You can read Hangul now. That changes what is worth learning next: not more letters, but sentences you can actually use tomorrow.
Today you get four. With these four you can enter a shop, get served, get help and leave without a single awkward moment.
| Korean | Sound | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo | hello, any time of day |
| 감사합니다 | gamsahamnida | thank you |
| 죄송합니다 | joesonghamnida | sorry |
| 저기요 | jeogiyo | excuse me — to get attention |
1 · Why everything ends in 요
Korean marks politeness in the ending of the verb, not in the pronouns. The soft polite ending is -요, and it is the one to use with everyone you do not know well.
Drop the 요 and the sentence becomes casual — fine with close friends, rude to a stranger. So keep it. You will hear people drop it; you should not, not yet.
| Polite | Casual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 안녕하세요 | 안녕 | hello |
| 고마워요 | 고마워 | thanks |
| 미안해요 | 미안해 | sorry |
2 · Getting someone's attention
You do not raise your hand or say "hello" across a room. You say 저기요 — literally "over there" — and that is the normal, correct way to call a server or a shop assistant.
In a shop
3 · Yes, no, and the one that is not "no"
| Korean | Sound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 네 | ne | yes |
| 아니요 | aniyo | no |
| 괜찮아요 | gwaenchanayo | it is fine / no thanks |
Day 1 words
You want to call the server over. What do you say?
A shop assistant offers you a bag and you do not need one. Answer politely.
Before the quiz
- I can greet anyone at any hour with one phrase.
- I know which thank-you to use with staff.
- I can get a server's attention without pointing.
- I know why I should keep the 요 on the end.