“Talk to Korean friends in a natural way with this step-by-step guide! Today, I’m going to teach you the ‘Real Casual Korean (반말 – Banmal)’…””If you want to know how to talk to your Korean friends in a natural way, this guide will help you step-by-step. Learn casual Korean (Banmal) and daily greetings like a native!”
Today, I’m going to teach you…”
I’m going to teach you the “Real Casual Korean (반말 – Banmal)” for daily greetings.
From morning to night, here is how you can chat with your Korean friends like a native!
“If you want to know how to talk to your Korean friends in a natural way, this guide will help you step-by-step.”
1. How to Talk to Korean Friends:
Saying Hello (안녕~)
= Good morning, Afternoon Greetings ,Good night!, Saying Goodbye, Welcome ,Hellow ,See ya …..
Personally, I only use this word when I see a kid, a cute cat, or a dog on the street. 🐶🐱 Of course, you can also use it with your closest friends when asking if they ate or slept well. But remember, it’s strictly for people you are super tight with!”.
Characteristics of Korean People’s Calls
2. How to Talk to Korean Friends:
Natural Reactions (어~)
To translate this video for you: It starts with saying “Speak up” because it’s a friend’s call. Then, they say “I got it” to what the other person said, ask a question like “What did you say?”, express that they understood, and finally reply to “See you later.”
As you can see, Koreans can have a whole conversation just by using the word “Eo (어~)”.
“Using these tips will help you talk to your Korean friends much more comfortably.”
어? (Eo?) What? / Really? (With a rising tone)
어~ (Eo~) Ah, I see. / Okay.
어! (Eo!) Oh! (When you’re surprised or suddenly remember something)
어??? (Eo???😠) I also use it to argue with anger, “Say it again.
Plus, here’s a pro-tip for making Korean friends: Koreans absolutely LOVE it when you use this word as a backchannel (추임새 – Chu-im-sae)! 🗣️✨
When your friend is super excited and has a lot to say, don’t just sit there in silence. If you nod your head and gently drop an “어~ (Eo~)” or “어어~ (Eo-eo~)” while they are talking, it shows you are fully invested in their story.
It tells them, “I’m listening, go on!” It builds an instant connection, and they will enjoy talking to you even more! 🥰
Lastly, you can also use “어~ (Eo~)” to give permission or say “Yes” to your friend! 🙆♂️✨
Imagine your friend asks you, “Can I borrow your pen?” or “Can I eat this?”
“Instead of saying a long sentence like ‘Yes, you can do that,’ you can just nod and say a relaxed, dragged-out ‘어~ (Eo~)’ or ‘어~ 그래 (Eo~ geu-rae)’. It sounds super casual and cool, telling them, ‘Yeah, go ahead!’ 🙆♂️✨”
“Wait, do you guys have a sound like ‘어~’ in your language too?
Is it universal?
I’d love to hear how you guys react when listening to your friends!”
“The best way to talk to your Korean friends is to use natural expressions like ‘어~’.”
3. Talk to Korean Friends:
Practice Speaking First Words
안녕 난 1979년생 이모야.
Hi, I’m my aunt born in 1979.
오늘은 한국에서 마주친 사람들에게 물어보거나
말을 걸고 싶을때 시작해야하는 말을 추천해줄께.
Today, I will recommend you something to start
when you want to ask or talk to people you have encountered in Korea.
인사 : 모르는 사람에게 부탁하는 거니까,
눈을 마주치고 웃으면서, 무조건 인사부터 시작해.
Greetings: I’m asking someone I don’t know,
so make eye contact and smile, and start by saying hello.
그런데 사람들과 눈이 마주치지 않은 상황에서
돌아 세울 때는 “저기요”가 일반적이야.
But “there” is common when you turn around
when you don’t have eye contact with people.
안녕하세요.
안녕
그런데 사람들과 눈이 마주치지 않은 상황에서
돌아 세울 때는 “저기요”가 일반적이야.
But “there” is common when you turn around
when you don’t have eye contact with people.
“저기요 길 좀 물어볼께요.”
“저기요. 여기가 어딘가요?
사장님
주로 어딘가에 도착했을텐데
거의 모든 매장은 1인 사장님이 많아.
사장님은 한국에서 가게를 꾸려나가는 사업자의 호칭이야.
Mr. 사장님
You’ve mostly arrived somewhere,
but almost all stores have a single owner.
The owner is the name of a business owner
who runs a store in Korea.
그 매장을 대표해서 대답해줄 수 있는 분들에게 묻는거니까.
여자나 남자들 모두에게
직원인 것 같아도 사장님이라고 불러주면 되.
You’re asking people who can answer on behalf of the store?
Even if both women and men
you think they are employees,
but you should be called just”사장님.”
사장님, 저 이것 좀 주세요.
사장님. 이거 얼마에요?
이모 : 나이가 있는 여자 어른들은 이모라고해.
다른 호칭도 있지만 좀 더 친근감 있어서
듣는 사람들도 웃으면서 대답해줄거야.
Aunt : An older woman is called an “이모”.
There are other names, but it’s more friendly,
so the listeners will answer with a smile.
단 40살 이상 되보이거나
나보다 나이가 많아 보일 때만 사용해야 해.
You should only use it
when you look over 40 years old or older than me.
이모, 저 이것 좀 주세요.
이모 이거 얼마에요?
꼬마야
10살 이하의 어린이에겐 꼬마야~하고 다정하게 부르는 걸 추천해.
나보다 어려보인다면 반말해도 괜찮아.
꼬마야 여기 어떻게 가면 될까?
꼬마야 여기 어디야?
이렇게 인사하고 호칭을 부르는 것이 한국에서 가장 많이 쓰는 말이니까 연습해두길 바래.
다음에 봐.
| 구분 | 대상 | 호칭 | 상황 | 한국어 예시 |
| 인사 | 10살 미만 | 안녕 | 처음 만날 때 | 안녕! |
| 인사 | 그 외 모두 | 안녕하세요 | 처음 만날 때 | 안녕하세요! |
| 주의 끌기 | 모르는 사람 | 저기요 | 눈이 마주치지 않을 때 | 저기요, 길 좀 물어볼게요. |
| 매장/가게 | 직원/사장 | 사장님 | 가게에서 도움 필요할 때 | 사장님, 이거 얼마예요? |
| 중년 여성 | 40대 이상 | 이모 | 친근하게 다가갈 때 | 이모, 저 이것 좀 주세요. |
| 어린이 | 10살 이하 | 꼬마야 | 길을 물어볼 때 | 꼬마야, 여기 어떻게 가? |