Switching Between Casual and Polite Speech, and Forms of Address
Banmal (the casual '해체' style) is used with friends or younger people, while jondaetmal is the polite form. To make banmal, you simply drop the final '요'.
Polite to casual
| Polite | Casual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 가요 | 가 | go |
| 먹어요 | 먹어 | eat |
| 좋아요 | 좋아 | (it's) good |
| 뭐 해요? | 뭐 해? | what are you doing? |
| 고마워요 | 고마워 | thanks |
| 미안해요 | 미안해 | sorry |
| 같이 가요 | 같이 가자 | let's go together |
어디 가요? → 어디 가?
Eo-di ga-yo? → Eo-di ga?
Where are you going? (polite to casual)
내일 같이 영화 봐요. → 내일 같이 영화 봐.
Nae-il ga-chi yeong-hwa bwa-yo. → Nae-il ga-chi yeong-hwa bwa.
Let's watch a movie together tomorrow. (polite to casual)
밥 먹었어? 나는 아직.
Bap meog-eoss-eo? Na-neun a-jik.
Did you eat? I haven't yet. (casual)
Forms of address
Koreans often address people by relationship or title rather than by name. For a superior, title + '님' is more respectful than name + '씨'.
| Address | Usage | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 민수 씨 | name + 씨: equal or mildly polite | Min-su ssi |
| 선생님 / 사장님 | title + 님: polite | seon-saeng-nim / sa-jang-nim |
| 언니/오빠/형/누나 | an older person you are close to | eon-ni/o-ppa/hyeong/nu-na |
과장님, 잠깐 시간 괜찮으세요?
Gwa-jang-nim, jam-kkan si-gan gwaen-chan-eu-se-yo?
Manager, do you have a moment? (title + honorific)
언니, 이거 너무 잘 어울려요!
Eon-ni, i-geo neo-mu jal eo-ul-lyeo-yo!
Sis, this suits you so well! (address + polite)
Common mistakes
Do not call a superior by their bare given name. At work it is safer to use title + '님', such as '과장님', rather than name + '씨', such as '민수 씨'.
💡 Tip: Always start with polite speech when meeting strangers or superiors. Use banmal only once the other person allows it or you have become close enough.