Polite vs Casual Korean: 존댓말 and 반말 for Beginners

Speech levels · about 8 minute read

Korean changes how a sentence ends depending on who you are talking to. Say the same thing to a taxi driver and to a close friend, and the endings differ. That can feel like an extra layer of difficulty, but the system is quite regular. This guide explains the three levels you will actually meet, when to use each, and how to switch a polite sentence into a casual one.

It assumes you can already read Hangul. If not, start with Learn the Korean Alphabet in 1 Hour.

The three levels you will meet

• Formal polite (합쇼체). Endings like -ㅂ니다 / -습니다. You hear it in announcements, formal speeches, and customer service. Examples: 감사합니다 (thank you), 죄송합니다 (I'm sorry).
• Polite (해요체). Sentences end in 요. This is the everyday safe choice: 고마워요, 좋아요, 뭐 해요?. It is what you use with people you don't know well, and it is what the airport and taxi sentences in our other guides use.
• Casual (반말). The same sentence without 요: 고마워, 좋아, 뭐 해?. It is for close friends, younger people, and family.

The word 존댓말 (jondaenmal) means "honorific speech" and covers both polite levels above. 반말 (banmal) literally means "half speech". You will also hear -시- inside polite sentences, as in 주문하시겠어요? (would you like to order?). It adds extra respect toward the person you are talking about, and staff use it with customers.

When to use which

A simple rule from the Tier 4 story in Hangul Harvest sums it up: casual speech is for friends, and polite speech is for everyone else, especially elders. In practice:

• Use polite speech with strangers, staff, people older than you, and anyone you have just met.
• Use casual speech only after you have both agreed to it, with friends and people close to you.
• When in doubt, stay polite. Being too polite is almost never a problem. Being too casual can sound rude.

Dropping formal speech: 말 놓다

Switching to casual speech with someone is called 말 놓다 (mal notda), literally "to put down your speech". Usually the person who is older or in the higher position suggests it: 우리 이제 말 놓자! ("Let's drop the formal speech now!"). Among friends of a similar age, it is also natural to ask, as Mike does in the game: 말 놓아도 돼요? ("May I drop the formal speech?"). This is also why Koreans sometimes ask your age. It helps decide which speech level to use.

The important point: don't switch on your own with someone you have just met. Wait until you have both agreed.

How to turn polite into casual

For most sentences, the rule is simple: drop the 요.

A few things don't follow the drop-요 rule:

• 예요 / 이에요 becomes 야 / 이야. 최고예요 becomes 최고야. After a consonant, 이야: 학생이에요 becomes 학생이야.
• -죠 becomes -지. In the game, 당연하죠! turns into 당연하지! ("Of course!").
• Formal endings change the word. 감사합니다 isn't just 요-dropped. The casual way to say thanks is 고마워.

Endings that live in casual speech

Several everyday endings are mostly used between friends:

• ~자 (ja): "let's ...". 편하게 하자! (let's keep it casual), 일곱 시에 1층에서 만나자! (let's meet on the first floor at seven), 반반으로 시키자! (let's order half-and-half).
• ~(으)ㄹ래? (-llae): "do you want to ...?" 같이 밥 먹을래? (want to eat together?), 노래방 갈래? (want to go to a noraebang?).
• ~(으)ㄹ까? (-lkka): "shall we ...?" 뭐 시킬까? (what should we order?).

Names and "you"

With polite speech, you add 씨 after a name: 수진 씨. With casual speech between friends, you call them by their name plus 아 or 야: 수진아, 마이크야. Use 아 after a name ending in a consonant (수진) and 야 after one ending in a vowel (마이크).

The word for "I" also changes: polite 저, casual 나. The casual "you" is 너, as in 너 지금 뭐 해? ("what are you doing now?"). Be careful: 너 is only for close friends. In polite speech, Koreans usually avoid "you" and use a name or a title instead.

Two registers in one evening

You don't pick one level for the whole day. In the Hangul Harvest chimaek and noraebang scene, the same evening has both: the restaurant staff use polite speech and Mike answers politely (반반 치킨 하나랑 맥주 두 잔 주세요), while his friend Sujin speaks casually and he answers her casually (응, 진짜 맛있어!). Choosing the level is a decision you make for each person.

Common mistakes

• Using casual speech with a stranger or an older person. It can sound rude, even if your grammar is perfect.
• Switching without asking. Wait for the invitation, or ask first.
• Using 너 for everyone. Keep it for close friends.
• Mixing levels in one sentence. If you say 좋아요 then 뭐 해? to the same person, it sounds inconsistent. Pick one level per person.

Pronunciation notes

• 같이 is "gachi". The ㅌ at the bottom of 같 meets 이, and the two become a "ch" sound. See Batchim: Korean Final Consonants Explained.
• 놓아도 is "noado". The ㅎ at the bottom of 놓 is silent here.
• 좋아 is "joa". The same idea: ㅎ disappears before a vowel.

Practice

Turn these polite sentences into casual ones. Answers are below.

좋아요   뭐 해요?   알았어요   최고예요

Answers: 좋아, 뭐 해?, 알았어, 최고야.

Now decide which level you'd use with: a taxi driver, a classmate who just said "let's drop the formal speech", and your friend's grandmother.

Answers: polite, casual, polite.

For more everyday polite sentences, see Korean for Travelers: Airport and Taxi Phrases and Korean for a One-Month Stay.

Next: see both levels in action in Chimaek and Noraebang: Korean Phrases for a Night Out.