In this post, you will learn how to say ‘how are you?’ in the Korean language. You’ll also learn common responses so you can respond if you’re asked this question. This can be really useful if you’re speaking with someone from Korea or if you’re travelling there.
Korean is the official language of both South Korea and North Korea. It is spoken by around 77 million people worldwide.
How To Say ‘How Are You?’ In Korean
The first thing to know about Korean is that it has a formal and an informal form. Depending on who you’re speaking to, use one of the following phrases to ask ‘how are you?’.
How to say ‘how are you?’ in Korean formal:
| How are you? | 어떻게 지내세요? | Eo-teoh-ke ji-nae-se-yo? |
| Have you been well? | 잘 지내셨어요? | Jai ji ne shou sso yo? |
How to say ‘how are you?’ in Korean informal:
| How are you? | 어떻게 지내? | Eo-teoh-ke Ji-nae? |
| Have you been well? | 잘 지냈어요? | Jai ji net sso yo? |
Check out this video to hear the pronunciation of some of these phrases:
How To Respond To ‘How Are You?’ In Korean
There are many different ways that you can reply to this question. Below are the most common responses to this question. I’ve also included how to say ‘thank you’ as it’s polite to thank someone if they ask how you are.
When responding in Korean, you also need to use either the formal or informal form depending on the situation.
Formal:
| I’m fine | 저는 잘 지냈어요 | Jeo-neun jal ji-nae-sseo-yo |
| I’m not fine | 저는 잘 못 지냈어요 | Jeo-neun jal mot ji-nae-sseo-yo |
| I’m ok | 저는 그저 그렇게 지냈어요 | Jeo-neun geu-jeo geu-reo-keh ji-nae-sseo-yo |
Informal:
| I’m fine | 잘 지냈어요 | Jal jineyo |
| I’m good | 잘 지냈어요 | Jal-ji-naet-seo-yo |
| I’m not fine | 잘 못 지냈어 | Jal mot jineyo |
| I’m ok/I’m so-so | 그저 그래요 | Geujuh geuraeyo |
| I’m a little tired | 좀 피곤한데요 | Jom pigonhandeyo |
| I’m good (alternative) | 좋아요 | Jowayo |
How to say ‘thank you’:
| Thank you | 감사합니다 | Gam-sa-ham-ni-da |
Check out this video to hear the pronunciation of the informal form phrases:
It’s also useful to know how to say ‘and you?’ to find out how someone else is if they ask you.
Formal:
| And you? | 당신은요? | Dang-shin-eun-yo? |
Informal:
| And you? | 너는? | Neo-neun? |
Thanks for reading this post.
You should now know how to say ‘how are you?’ in Korean and you should also be able to respond if you’re asked!
You can’t go wrong with these simple phrases.
Increase your vocabulary further by learning how to wish someone a happy birthday in Korean.