Korean Greeting Etiquette: Bowing, Words and Handshakes

Key facts

• A handshake is common in business and with foreigners; showing respect means supporting your right hand with your left hand or using both hands.
• Korean has no everyday equivalents of "good morning" or "good evening", so one greeting works all day.
• Leaving has two phrases: 안녕히 가세요 to the person who leaves, 안녕히 계세요 to the person who stays.

Korean Greeting Etiquette: the Essentials

To greet someone correctly in Korea, say a phrase that matches their status and add a bow that matches the phrase. The words and the body move together, so a loud casual 안녕 with a deep bow feels as odd as a stiff 안녕하십니까 with a wave.

Three questions decide almost every greeting.

1. Who is older or higher in rank? The person with lower status greets first and bows deeper.
2. How formal is the place? An office, a ceremony or a first meeting calls for the formal end. A cafe with friends calls for the casual end.
3. How well do you know each other? Close friends of the same age can drop the bow and use 안녕.

The word for a greeting is 인사 (insa), and the verb is 인사하다 (insahada), "to greet". You will hear 인사 used for both the words and the bow, as in 인사 잘 하세요, "greet people well". A bow can also work as a greeting on its own, and a quiet nod is common when you pass a neighbour in a lift.

If you remember one rule, remember this one: greet first, greet politely and bow a little deeper than you think you need to. In Korea an extra degree of respect is rarely a mistake, while too little is noticed. The next section shows what "a little deeper" means in practice.

How Deep Should You Bow?

Bow depth in Korea rises with the status of the person and the formality of the setting. Manners trainers usually describe three levels: a nod of about 15 degrees, a standard bow of about 30 degrees and a deep bow of about 45 degrees. Treat these angles as a rough guide, not a measured rule, because nobody checks the angle with a ruler.

Here is how a standard bow goes, step by step.

1. Stand straight, look at the person and smile or keep a calm face.
2. Say the greeting as you begin to lower your upper body, or just before.
3. Bend from the waist with your back straight. Let your eyes drop toward the floor instead of keeping eye contact.
4. Pause for about a second at the bottom.
5. Rise smoothly and look at the person again.

Hands depend on the setting. In a formal bow, many people rest their hands in front of the body or at their sides. In a shop or an office, women often hold their hands together in front at the waist. Both are habits, and nobody expects a visitor to copy them exactly.

Two common errors are worth avoiding. The first is a very fast bow with the head only, which looks like a nod to someone you should bow to properly. The second is bowing again and again while you speak, which can feel awkward to the other person. One clear bow at the start, and one at the end of the meeting, is enough.

A bow is a moving gesture, so it pairs with the words you choose. The next section matches each bow to a phrase.

Which Words Go with Which Bow?

Match your words to the person, not to the time of day. Korean has no "good morning" or "good evening" in everyday talk, so 안녕하세요 works at 7 a.m. and at 10 p.m. The choice that matters is the level of politeness, which Korean grammar calls a speech level (see Korean speech levels).

Notice that 안녕하세요 is the only phrase that fits every row of the table except the closest friends. That is why beginners can rely on it. The longer 안녕하십니까 belongs to the formal speech level, the style of news anchors, military speech and company ceremonies. In daily office life, most people still say 안녕하세요 to a manager. For a fuller comparison of the three levels, read Korean greetings and Korean speech levels.

Expert insight: the same phrase can sound warm or cold depending on the rest of your face and voice. A clear 안녕하세요 with a smile and a bow reads as friendly respect. The same phrase muttered at the floor reads as unwilling. Because the words are fixed, tone does the extra work.

What Else Do People Say When They Meet?

Beyond 안녕하세요, Korean has several set phrases for meeting. Each one fits a particular moment.

Use 수고하세요 with colleagues and staff. Some people feel it sounds as if you are ranking the other person's work, so many avoid saying it to a boss or an elder and use 안녕하세요 or 먼저 가 보겠습니다 instead.

Koreans also greet with a question about food. 식사하셨어요? (siksahasyeosseoyo, "Have you eaten?") is a caring way to say hello, especially from older people, and the simple answer is 네, 먹었어요 or 네, 식사했어요. You do not need to describe your meal. Weather, health and work are also common openers (요즘 어떠세요? "How have you been lately?").

When you are introduced to someone, give your name after the greeting: 안녕하세요, 저는 ...이에요/예요 (annyeonghaseyo, jeoneun ...ieyo/yeyo), with 이에요 after a name ending in a consonant and 예요 after a vowel. The page on introducing yourself in Korean has a script for the whole exchange. For now, the key point is that a bow and a name together make a complete first impression.

How Do Handshakes Work in Korea?

A handshake (악수, aksu) is normal in business and with foreigners, and it is polite when done with a sign of respect. The most common sign is to support your right forearm or wrist with your left hand, or to place your left hand on the other person's hand. Some people use both hands to shake. The gesture shows that you are giving the other person your full attention.

The steps look like this.

1. Greet and bow slightly first. The bow can be quick if the other person has already put out a hand.
2. Offer your right hand. When shaking with a senior person, wait for them to offer if you can.
3. Support your right forearm with your left hand, or place your left hand lightly over the clasp.
4. Keep the grip gentle and short. A hard or long grip can feel aggressive.
5. Let go, step back slightly and use the polite phrase, such as 만나서 반갑습니다.

You may see a shake together with a small bow. This is normal, and it is not a sign that the person is shy. For close friends or family, a handshake is unusual, and a hug is rare among adults unless the people have lived abroad or have a very close bond.

Eye contact follows the same respect principle. A short look at the start is polite. A long stare at an elder or boss can feel challenging, so many people look briefly at the face and then lower their eyes slightly during the bow.

Handshakes between a man and a woman have no strict rule today. Some older people prefer a bow to a handshake with the opposite sex, so a good habit is to follow the other person. If they nod, nod back. If they offer a hand, take it.

So far we have looked at the first greeting. The next part covers the goodbye, which is easy to get wrong.

What Do You Say When Leaving?

Korean has two ways to say goodbye, and the right one depends on who is leaving. This is the most common beginner puzzle in greeting etiquette.

There are other leaving phrases. 먼저 가 볼게요 (meonjeo ga bolgeyo, [먼저 가 볼께요]) means "I'll head out first" and is common when you leave before colleagues. 내일 봬요 (naeil bwaeyo) means "See you tomorrow". 조심히 들어가세요 (josimhi deureogaseyo) means "Get home safely", said to a guest or friend who is going home.

In a shop, staff say 어서 오세요 (eoseo oseyo, "Welcome") when you enter. You do not have to answer in words. A nod or a small 안녕하세요 is polite. When you leave, staff say 안녕히 가세요, and you can reply with 감사합니다 or the same phrase.

For a sorry or thank-you after a favour, the related pages on thank you in Korean and goodbye in Korean explain the wording in more detail.

How Do New Year Bows Work?

At the Lunar New Year (설날, Seollal), younger family members perform a New Year bow called 세배 (sebae) to their elders. The younger person does a deep, kneeling bow (큰절) and says 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo), "Please receive many blessings in the new year". The words are said as [새해 봉마니 바드세요] in connected speech.

The elder then answers with words of blessing (덕담, deokdam), such as 건강하게 지내라 ("stay healthy") to a child or grandchild, and often gives a small gift of money in an envelope called 세뱃돈 (sebaetdon). Children look forward to it, and adults give their own parents and grandparents a bow too.

Visitors are not expected to perform a full kneeling bow, but the phrase is useful. You can say 새해 복 많이 받으세요 to a colleague or a host in the first days of the year. Because the sentence has the honorific -세요 ending, it is polite to elders as it stands. To a friend, use 새해 복 많이 받아 (saehae bok mani bada).

The same bow appears at weddings, memorial days and respectful visits to the elderly, so the word 큰절 is worth recognising even if you never do it.

How Do Greetings Work by Phone and Message?

On the phone, people answer with 여보세요 (yeoboseyo, "Hello") and then say the polite greeting, with no bow needed, although many people still bow slightly while speaking to a senior. In text messages and emails to a teacher, boss or client, open with 안녕하세요 and your name or role, and close with 감사합니다. A message that starts straight with a request can feel abrupt. The pages on hello in Korean and the greetings hub explain more openers.

Which Greeting Mistakes Do Beginners Make?

Most greeting errors come from mixing up levels, and almost all of them can be fixed in a second. Read this list before your first day in a Korean office or home.

1. Using 안녕 with an elder or boss. Wrong: 안녕! to a teacher. Right: 안녕하세요. The casual form is for friends and younger people.
2. Saying 안녕하세요 as goodbye. Wrong: leaving with 안녕하세요. Right: 안녕히 가세요 or 안녕히 계세요. The standard greeting means "hello" only.
3. Mixing up 가세요 and 계세요. Wrong: telling the person who stays 안녕히 가세요. Right: 안녕히 계세요 when you are the one leaving.
4. Not greeting at all. Walking past a senior colleague in silence can look cold. A quick nod and 안녕하세요 is enough.
5. Over-bowing. Many repeated deep bows can embarrass the other person. One clear bow is enough.
6. Handshake with one limp hand. With a senior, support the forearm or use two hands.
7. Checking a phone or keeping a hand in a pocket while greeting. Give the greeting your full attention for the second it lasts.

If you make a mistake, do not worry. Korean people are generally kind to learners, and a visible effort to bow and use the right phrase counts for a lot. Quick fixes are easy: say 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida, [죄송함니다], "I'm sorry") and try again.

What Are the Limits of These Rules?

These rules describe common habits, not laws, and they vary with age, region and workplace. Younger people in start-ups or creative companies may skip the deep bow, and some offices use first names with 님 or English names. Older people in traditional settings may expect a fuller bow and the formal 안녕하십니까.

The angles in the bow table come from manners and business-training guides, and they are approximate. The best guide is to watch what the people around you do and to match the level slightly below theirs for a peer or slightly above for a senior. If you are in doubt, the polite 안녕하세요 with a short bow is safe.

Region and generation also change small things. In some rural areas, people greet passers-by on a path even if they are strangers. In a big city, people rarely greet strangers in a lift or a street.

Practice: Three Short Exchanges

Reading is not enough for greeting etiquette, because the habit lives in your body. Try these three scenes aloud with a bow.

Scene 1: meeting your host's mother. She is older, so use the standard polite level and a standard bow.

Scene 2: passing a colleague at work. Use a nod and the polite phrase.

Scene 3: leaving a friend's home. The friend stays, so you say 계세요.

To practise, say each line twice: once with the bow and once while writing it down. After that, record yourself and compare the sound with the clips. The pairing of body and voice sticks faster than reading alone.

The Bottom Line

Korean greeting etiquette comes down to three habits: greet first, use 안녕하세요 unless someone is a close friend, and let your bow grow a little deeper as the person's age or rank rises. Add the right goodbye (안녕히 가세요 or 안녕히 계세요), support your right hand when you shake hands with a senior, and you will make a good first impression almost anywhere.

Next, learn how age shapes who bows first and which speech level you choose in Korean age etiquette. If you are planning a trip, Korean etiquette for tourists covers ten useful phrases, shoes, paying, tipping and table manners.

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