How to Say “Hello” in Korean: 여보세요 (yeoboseyo)

여보세요

yeoboseyo

Situation: Greetings & basicsLevel: Starter (just learning Hangul)

Meaning

Hello? (on the phone)

Said when answering or making a phone call. It is not an in-person greeting, so do not use it face to face.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

It is what you say when you pick up the phone or start a call, and it is fine for anyone, even elders, because it is a set phrase.

Use it only for phone calls. Face to face, say 안녕하세요, and when a company answers its phone, staff usually give the company name and 안녕하세요 instead.

Syllables: 4 · Words: 1

It is pronounced just as it is written.

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
여	ㅇ+ㅕ	yeo
보	ㅂ+ㅗ	bo
세	ㅅ+ㅔ	se
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

It contains the honorific -(으)시-, which shows respect to the person being talked about or talked to.

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “여보세요” mean?

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Answer: Hello? (on the phone)

Question 2 How do you say “Hello? (on the phone)” in Korean?

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Answer: 여보세요 yeoboseyo

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