Everyday greetings 인사
How it works: The first ten things everyone says in Korea: hello, thank you, sorry and goodbye. Tap Listen, then tap the microphone and say the sentence. You will see which syllables a Korean speech recognizer heard.
Study list
“Said as” is the standard pronunciation (표준 발음법) where it differs from the spelling. Romanization follows the official Revised Romanization.
| # | Korean | Said as | Romanization | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 안녕하세요 | as written | annyeonghaseyo | Hello. The all-purpose polite greeting, any time of day. | |
| 2 | 감사합니다 | [감사함니다] | gamsahamnida | Thank you. Formal and polite. The ㅂ before ㄴ is said ㅁ: [감사함니다]. | |
| 3 | 고맙습니다 | [고맙씀니다] | gomapseumnida | Thank you. Same meaning, made from a native Korean word. Just as polite. | |
| 4 | 죄송합니다 | [죄송함니다] | joesonghamnida | I’m sorry. A formal apology — to a stranger, a customer or a boss. | |
| 5 | 괜찮아요 | [괜차나요] | gwaenchanayo | It’s okay. / I’m fine. The ㅎ in 괜찮 is silent before a vowel: [괜차나요]. | |
| 6 | 만나서 반갑습니다 | [만나서 반갑씀니다] | mannaseo bangapseumnida | Nice to meet you. Said when you meet someone for the first time. | |
| 7 | 안녕히 가세요 | as written | annyeonghi gaseyo | Goodbye. (to someone who is leaving) Literally “go in peace”. Say it when the other person leaves. | |
| 8 | 안녕히 계세요 | as written | annyeonghi gyeseyo | Goodbye. (when you are the one leaving) Literally “stay in peace”. Say it when you leave and they stay. | |
| 9 | 잘 먹겠습니다 | [잘 먹껟씀니다] | jal meokgetseumnida | Thank you for the meal. (before eating) Said before a meal, especially when someone else is paying or cooked. | |
| 10 | 수고하셨습니다 | [수고하셛씀니다] | sugohasyeotseumnida | Thank you for your hard work. Said to coworkers at the end of the day or after a task. |
Sounds to watch in this set
Korean is not always said the way it is written. These sound changes happen in the sentences above.
- Linking 연음 — A final consonant (받침) moves to the next syllable when that syllable starts with the silent ㅇ. In this set: 괜찮아요 [괜차나요]. More →
- Silent ㅎ ㅎ 탈락 — A final ㅎ is not pronounced before a vowel. In this set: 괜찮아요 [괜차나요]. More →
- Nasalisation 비음화 — Before ㄴ or ㅁ, the sounds ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ become ㅇ, ㄴ, ㅁ. After ㅁ or ㅇ, ㄹ is said as ㄴ. In this set: 감사합니다 [감사함니다], 고맙습니다 [고맙씀니다], 죄송합니다 [죄송함니다]. More →
- Tensing 경음화 — After ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sounds, the next ㄱ ㄷ ㅂ ㅅ ㅈ become ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ. It also happens after verb stems ending in ㄴ or ㅁ and after the future ending -ㄹ. In this set: 고맙습니다 [고맙씀니다], 만나서 반갑습니다 [만나서 반갑씀니다], 잘 먹겠습니다 [잘 먹껟씀니다]. More →
About the score
The score is the share of syllables the speech recognizer heard as written. Recognizers guess whole words, so they forgive some mistakes and sometimes miss a word that was said well — treat a high score as “Koreans would understand you”, not as a pronunciation test. Questions about the microphone and privacy →
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