How to Say Happy New Year in Korean (새해 복 많이 받으세요)

What you'll learn

• Say 새해 복 많이 받으세요 aloud as [새해 봉 마니 바드세요].
• Choose between 새해 복 많이 받으세요, 새해 복 많이 받아 and 즐거운 설 보내세요 for an elder, a friend and a coworker.
• Reply correctly when someone greets you.
• Explain the difference between 1 January and Seollal in greeting terms.

Before you start: the polite ending -(으)세요 appears in many everyday phrases, and Korean speech levels explains it. Time: about 13 minutes.

How Do You Say Happy New Year in Korean?

The standard way to say happy new year in Korean is 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo). The pieces are 새해 (saehae, new year), 복 (bok, good fortune or blessings), 많이 (mani, a lot) and 받으세요 (badeuseyo, please receive). Korean wishes the listener fortune, not "happiness".

The first two forms are the traditional greetings. The last two are modern or seasonal extras. The sections below take each one in turn.

What Are the Polite and Casual Ways to Say Happy New Year?

New year greetings follow the speech levels, the endings that change with the listener, which the guide to Korean speech levels explains. The core wish stays the same, and only the ending moves.

Polite: 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo)

새해 복 많이 받으세요 is the all-purpose form. The ending -(으)세요 is honorific, so it respects the listener while staying warm. Use it with elders, teachers, bosses, neighbours and shop staff. When replying, repeat the same sentence back.

Casual: 새해 복 많이 받아 (saehae bok mani bada)

새해 복 많이 받아 is the casual form, in 반말 (banmal, intimate speech). Use it with close friends, siblings, cousins and younger people. With an older person or a stranger, it sounds too familiar.

Casual: 해피 뉴 이어 (haepi nyu ieo)

해피 뉴 이어 is the English phrase "Happy New Year" written in Hangul. Friends use it in chat messages and on cards, usually in a playful tone. It is not a respectful greeting, so keep it away from elders and bosses.

Polite: 즐거운 설 보내세요 (jeulgeoun seol bonaeseyo)

즐거운 설 보내세요 means "please have a joyful Seollal". 즐거운 (jeulgeoun) is "joyful", 설 (seol) is Lunar New Year, and 보내세요 (bonaeseyo) is "please spend". Say it in the last days before the holiday, when coworkers are leaving to visit family.

Four forms come down to two choices: respectful or casual, and general new year or Seollal. Saying them smoothly needs the sounds.

How Do You Pronounce 새해 복 많이 받으세요?

새해 복 많이 받으세요 is pronounced as [새해 봉 마니 바드세요], in nine syllables with three small sound changes.

1. 새해 (sae-hae): "seh-heh"; the ㅎ is gentle.
2. 복 (bok): the final ㄱ becomes ng before the next word.
3. 많이 (ma-ni): "mah-nee"; the ㅎ is silent.
4. 받으세요 (ba-deu-se-yo): "bah-duh-seh-yo", with the ㄷ of 받 moving onto 으.

Sound Changes to Listen For

These details follow the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) Standard Pronunciation rules (표준 발음법):

• ㄱ before ㅁ becomes ㅇ. The ㄱ of 복 meets the ㅁ of 많이, so 복 많이 is [봉 마니]. The rule is explained in ㄱ-to-ㅇ nasalization.
• Silent ㅎ in 많이. The ㅎ in the cluster ㄶ drops before a vowel, and the ㄴ moves onto 이, giving [마니].
• Liaison in 받으세요. The final ㄷ sound of 받 moves onto the vowel 으, so it is said [바드세요]. See Korean liaison for the pattern.

Now that the sounds are clear, the next question is who hears which greeting and when.

When Should You Use 새해 복 많이 받으세요, and When Should You Not?

Use 새해 복 많이 받으세요 from the last days of December through Lunar New Year, and choose the casual or Seollal form by listener. The wish suits almost everyone and almost any place.

Situations Where It Fits

• First meeting after 1 January. Greet coworkers and neighbours with the full polite form.
• Seollal visits. Bow to elders and say 새해 복 많이 받으세요.
• Cards and messages. Write the polite form for teachers and seniors.
• Shops and services. Staff often greet customers in the first days of the year.

Situations to Avoid

• Late in the year. Before the date changes, many Koreans say 한 해 마무리 잘하세요, "finish the year well", instead.
• A casual greeting to an elder. 새해 복 많이 받아 is rude to someone senior.
• A literal translation. Bare 행복한 새해 ("happy new year") is understood but sounds translated; cards that use it add a verb, as in 행복한 새해 되세요.
• A household in mourning. Families that lost someone recently may skip celebrations, so a quiet 건강하세요 is kinder.

The short conversations below show the greeting and its reply.

What Does Happy New Year Sound Like in a Real Conversation?

A new year exchange is a greeting, a mirrored greeting and often a small wish or favour. Notice how elders reply differently from peers.

What to notice: the elder answers in plain speech and uses 받아라, the plain command, which is a warm blessing when it comes from an older person.

What to notice: the team leader repeats the greeting and adds a formal request to keep working well together. Behind the words lies a holiday with its own rhythm.

What Should You Know about the Culture behind Happy New Year?

Korea marks two new years, and Seollal is the bigger one. The greeting works for both, but the customs belong to Seollal.

• Two dates. 1 January is 신정 (sinjeong), a public holiday of one day. 설날 (Seollal), Lunar New Year, moves between 21 January and 20 February and is a longer family holiday.
• 세배 (sebae). On Seollal, children and adults bow deeply to elders and say 새해 복 많이 받으세요.
• 세뱃돈 (sebaetdon). Elders give new-year money to the people who bowed, mostly children and young adults.
• 떡국 (tteokguk). Families eat rice cake soup on Seollal morning.
• Wishes. Elders often add 건강하게 잘 지내라 (stay healthy), and friends add 올해도 건강하세요 (stay healthy this year too).

An expert insight: learners often think the wish is about happiness, but 복 (fortune) is the real focus. A Korean new year greeting asks for good luck, health and blessings to come to the listener, which is why the verb is "receive" (받다) and not "have". The mistakes below follow from these details.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Happy New Year in Korean?

Most mistakes come from translating English "happy" or from choosing the wrong register for elders.

Learners often assume 받으세요 is a command to the listener. Actually, the -(으)세요 ending here is a polite blessing, not an order, so Koreans hear "may you receive" and not "you must receive". The next section collects the other ways people search for this phrase.

Is It the Same as Happy Lunar New Year?

Not quite. 새해 복 많이 받으세요 works for any new year, while 설 greetings name Seollal. The short answers below cover the other searches.

• Happy Lunar New Year in Korean: 새해 복 많이 받으세요, or 즐거운 설 보내세요.
• New year in Korean (the words): 새해 (saehae) means new year, and 설날 (Seollal) means Lunar New Year.
• New year greeting in Korean: 새해 복 많이 받으세요, and 올해도 건강하세요 as a follow-up.
• Happy Seollal in Korean: 설 잘 보내세요 (seol jal bonaeseyo) or 즐거운 설 보내세요.
• Seollal greeting in Korean: the same polite wish, plus a bow and 세배 with elders.

For the autumn holiday with similar customs, see happy Chuseok in Korean. Now practise.

Practice: Say It Aloud

Play the slow clip of 새해 복 많이 받으세요 and repeat it three times, then try 새해 복 많이 받아. Next choose the form for each case. Answers follow.

1. You meet your teacher on the first school day of the year.
2. You send a message to your best friend.
3. Your grandmother opens the door on Seollal morning.
4. You say goodbye to a coworker the day before the holiday.

Answers

1. 선생님, 새해 복 많이 받으세요.
2. 새해 복 많이 받아.
3. 할머니, 새해 복 많이 받으세요, with a bow.
4. 즐거운 설 보내세요.

The phrase flashcards drill the new year phrases with audio.

Related Phrases to Learn Next

New year greetings sit beside other holiday phrases.

• Merry Christmas in Korean: the year's earlier greeting.
• Happy Chuseok in Korean: the autumn harvest holiday.
• Happy birthday in Korean: the personal celebration greeting.
• Congratulations in Korean: 축하해요 for other occasions.

This guide belongs to the Korean celebration phrases collection. What this page does not cover: the full ritual order of Seollal, family titles and traditional games. Use 새해 복 많이 받으세요 for most people, 새해 복 많이 받아 for friends and 즐거운 설 보내세요 before the holiday, and you can say happy new year in Korean in any setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you reply to 새해 복 많이 받으세요?

Reply with the same sentence: 새해 복 많이 받으세요. Elders answer a child with 그래, 너도 새해 복 많이 받아라 (yes, you too receive many blessings). Add 올해도 잘 부탁드립니다 (please look after me again this year) at work. A smile and a short bow are normal with the reply.

Can I say 새해 복 많이 받으세요 before the year ends?

Yes, from late December many people do, though stricter speakers wait until after midnight. Before the date, a safer line is 한 해 마무리 잘하세요 (han hae mamuri jalhaseyo, finish the year well). After 1 January, and through Lunar New Year, 새해 복 많이 받으세요 is correct anywhere.

Is 설날 the same as the New Year?

Not exactly. 설날 (Seollal) is Lunar New Year, the first day of the lunar calendar, and it is Korea's main new-year holiday. 1 January is 신정 (sinjeong), the solar new year. People use 새해 복 많이 받으세요 for both, and 설 greetings for Seollal. Seollal moves between 21 January and 20 February.

What is 세뱃돈?

세뱃돈 (sebaetdon) is new-year money that elders give to children after they perform 세배 (sebae), a formal bow, on Seollal. The child says 새해 복 많이 받으세요, and the elder answers with a wish and an envelope. The amount varies by family, and adults do not normally give it to each other.

Do Koreans say happy new year in English?

Sometimes. 해피 뉴 이어 (haepi nyu ieo) appears in messages, on cards and among friends, mostly for fun. It is not the traditional greeting, and older people may find it odd. For a natural, respectful tone, use 새해 복 많이 받으세요, and keep 해피 뉴 이어 for casual talk with peers.