings below are from the BBC's guide to Korean.
Greetings and goodbyes
| Korean | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 | annyǒng haseyo | Hello |
| 안녕히 가세요 | annyǒngi gaseyo | Goodbye (to the person leaving) |
| 안녕히 계세요 | annyǒngi geseyo | Goodbye (to the person staying) |
| 나중에 봐요! | najunge bwayo! | See you later! |
| 안녕! | annyǒng! | Hi! or Bye! |
If you are the one walking out of a shop, the shopkeeper is staying, so you say 안녕히 계세요. If a friend is leaving your table, you say 안녕히 가세요. The short 안녕 works both ways, as hi and as bye.
Thanks, yes and no
| Korean | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 감사합니다 | kamsahamnida | Thank you |
| 별 말씀을요 | pyǒl malssǔmǔlyo | You're welcome |
| 네 | ne | Yes |
| 아니요 | aniyo | No |
| 좋아요! | choayo! | Great! |
| 죄송합니다 | choesonghamnida | I'm sorry |
Meeting people
| Korean | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 만나서 반갑습니다 | mannasǒ bangapsǔmnida | Pleased to meet you |
| 저는 …입니다 | chǒ-nǔn … imnida | My name is ... |
| 잘 지내셨어요? | chal jinaeshyǒssǒyo | How are you? |
| 잘 지냈어요 | chal jinaesssǒyo | I'm fine, thank you |
When you need help
| Korean | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 도와 주세요 | towa juseyo | I need help, please |
| 못 알아들었어요 | mot aradǔrǒssǒyo | I don't understand |
| 영어 할 줄 아세요? | yǒngǒ hal jul aseyyo | Do you speak English? |
| 잘 지내지 못 했어요 | chal jinaeji mot haessǒyo | I'm not well |
What to know about Korean before you go
- The verb comes last. The BBC's guide notes that in Korean sentences the verb always comes at the end.
- Politeness is built into the grammar. Korean has an elaborate honorifics system, with different verb endings and vocabulary depending on your relationship with the person you are talking to.
- No tones. Unlike Chinese or Vietnamese, Korean has no tones, and the BBC says few of its sounds cause major problems for English speakers.
- The script can be learned quickly. Unlike Japanese or Chinese writing, the Korean system is alphabetic. Korea's National Institute of Korean Language counts 24 basic letters and 16 compound ones.
- You know more words than you think. Korean has borrowed many from English, such as 토마토, tomato, 바나나, banana, and 컴퓨터, computer.
A short exchange
- A: 안녕하세요. 만나서 반갑습니다. Hello. Pleased to meet you.
- B: 안녕하세요. 저는 …입니다. Hello. My name is ...
- A: 영어 할 줄 아세요? Do you speak English?
- B: 네. Yes.
- A: 감사합니다. 안녕히 계세요. Thank you. Goodbye.
How to learn them
- Learn Hangeul first. With 24 basic letters you can read the first column instead of relying on the romanised one.
- Say each phrase aloud and copy the audio.
- Test yourself from English to Korean.
- Review over several days. A 2013 review of learning research rated practice testing and distributed practice as high utility, and rereading as low.
- Carry on for free: the Online King Sejong Institute describes itself as a free online Korean language learning service, with courses from introductory level.
Language Lab's Korean course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so you can practise these exchanges out loud.
Frequently asked
How do you say hello in Korean?
안녕하세요, annyǒng haseyo. The short, casual form is 안녕, annyǒng, which is used for both hi and bye.
How do you say thank you in Korean?
감사합니다, kamsahamnida. You're welcome is 별 말씀을요.
How do you say goodbye in Korean?
안녕히 가세요 to a person who is leaving and 안녕히 계세요 to a person who is staying.
How do you say yes and no in Korean?
Yes is 네, ne. No is 아니요, aniyo.
How do I ask for help in Korean?
도와 주세요, towa juseyo. To say you do not understand, 못 알아들었어요.
Is Korean hard to pick up for a trip?
The basics are relatively easy, the BBC's guide says, because the writing system is alphabetic and there are no tones. Becoming fluent is another matter: the US State Department puts Korean in its hardest category, at 88 weeks of classes.
Sources: BBC Languages, A Guide to Korean: Key phrases and 10 facts about the Korean language (archived pages); National Institute of Korean Language, About Hangeul; King Sejong Institute Foundation, About Online KSI; US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Rooftops of Jeonju Hanok Village, Bernard Gagnon / CC0 (Wikimedia Commons).
