How to Say “Goodbye” in Korean

Knowing how to say “Goodbye” in Korean is a valuable tool and there are several ways to get it done. Check it out.

Honorific Korean Level

There are two main ways to say Goodbye in Korean:

 

1.     안녕히 가세요 (an-nyeong-hi ka-se-yo) is “Goodbye” in Korean.

안녕히 가세요 is said to a person that is leaving while you stay.

 

안녕 (an-nyeong) is “Peace” in Korean.

Adding 히 (hi) changes 안녕 to an adverb.

안녕히 (an-nyeong-hi) is “Peacefully” in Korean.

 

가세요 (ka-se-yo) is“Go” or “Please go” in Korean and is a polite form of 가다 (ka-da), to go.

 

안녕 + 히  가세요 = Peacefully go.

Therefore, 안녕히 가세요 (an-nyeong-hi ka-se-yo) is “Goodbye” in Korean.

 

2.     안녕히 계세요 (an-nyeong-hi kye-se-yo) is “Goodbye” in Korean.

안녕히 계세요 is said to a person that is staying while you are going.

 

계세요 (kye-se-yo) is“Be” or “Stay” in Korean and comes from the verb 계시다 (kye-shi-da).

 

계시다 is the very formal polite version of 있다 (it-da).

있다 is “Be” or “Exist” in Korean.

 

안녕 + 히  계세요 = Peacefully stay.

Therefore, 안녕히 계세요 (an-nyeong-hi kye-se-yo) is “Goodbye” in Korean.

 

안녕히 가세요 is used when both people are going, 가세요.

 

 

Informal Korean Level

안녕 (an-nyeong) is “Goodbye” in Korean.

This is an informal way to say “Hi” or “Bye.” This should only be used with close friends or family.

 

 

5 Other Phrases for How to Say “Goodbye” in Korean

 

1.     가세요 (ka-se-yo) “Goodbye” in Korean.

Older Koreans seem to say this phrase to family and people younger than them.

가세요 (ka-se-yo) translates to “Please go” in English and comes from the verb 가다.

 

2.     잘 가 (chal ka) “Goodbye” in Korean.

This is informal and should only be used with friends that are close to you and people younger than you.

잘 가 (chal ka) translates to “go well” in English and also comes from the verb 가다.

 

3.     다음에 봐요 (da-eum-ae boa-yo) “See you next time” in Korean.

 

4.     나중에 봐요 (na-jung-ae boa-yo)  “See you later” in Korean.

 

5.     내일 봐요 (nae-il boa-yo) “See you tomorrow” in Korean.

 

 

Learn Korean Language Tips

안녕히 가세요 and 안녕히 계세요 are the most common. I highly recommend that you learn these first.

Be aware of who you are saying “Goodbye” to that way you can use the correct politeness level based on Korean honorifics.

 

These are the most common ways to say “Goodbye” in Korean.

I hope you enjoyed them. 안녕히 가세요.