Key Facts
- Hangul: 반갑다 (ban-gapda)
- Meaning: glad to meet
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 반갑
- Class: ㅂ-irregular
- Dictionary-form sound: [반갑따]
What Does 반갑다 Mean?
반갑다 is the proper word for greeting someone you are happy to see. 만나서 반가워요 means "nice to meet you", and the same word fits a reunion with an old friend or a piece of welcome news. The person you meet is not marked with 을/를, and the reason joins on with -아서/어서, as in 만나서. It names the gladness that comes from the encounter itself.
How Do You Pronounce 반갑다?
The dictionary form is said [반갑따], with the 다 tensed after the final ㅂ. The same tensing appears in 반갑습니다, read [반갑씀니다], and in 반갑겠어요, read [반갑께써요]. Once the ㅂ has become 우, the sounds run smoothly: 반가웠어요 is [반가워써요].
How Do You Use 반갑다 in a Sentence?
만나서 반가워요.
Nice to meet you.
만나서 means "on meeting", and it gives the reason for the gladness. This is the standard first-meeting phrase in polite speech.
오랜만에 봐서 반가웠어요.
I was glad to see you after so long.
오랜만에 means "after a long time", so the past tense recalls the moment of the reunion. 봐서 supplies the reason, the act of seeing.
반가운 소식을 들었어요.
I heard welcome news.
반가운 sits before 소식 and describes the news itself. The 우 plus ㄴ shape is the same ㅂ change you see before any vowel.
Usage Notes for 반갑다
At a first meeting, 만나서 반갑습니다 is the formal version and 만나서 반가워요 the polite one. Because the word is about greeting, you may also use it for friends you have not seen for a while. The honorific 반가우세요 exists but is rarely needed, because you normally speak of your own gladness. Remember that the formal ending keeps the ㅂ, so 반갑습니다 shows no irregular change at all.
How Does Ban-Gapda Conjugation Work?
반갑다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 반가워요 | ||
| Polite past | 반가웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 반가울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 반갑겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 반갑습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 반가웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 반가울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 반가워 | ||
| Casual past | 반가웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 반가울 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 반가워서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 반가우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 반가운 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 반가웠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 반가울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 반가워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 반갑지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 반가워요 | — |
| Polite past | 반가웠어요 | [반가워써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 반가울 거예요 | [반가울꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 반갑겠어요 | [반갑께써요] |
| Formal present | 반갑습니다 | [반갑씀니다] |
| Formal past | 반가웠습니다 | [반가웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 반가울 것입니다 | [반가울꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 반가워 | — |
| Casual past | 반가웠어 | [반가워써] |
| Casual future | 반가울 거야 | [반가울꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 반가워서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 반가우면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 반가운 | — |
| Modifier, past | 반가웠던 | [반가웓떤] |
| Modifier, future | 반가울 | — |
| Short negative | 안 반가워요 | — |
| Long negative | 반갑지 않아요 | [반갑찌 아나요] |
Is 반갑다 Regular or Irregular?
반갑다 is ㅂ-irregular: the stem-final ㅂ turns into 우 before a vowel ending but stays ㅂ before a consonant. With a vowel ending you get 반가워요, 반가운 and 반가우면; the 우 and the following 어 merge into 워. With a consonant ending the ㅂ survives, giving 반갑습니다, 반갑지 않아요 and 반갑겠어요. The ㅂ-irregular lesson explains why the letter turns into 우.
Common Mistake with 반갑다
Wrong: ✗ 반갑어요
Correct: ✓ 반가워요
Why: Writing 반갑어요 keeps the ㅂ in front of a vowel. The rule drops the ㅂ and adds 워, giving 반가워요, while the formal 반갑습니다 keeps ㅂ.
반갑다 Versus 기쁘다 and 좋다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 기쁘다 | 기쁘다 is general joy. 반갑다 is specifically the gladness of meeting a person or hearing welcome news. |
| 좋다 | 좋다 means good or nice. 반갑다 is the proper word for greeting someone you are happy to see. |
Meeting a New Colleague after an Online Interview
Two colleagues meet in person for the first time. They recognise each other from a video interview, so the greeting connects the earlier meeting with today’s encounter.
New colleague
안녕하세요. 만나서 반갑습니다.
Annyeonghaseyo. Mannaseo bangapseumnida.
Hello. It’s nice to meet you.
Team member
저도 반가워요. 면접 때 뵀죠?
Jeodo bangawoyo. Myeonjeop ttae bwaetjyo?
Nice to meet you too. We met at the interview, right?
New colleague
네. 그때도 정말 반가웠어요.
Ne. Geuttaedo jeongmal bangawosseoyo.
Yes. I was really glad to meet you then too.
Team member
오늘부터 같이 일해요.
Oneulbuteo gachi ilhaeyo.
We’ll be working together from today.
반갑습니다 starts the encounter formally, while 반가워요 makes the reply conversational and polite. 반가웠어요 looks back at the interview. The change of ending changes the time or tone, while the welcome remains the same.
Welcome Encounters, Faces and News
반가운 얼굴 literally means a welcome face. In conversation it can refer to someone you are happy to see, especially after an absence. The person need not be a new acquaintance. This explains why a reunion can begin with 반가워요 even when both people already know each other well.
반가운 소식 means welcome news. The news is pleasing to the person hearing it: a friend’s recovery, a return home or a long-awaited announcement can all fit. The adjective describes the receiver’s positive reaction, so news that is welcome to one person may be unwelcome to another.
반가운 손님 means a welcome visitor or guest. Here 손님 is the person whose arrival brings pleasure. Compare this with 만나서 반가워요: the noun phrase labels the visitor, while the full greeting tells the listener how you feel about meeting them.
When Is This Greeting Natural?
At an introduction, give your name and then use 만나서 반갑습니다 or 만나서 반가워요. The phrase concerns the meeting itself. It can follow 안녕하세요, but it does not replace every hello: repeating “nice to meet you” to the same coworker every morning would sound unusual.
At a reunion, 오랜만에 adds the missing context: it has been a long time. The existing past-tense example also fits a message after the reunion. 반가웠어요 recalls the pleasure of seeing the person; it does not mean you have stopped liking them now.
In business introductions and speeches, 반갑습니다 is a familiar formal greeting. In a drama between close friends, 반가워 may sound warm and immediate. Use that casual ending with people you already address casually. A stranger’s friendly tone alone does not establish that relationship.
The Two Traps: Vowel Endings and Whose Feeling It Is
반가운 and 반가우면 contain 우, while 반가워요 contains 워. These are connected results of the same ㅂ change. Before 어, 우 combines with the following vowel. Before the modifier ending ㄴ, it stays 우. Memorising only 반가워요 can leave you unsure when a noun follows.
반갑습니다 keeps ㅂ because 습니다 begins with a consonant. Formality does not cause the irregular change; the ending’s shape does. You can therefore predict both a formal form with ㅂ and a polite form without it.
The greeting reports your own pleasure. You do not add an honorific ending to your own feeling just because the listener is senior. 만나서 반갑습니다 already gives a suitable formal introduction. The honorific form concerns the person experiencing the feeling, a different role from the listener.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 만남 | meeting / encounter | Names the encounter rather than the feeling. |
| 인사 | greeting | The social action that includes this expression. |
| 소식 | news | Takes 반가운 when the news is welcome. |
| 오랜만 | a long time since | Sets up the reunion use. |
See the greetings lesson for the phrases that can surround an introduction.
Mini Drill: a Welcome in Three Shapes
- Make 반갑다 polite and conversational.
- Give the formal present used at an introduction.
- Complete “welcome news”: ____ 소식.
- Put the greeting in the polite past.
Show drill answers
- 반가워요.
- 반갑습니다.
- 반가운 소식.
- 반가웠어요.
Quick Self-Test
- Can 반갑다 welcome an old friend?
- Does 반가운 소식 mean every listener will like the news?
- Why does 반갑습니다 retain ㅂ?
Show answers
- Yes, especially at a reunion.
- No. It expresses a positive reaction from the relevant person’s perspective.
- The ending begins with a consonant, so the vowel-triggered change does not apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say Nice to Meet You?
Say 만나서 반가워요 for polite speech or 만나서 반갑습니다 for formal speech.
Why Is It 반가워요 and Not 반갑어요?
The final ㅂ is irregular. Before a vowel it turns into 우, which merges with 어 to make 워.
Can I Use 반갑다 for Old Friends?
Yes. It is used when you see friends again too, as in 오랜만에 봐서 반가웠어요.
What Is the past Tense?
The polite past is 반가웠어요, said [반가워써요].
Which Words Are Related to 반갑다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Move on to 고맙다, another common ㅂ-irregular adjective, and 기쁘다 for general joy. The ㅂ-irregular lesson explains the rule in full. The Korean verb conjugator builds the same table for words not covered here, and the Korean verb dictionary lists them all.