3 basic Korean words for beginners ; it can ease your visit to Korea

Hello to people who have plans to visit Korea or having interest in Korea. Or people who just stop by. As a Korean, I want to share some useful information about Korea from now on. I’m doing it because I want people from all around the globe to know more about Korea.

First topic that I want to share is, 3 basic words for beginners. When you go to other counties, they have their own expressions that are commonly uesd. It’s really easy but multi functional, so I want everyone who wants to visit Korea should know it.

 

1. 안녕하세요. (Annyunghase-yo)

The importance of greeting is well-known. The expression ‘안녕하세요’ is Korean formal greeing. You can say it to anyone from kids to elders. If you meet someone at first time, the ‘안녕하세요’ can easly soften the mood. The Koreans really like foreigners who can speak Korean, even just a little bit.

2. 감사합니다. (Gam-sa hapnida.)

You can say ‘Thank you’ at any point. It can give you really good first impression, and it does make people feel better. The ‘감사합니다’ is formal way to say ‘thank you’. If you want to say casually, you can say ‘고맙습니다’ (Gomap-supmeda.) or ‘고마워’. (Goma-wo) But you havd to notice thaf ‘고마워’ is only used in peer situation. You can not use it to elders or higher ranking person. It can easly misunderstood as rude behavier.

3. 죄송합니다. (Joi-song-hapnida.)

The situation thaf you can say your sorry or being excused happens all the time. When you bump into other person, it you accidently drop someone’s belonging, or you just say someting rude when you didn’t notice. The ‘죄송합니다’ is perpect expression for that. It’s really formal but you can use it at any situation. You want to do it more cassually, just say ‘미안합니다’ (Mi-an hapnida), or ‘미안해’ (Mi-an hae). But please know, ‘미안해’ can only be used in peer situation.