Thank you and hello in KoreanWith pronunciation, and the replies you'll hear back
Korean is one of the friendlier languages to attempt out loud: the sounds sit close to English and the writing system is genuinely learnable in an afternoon. Get four or five phrases right and you will notice service staff soften almost immediately. Here are 18 phrases people actually use in South Korea, in the order worth learning them. The replies you will hear back are included too.
"Thank you" in Korean
감사합니다
kahm-sah-HAHM-nee-dah
gamsahamnida
Works everywhere, with anyone. The written 합 is said "hahm" before the n.
Thank you
감사합니다
kahm-sah-HAHM-nee-dah
gamsahamnida
The default. 고맙습니다 is equally polite and slightly warmer.
Hello
안녕하세요
ahn-nyung-hah-SEH-yo
annyeonghaseyo
Any time of day. Say it walking into any shop.
I'm sorry / excuse me
죄송합니다
chweh-song-HAHM-nee-dah
joesonghamnida
For bumping into someone or apologising. Not for calling a waiter over.
Yes / No
네 / 아니요
neh / ah-NEE-yo
ne / aniyo
네 also works as "I hear you", which is why you will hear it constantly.
Excuse me (to get attention)
저기요
juh-GEE-yo
jeogiyo
How you call a server over. Calling out is normal and not rude here.
The respelling is an approximation. Korean is comparatively forgiving for English speakers, and 감사합니다 or 안녕하세요 read off a page will be understood. The two things that trip people up are the consonants at the start of a word (the ㄱ in 감사 sits between English g and k, so "kahm" is closer than "gahm") and the way syllables change sound when they collide, which is why 합니다 comes out "hahm-nee-dah" and not "hap-nee-dah". Neither will stop you being understood, so say it at normal speed rather than spelling it out syllable by syllable.
Five phrases is genuinely enough for Korean
You do not need to work through a phrasebook before you go. Almost everything a traveller says falls into these five shapes, and they are listed under "Start with these five" above.
- Thank you … The one you will use most. If you learn a single word, make it this one.
- Hello … Said the moment you walk into a shop. Whether you say it changes how you are treated.
- Excuse me … Some languages split calling someone over and apologising into different words. Check the list above.
- How much is it? … Needed for every purchase and every meal. If you miss the number, ask them to show it.
- I don't understand … Without this you end up nodding along and walking off in the wrong direction.
Getting these five automatic beats memorising twenty. Twenty phrases you have to search your memory for are worth nothing at the moment you need them.
Goodbye splits in two, and picking the wrong one marks you instantly
Korean has two goodbyes, and which one you use depends on who is walking away. 안녕히 가세요 ("ahn-nyung-hee KAH-seh-yo") means "go in peace" and is said to the person who is leaving. 안녕히 계세요 ("ahn-nyung-hee GYEH-seh-yo") means "stay in peace" and is said by the person who is leaving. So when you walk out of a shop or a restaurant, you are the one leaving: you say 계세요 and the staff say 가세요 back. If you only ever remember one, remember 안녕히 계세요, because you will almost always be the one heading for the door.
The hard part is not speaking, it is understanding the reply
Almost every phrasebook only covers what you say. What actually stops people is the second after they finish talking, when the other person answers. How many of you. For here or to go. Card or cash. Go quiet and the exchange dies. Nod along and you get the wrong thing.
The good news is that the replies are a small, predictable set. Choose "You hear" in the list above and you will see only the ones that actually come back at you in South Korea. Reading them once before you go is most of the work.
If you still cannot catch it, ask them to write it down. Numbers and place names are far easier to read than to hear.
Say it clearly rather than say it perfectly
Korean is comparatively forgiving for English speakers, and 감사합니다 or 안녕하세요 read off a page will be understood. The two things that trip people up are the consonants at the start of a word (the ㄱ in 감사 sits between English g and k, so "kahm" is closer than "gahm") and the way syllables change sound when they collide, which is why 합니다 comes out "hahm-nee-dah" and not "hap-nee-dah". Neither will stop you being understood, so say it at normal speed rather than spelling it out syllable by syllable.
The usual failure is not a wrong vowel, it is going quiet because you are unsure. Keep it short, say it at normal volume, and finish the phrase in one breath. Everyone can tell you are a visitor attempting Korean, and if it does not land they will simply ask again. Copy the written form to your phone so you have something to show when speaking does not work.
Other languages
FAQ
Q.How do you say thank you in Korean?
감사합니다, pronounced roughly kahm-sah-HAHM-nee-dah. Works everywhere, with anyone. The written 합 is said "hahm" before the n. If you learn one word before you travel, make it this one. It works at the till, when someone gives you directions, and when someone gives up a seat.
Q.Will the pronunciation guide alone get me understood?
Korean is comparatively forgiving for English speakers, and 감사합니다 or 안녕하세요 read off a page will be understood. The two things that trip people up are the consonants at the start of a word (the ㄱ in 감사 sits between English g and k, so "kahm" is closer than "gahm") and the way syllables change sound when they collide, which is why 합니다 comes out "hahm-nee-dah" and not "hap-nee-dah". Neither will stop you being understood, so say it at normal speed rather than spelling it out syllable by syllable.
Q.How much should I learn before I go?
Five phrases. Thank you, hello, excuse me, how much is it, and I don't understand. That covers nearly every situation a traveller hits. Getting those five automatic matters far more than adding a sixth, because at the moment you need them there is no time to think.
Q.Why bother when I have a translation app?
For getting something done, the app wins. People still learn a few words because it changes how they are treated. In a 2025 Preply survey of 1,526 US adults, 47 percent of those who used the local language said locals treated them better, 80 percent said learning phrases before a trip is important, and 58 percent actually did it. A greeting is less about transferring information and more about signalling that you made an effort.
Q.I can ask the question, but I cannot understand the answer.
That is the most common way this goes wrong, and it is why this page includes the other side. Choose "You hear" in the list above to see only what gets said back to you in South Korea. There are not many variations: how many of you, eat in or take away, card or cash. Reading them once removes most of the surprise.
Q.Does this work offline?
Yes. Everything runs in the browser, with no account and nothing sent to a server. Open it once before you fly and it will usually still be there on the plane or in a dead zone. You can copy any phrase and show the screen when speaking does not work.
Reading a phrase is not the same as saying it
You can recognise every phrase on this page and still freeze at the counter, because there is no time to think. Inko lets you say Korean out loud to an AI for 60 seconds a day, and afterwards it shows you what you could have said instead. A week before you fly is enough to make a difference.