Whether you plan to take a fun trip to South Korea or want to learn Korean for entertainment, this article will teach you the basics of introducing yourself in this language.
Steps
Step 1. Learn to pronounce Hangul (Korean alphabet)
Practice the correct way to pronounce the letters, for example, in Korean "b" is pronounced as a "p", "j" as a "ch", "g," as a "k," (only if the word begins with a "g"), and so on.
Step 2. Speak confidently
Speak loud and clear so the other person can hear and understand you better.
Step 3. Start by saying 안녕하세요
Use this greeting to talk to a stranger, your boss, someone older, your teacher, or someone higher up. Pronounce 안녕하세요 like this: "en-ioung-a-se-o". Use this phrase to start the greeting.
You can also say 안녕 to speak to a friend, brother or sister, or someone younger. Pronounce 안녕 as: "en-io". Use this phrase to start the greeting
Step 4. Say 제 이름 은 (your name) 입니다
Pronounce 제 이름 은 입니다 as "ye ileumeun (your name) imnida". Remember that your Korean name will sound different. For example, David would be pronounced "Dabide" or "Deibit", so don't worry if a Korean person says your name differently.
Step 5. End the introduction with 만나서 반가워요
Pronounce 만나서 반가워요 as: "me-na-seo-ban-ga-u-io". This means "nice to meet you."
Step 6. Ask the person 이름 이 뭐에요?
. Pronounce 이름 이 뭐에요 like "ileumi muo eio?" This means “what is your name?” This will help you get to know the person better.
Advice
- In Korea, when you meet someone new, you should always bow to show respect.
- Remember that if you want to introduce yourself with someone younger than yourself, you must use the informal way, this article shows the formal variation. Using the informal version is very simple, you just have to remove the ending "io".