How to Say Nice to Meet You in Korean(7 different ways)

What’s the first thing you say when you meet someone new?“something like hi“, “how are you “or “Nice to meet you”, right?

That would work in most Western countries with your family and friends.

But what is the right way to greet people in Korea? And how do you translate “nice to meet you in Korean?”

To put it simply—it depends on the age of the person and whom you are talking to.

You wouldn’t address the Queen of England in the same way you would your best friend, would you?

In Korea, it’s all about making a good impression and starting a conversation on the right foot.

Here I’ll show you how to say Nice to meet you in Korean formally and informally like a native. Plus, some other Korean greetings to help you wrap up a conversation with confidence.

Alright world, it’s time to dig in

How to say nice to meet you in Korean

To say nice to meet you in Korean, you can say 만나서 반가워요 (mannaseo bangawoyo).It consists of two verb words: “만나다” (mannada) meaning “to meet” and “반갑다” (bangapda) meaning “to be happy.” For a formal expression, you can say “만나서 반갑습니다” (mannaseo bangapseumnida).

With friends, you can use the casual way by saying “만나서 반가워” (mannaseo bangawo).

Here’s how to say nice to meet you in Korean in 3 different ways depending on the age of the person or the level of formality.

• nice to meet you in Korean formal-만나서 반갑습니다 (mannaseo bangapseumnida), 
• nice to meet you in Korean standard-만나서 반가워요 (mannaseo bangawoyo)
• nice to meet you in Korean causal-만나서 반가워 (mannaseo bangawo).

After all, The first impression is crucial in Korean culture

but How exactly do you say “Nice to meet you in Korean” in different situations?

Nice to meet you in Korean (Standard)|What does Bangawoyo mean?

When you meet someone for the first time, you are more likely to say hello nice to meet you in Korean.

To say “nice to meet you” in standard Korean, you can use the phrase 만나서 반가워요 (mannaseo bangawoyo). You can shorten the phrase by saying simply 반가워요 (bangawoyo).

It is made up 3 words such as the verb “만나다” which means “to meet”, 서 means “therefore”, and 반갑다 means “to be glad”. 

The 요 ending in 만나서 반가워요 makes it a  polite expression to greet someone and express pleasure at meeting them.

You can use this most of the time with parents, people older than you, or strangers. never use form while talking with friends or people younger than you.

You can also use this in a variety of social situations, such as when you are meeting someone for the first time at a business meeting, a party, or any other social gathering.

Example

Young-hee : Sujin, this is my boyfriend, Chul-su.

영희 : 수진아, 내 남자친구 철수씨야. 인사해.

Su-jin: Hello

수진 : 안녕하세요

Cheol-soo: Yes, hello.

철수 : 네, 안녕하세요.

Su-jin : Nice to meet you.

수진: 만나서 반가워요.

Chul-su : Nice to meet you.

철수: 반가워요.

Nice to meet you in Korean causal

만나서 반가워 (mannaseo bangawo) is the causal way to say “nice to meet you in Korean. It’s made up of the verb 만나다 (to meet), 서(‘so) and the adjective 반갑다 means “to be glad”. 

You can shorten the phrase by saying simply 반가워 (bangawo).

You can use this way with people younger than you, friends, children, or siblings, and express pleasure at meeting them. 

If you are not sure, please don’t use this form. Instead, you should use the polite or formal form.

It’s better to be careful than feel sorry

Example

A : Cheolsoo!

A: 철수야~

B : Oh, Hi.

B : 어, 안녕?

A : Hey!

A : 야!

B : Oh, long time no see.

B : 어, 오랜만이야.

A: Nice to meet you.

A: 만나서 반가워

B : Nice to meet you. Did you eat?

B : 어, 반가워.밥 먹었어?

A : No, Are you going to eat?

A : 아니, 이제 먹으러 갈려구.

B : I’m having right now, we can go.

B : 나도 지금 먹을건데, 같이 갈까?

A: Sure. Let’s go!

A : 좋지. 가자!

Nice to meet you in Korean formal|What does Pangapsumnida mean?

만나서 반갑습니다 (mannaseo bangapseumnida) which means “nice to meet you” and literally translates to “it’s nice to meet you now that we’ve met.” 

It’s important to note that these phrases are business formal or appropriate for more situations. 

it is made up of the verb 만나다 means “to meet”, 서 which means “therefore/so” 

The formal ending ~(스)ㅂ니다 in 만나서 반갑습니다 makes it a more formal expression so that you sound extra polite and respectful.

You can use this form with elders, your boss, colleagues, parents, or people of higher status than you.

It’s important to be mindful of the level of formality in the context in which you are using these phrases.

Example

A : Hello? I’m Kim Cheolsoo.

A : 안녕하세요.김철수입니다.

B : Hello.

B : 안녕하세요.

A: Nice to meet you.

만나서 반갑습니다

B : Nice to meet you.

반갑습니다

Korean conversation using nice to meet you in Korean 

Here’s a conversation between two people using the word nice to meet you in Korean sentences.

A: Hi, I’m Lee Sunshin.

A: 안녕하세요, 저는 이순신이에요. 

(annyeonghaseyo, jeoneun Lee Sunshinieyo.)

B: Hi, I’m Kim Cheolsu. Nice to meet you.

B: 안녕하세요, 저는 김철수입니다. 만나서 반가워요. 

(annyeonghaseyo, jeoneun Kim Cheolsuibnida. mannaseo bangawoyo.)

A: Nice to meet you too. How have you been?

A: 만나서 반가워요. 잘 지냈어요? (mannaseo bangawoyo. jal jinaesseoyo?)

B:Thank you. I’m doing fine. How about you?

B: 감사합니다. 저는 괜찮아요. 어떻게 지냈어요? 

(gamsahamnida. jeoneun gwaenchanaeyo. eotteoke jinaesseoyo?)

A: I’m doing well too. Thank you.

A: 저도 괜찮아요. 감사합니다.

 (jeodo gwaenchanaeyo. gamsahamnida.)

B:I have a new job these days. What do you do?

B: 저는 요즘 새로운 일을 가지고 있어요. 어떤 일을 하고 계신가요? 

(jeoneun yojeum saeroun il-eul gajigo isseoyo. eotteon il-eul hago gyesingayo?)

A:I work as a technical consultant. I do work related to computer technology.

A: 저는 기술 컨설턴트로 일하고 있어요. 컴퓨터 기술과 관련된 일을 해요. (jeoneun gisul konseolteonto ilhago isseoyo. keompyuteo gisulgwa gwanlyeon-dwaein il-eul haeyo.)

B:I also do work related to computer technology. We really do similar work.

B: 저도 컴퓨터 기술과 관련된 일을 해요. 정말 비슷한 일을 하군요. 

(jeodo keompyuteo gisulgwa gwanlyeon-dwaein il-eul haeyo. jeongmal bicheup-han il-eul hagunyo.)

How to say “Nice to meet you too” in Korean

Now that you know how to say “nice to meet you” in Korean, it’s time to know how to respond to it.

In English, we respond with “Nice to meet you too,” 

But How to say nice to meet you too in Korean?

Here’s how to say “Nice to meet you too” in Korean in 2 ways

• “nice to meet you too” in Korean(formal)-저도 만나서 반갑습니다 (jeodo mannaseo bangapseumnida).
• “nice to meet you too” in Korean(polite)-저도 만나서 반가워요((jeodo mannaseo bangawoyo)

You can use this with everybody like family, friends, or even strangers.

Nice to meet you too in Korean in formal way

“저도 만나서 반갑습니다” means “Nice to meet you too.” or “It’s nice to meet you as well.” in formal settings where 저도 means “I also” or “me too” in Korean. 

It is a very respectful way to respond when someone says “Nice to meet you” or “만나서 반가워요” in Korean.

Here is a simple conversation in Korean using the phrase “저도 만나서 반갑습니다”:

Example

A: Hi, I’m Lee Sunshin.

A: 안녕하세요, 저는 이순신이에요. 

(annyeonghaseyo, jeoneun Lee Sunshinieyo.)

B:Hi, I’m Kim Cheolsu. Nice to meet you.

B: 안녕하세요, 저는 김철수입니다. 만나서 반가워요. 

(annyeonghaseyo, jeoneun Kim Cheolsuibnida. mannaseo bangawoyo.)

A:Nice to meet you too. How have you been?

A: 저도 만나서 반갑습니다. 잘 지냈어요? 

(jeodo mannaseo bangapseumnida. jal jinaesseoyo?)

B:Thank you. I’m doing fine. How about you?

B: 감사합니다. 저는 괜찮아요. 어떻게 지냈어요? 

(gamsahamnida. jeoneun gwaenchanaeyo. eotteoke jinaesseoyo?)

A: I’m doing well too. Thank you

A: 저도 괜찮아요. 감사합니다. (jeodo gwaenchanaeyo. gamsahamnida.)

Nice to meet you too in Korean in Standard way

저도 만나서 반가워요((jeodo mannaseo bangawoyo) means “Nice to meet you too.” or “It’s nice to meet you as well.” where 저도 means “I also” or “me too” in Korean. 

It is a polite way to respond when someone says “Nice to meet you” or “만나서 반가워요” in Korean.

This phrase can be used in a variety of social situations, such as when you are meeting someone for the first time at a business meeting, a party, or any other social gathering. 

It is a polite way to acknowledge the other person’s introduction and show that you are happy to meet them.

“Nice meeting you” in Korean

“Nice to meet you” or “It’s nice to meet you” can be translated as “만나서 반가워요” in Korean. 

This is a polite expression that you can use when you are introduced to someone for the first time. 

For example, if you are meeting someone at a business meeting, you can say “만나서 반가워요” to show that you are happy to meet them.

You can say it as 만나서 반가웠습니다 (mannaseo bangawotseumnida) when you need to say it formally.

it’s a pleasure to meet you” in Korean

“It’s a pleasure to meet you” can be translated as “만나서 영광입니다” or “만남이 영광입니다” in Korean. 

This is a more formal and polite way to say “Nice to meet you” or “만나서 반가워요.” 

You can use this expression when you are introduced to someone for the first time in a formal setting, such as a business meeting or a job interview.

 It shows respect and politeness to the other person.

How to remember it easily?

I know saying “nice to meet you’ is a bit confusing and so many ways make it even harder to remember. 

but with practice and time, you can be as good as native Korean speakers.

After all, when it comes to fluency, practice is the key.

Here’s how I did it.

I hope these resources will help you master the word “nice to meet you in Korean” in no time.

Anki Isn’t The Only Game In Town. 

Did you know you can Learn Korean with BTS and master how to say nice to meet you in Korean language?

Well, what could be better than that?

Here is how Koreans do it all the time (now you can do it too!!!)

Use Flashcard And Test

Maybe drama is not your thing. What about flashcards?

I know it’s an old thing(you might be using Anki too)

But When it comes to mastering Korean vocabulary, you will never regret using these fellas. 

Here is list 

https://quizlet.com/de/582689821/Korean-nice-to-meet-you-flash-cards/

https://quizlet.com/316488072/Korean-1-nice-to-meet-you-flash-cards/

Conclusion

Now you know exactly how do you say Nice to meet you in Korean!

They say the first impression is your last, so make it as strong as possible by greeting people properly in Korean!

Most Korean learners know that 만나서 반가워요 (mannaseo bangawoyo) is the Korean word for nice to meet you in Korean. 

I’m sure that you won’t use them all. But native speakers use a couple of those expressions too. 

Because, If you hear a Korean saying “만나서 반가워 (mannaseo bangawo)”, you want to make sure that you understand who’s he talking about.

Now, even though you learn by memory the expressions that we covered today, now go ahead, and show off to natives how good you are at Korean

Still think you are in the mood to learn how to speak Korean like a native, check out these basic Korean lessons 

I promise it will help you out

If you know more ways how to say nice to meet you in Korean, don’t hesitate to drop them in the comments at the end. 

I will wait for your opinion.

Thank you for reading this lesson. See you in the next lesson