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안녕하세요! In this lesson, we are talking about the differences between the different politeness levels in Korean. The most casual and intimate language is called “반말”. Find out more about when you can and cannot use 반말 and how to use it by listening to this lesson.
You can download a free PDF for this lesson here, or if you want to study with our TalkToMeInKorean textbooks, you can get them here. And after you learn the basics, try writing your own Korean sentences and get corrections from native speakers through HaruKorean, our 1:1 correction service.
와 이레슨 정말 재미있는데 !
오 그리고 현우씨 , your voice when you talk in 반말 진짜 좋아해 ㅋㅋㅋ
lol dont get mad at me please ,i’ve just tried to practice something you just taught
고마워요 , 경은씨 하고 현우씨하고 석진씨
this lesson reminds me of super junior’s magnae , cho kyuhyun , lol he’s famous for his improper behavior , on broadcast /radio/ interview, he always ” eunhyuk ssi , donghae ssi bla bla bla ㅂ니다 ” , but offcam , he’d say “은혁 야 ,밥 !” to tell his hyung to cook ,even without calling him 형 , his hyungs always complaint and the leader even said our magnae is the rudest one in kpop , lol ,but they still love him for his cuteness and genuineness
and about honorific/polite word , vietnamese and korean are really similar , but we have more levels of polite
) , and the personal pronoun you use when you talk to grand parent , parent , older sibling , younger silbling , teacher , much older ppl , slightly older one, younger one , much younger , ppl at the same age , lover , boss … are all different , foreigners find it very confusing
and the highest level of honorific words you almost only use with grand parents or parent ,but sometimes children from strictly educated families have to use the highest level with their older sibling too , but sounds weird ,even to me
와 이레슨 정말 재미있는데 !
오 그리고 현우씨 , your voice when you talk in 반말 진짜 좋아해 ㅋㅋㅋ
lol dont get mad at me please ,i’ve just tried to practice something you just taught
고마워요 , 경은씨 하고 현우씨하고 석진씨
this lesson reminds me of super junior’s magnae , cho kyuhyun , lol he’s famous for his improper behavior , on broadcast /radio/ interview, he always ” eunhyuk ssi , donghae ssi bla bla bla ㅂ니다 ” , but offcam , he’d say “은혁 야 ,밥 !” to tell his hyung to cook ,even without calling him 형 , his hyungs always complaint and the leader even said our magnae is the rudest one in kpop , lol ,but they still love him for his cuteness and genuineness
and about honorific/polite word , vietnamese and korean are really similar , but we have more levels of polite
) , and the personal pronoun you use when you talk to grand parent , parent , older sibling , younger silbling , teacher , much older ppl , slightly older one, younger one , much younger , ppl at the same age , lover , boss … are all different , foreigners find it very confusing
and the highest level of honorific words you almost only use with grand parents or parents
When I watch Korean historical drama, they use a lot words with ending 니까.
Do people still use that form of politeness nowadays?
Is it also part of 존댓말?
I guess you hear that “니까” pattern in question form, right?
Yeah, it is still formal expression if you use it in question form.
식사 하셨습니까?
가방 가져 오셨습니까?
여권 가져 오셨습니까?
If I want to ask somebody who is close to me to go, can I just say 가 to that person?
Yeah, I often say “가” to my close friends.
정말 감사합니다~ This lesson was really helpful, because I didn’t know (until now) that people should ask for permission to talk in 반말.
Hi, I would like to ask about adding “이” to a name.
In the PDF it says that “… Korean people add the letter “이” after the names that end with a consonant when they are talking about the person using their name.”
for example “석진이”.
what about names that ends in a vowel? like 현우 ?
Thank you
Hi Ahuav,
We don’t add “이” after the name without a last consonant.
현우이 (X)
Oh, sorry, I just heard the audio again and it was explained that names that end with a vowel don’t need the “이” . Thank you
Talking about names, it says in the PDF to add the letter “이” after the names that end with a consonant, when talking about the person using their name. What about names that end with a vowel?
Thank you
For names that end with a consonant, you don’t need to add the “이”.
안녕하세요 ^^
i didn’t know that i have to ask for the person’s permission to speak in 반말 , and i just dropped it with someone who’s older than me ㅜㅜ
저는 이제 어떻게 해야 되요? ㅋㅋ
선생님들 .. 너무 도와 주셔서 정말 감사합니다 ^^
The use of panmal and chondaenmal in Korean tends to confuse learners, especially English speakers. It is often erroneously explained in the grammar books as “rude talk” and “polite talk.” But in fact, as you point out, neither is “rude” or “polite” in the appropriate context. In an inappropriate context, however, even chondaenmal can be extremely rude.
For example, if an older person suddenly addresses a person to whom he owes warmth and affection — maybe a father to his son — in chondeanmal, he is starting to address that person as a stranger. This is an insult to the son — You are now a stranger to me!
We can find examples of this in old-fashioned English. In 18th and 19th century novels we can find an angry father addressing his son as “Sir!” Normally, he should say something like, “John, my dear boy, you should marry soon… etc.” But if the father is displeased with his son, he says something like, “You, sir, are a scoundrel, sir! Leave this house at once, sir! You are no longer a son of mine, sir!”
A displeased master would also dismiss a servant, addressing him with a contemptuous “Sir.” In other words, using (English) chondaenmal to make it clear to the other that all ties of friendship and affection have been severed. “You are now a stranger to me!” Of course, to address a real stranger as “Sir” was — and still is — polite, especially if the stranger is older.
Now I know the reason why 소녀시대 티파니 always call 소녀시대 태연 as 태연이 when she is talking bout her ..wahhh ..this is so cool it sound much more natural … 정말 감사합니다 선생님 ! 저는 소녀시대 노래 진짜 좋아해요 .. I know that this sentence is unrelated with this lesson but I really really want to say this in korean and now I can ..haha 선생님 때문에 저는 정말 열심히 공부 할거에요 ! 안영하세요 !
Hi
I have just a small question. Is it incorrect to use 나 or 우리 with 존댓말?
Hi
I have just a small question. Is it incorrect to use 나 or 우리 with 존댓말?
Thanks.
These politeness levels are culturally very strange to me. I really like Korea and Korean, but to me it is as if one is obliged to value to one human being as better compared to the other. The Netherlands is a very flat society and I address my CEO by his first name, and with the ‘casual’ politeness form. It just goes against my ‘moral equality-principle’ to use these levels.
Hi there,
i usually hear that Korean people using a dictionary form
like when they say ” delicious” they are not using 맛있어요 but 맛있다
is it part of banmal? and why they are using dictionary form?
and what is the meaning if 고 in 아이고 and 아니고
will really appreciate your help
ichinii
이 레슨 너무 완전이에요
사진도 아주 예쁘네요
하지만 나는 물음 있어요
If I just say 노민우 is it 반말 ??!
내 두 번째 질문 “씨”
I hear some korean people call it ..ssi.. and some of them ..shi..
I think we call it ..ssi.. double ss but the fast make it sounds like sh , Right??!
대답해 주세요. 제발
많이 고맙습니다
이 레슨 너무 완전이에요 > 이 레슨은 너무 완벽해요.
나는 물음 있어요 > 나는 질문있어요.
Yes, if you just say 노민우, it sounds like 반말.
이 레슨 너무 완전이에요
사진도 아주 예쁘네요
하지만 나는 물음 있어요
If I just say 노민우 is it 반말 ??!
내 두 번째 질문 “씨”
I hear some korean people call it ..ssi.. and some of them ..shi..
I think we call it ..ssi.. double ss but the fast make it sounds like ..sh , Right??!
대답해 주세요. 제발
많이 고맙습니다 ^_-
Hi there, first of all this is the first time I leave a comment but I have been studying all your lessons since the beginning so far and this is awsome.
My question is about the usage of 반말 and/or 존댓말 in a couple. I am French and in french we have a basic respect/politness form with the “you” which is different, but basically you use the less formal way with your husband/wife, otherwise it looks very old-fashioned.
Since I am in a very intimate relationship with my Korean wife, and since I am older that her, I followed the rule of this lesson and I asked her whether she’d agree to speak 반말 with me… and to my surprise, she said that we should speak 존댓말 with each other, pretending that some couple speak 반말 but it’s too rude. But for me it’s looks weird not to speak 반말 with her now that I know the different situation and I do not feel like I am in a business relationship with her! Also after reading the comments, it seems that using 존댓말 can even be more rude because it creates more distance and my wife is the closest person in my life, so I would not like to be distant from her.
What is your opinion of that?
So if I am meeting a much older person for the first time, they would probably speak to me in jeon-de-mal even though I am younger, right? Also, would a much older person ever give permission to a younger person to speak to them in pal-mal? Like an uncle giving permission to his nephew? Or is that just never done?
Hi TGivans.
Well, I permitted my nephew, who is one year younger than me, to speak to me in casual form.
However if the age difference is big, normally, older people don’t permit younger people to say them in casual form.
Thanks for your comment.
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안녕하세요.
I have a couple of questions about when 반말 can be used.
If 반말 is used when talking to someone who is younger or someone who the speaker is close with, and 존댓말 is used when talking to someone older or in a higher rank than the speaker or someone who the speaker doesn’t know very well, then which one would be used when, for example, the speaker meets someone for the first time, but that person is younger?
Basically, which comes first, whether the person spoken to is younger or older, or how close they are?
And when speaking to someone younger, does the speaker have to get a permission from the other person to speak to them in 반말 or can that be done automatically just because the person is younger?
And one more…is it a bad thing if one uses 존댓말 when speaking to someone younger?
감사 합니다.
Hi 안나,
First of all, it is not rude to use 존댓말 when you speak to someone younger.
When you meet someone for the first time, even though the person is younger than you, it is polite to use 존댓말, and it will be better to get the person’s permission if you want to use 반말.
Unless the person whom you speak to is a kid, it is good to use 존댓말 for the first time.
Thanks for your comment.
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I’m watching Korean melodramas on Netflix. I’m learning a lot about their culture this way. I don’t understand why the order in which people exit is important. As in, “I’m going to leave first.” (comment in movie)