Becoming completely fluent in 국어 (the Korean language) can take years. But if you only want to learn how to introduce yourself in Korean, all you need is 15 minutes.
In this article, I’ll teach you how to say “Hello, my name is…” and other useful phrases for when you first meet somebody. I’ll also provide you with a sample conversation and websites or apps you can use to help solidify what you’ve learned.
In English, when you first meet somebody, you probably say some variation of “Hello, my name is…” You can use the same phrase in English no matter who you’re talking to.
In Korean, you need to change the phrase slightly depending on who you’re speaking with. The way you speak to older members of the family, for example, will differ from the way you speak to close friends.
반말 (Casual language): Used with people younger than you and close friends.
존댓말 (Polite language): Used with strangers and people you don’t know well. It comes in two forms: informal and formal. Sentences written in the informal version usually end with a “ 요 ” on the verb. Sentences written in the formal version often end in (ㅡ) ㅂ니다 .
For our purposes, we’re going to focus on the polite informal way of speaking. You can use this form in most day-to-day situations.
Korean speakers often drop the word “I” from sentences. Usually, when you can guess the subject of the sentence from the context, you can drop 저는 without changing the meaning.
Here’s a list of some countries you might be from. Most countries sound similar to their English counterpart, but some others (like America, Australia and England) are different.
Keep in mind that there are two different number systems in Korean. For your age, you should use native Korean numbers. If you need to brush up on your Korean numbers, here’s a reminder.
This is just one example of how this conversation might go. To really get the ball rolling, call up a classmate, conversation partner or Korean-speaking friend and run this dialogue several different times with variations in how the two characters respond. Record yourself and then listen back for extra pronunciation practice.
Online Resources for Practicing Your Introducing Yourself in Korean
Merely learning these phrases once isn’t enough. You have to make time to practice!
Here are a few apps and websites to help you reinforce what you’ve learned here:
Here's a quick look at the variety of video choices available to you:
Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.
Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.
Don't stop there, though. You can use FluentU’s unique quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions.
FluentU even tracks your progress and remembers all the words you've learned, making for a 100% personalized experience.
Review sessions use video context to help embed the words in your memory. The best part? You can access the full FluentU video library with a free trial!
HelloTalk is a social media app that connects you with native speakers interested in learning your language.
You can chat, ask questions and make corrections to each other’s speech and writing. This app is great for practicing introductions, because you’ll have to introduce yourself every time you connect with someone new!
If you want to know more about this app, read our HelloTalk review.
The site has more than 150 lessons to help you improve your Korean language ability, plus games and activities to help you practice.
Work on Memorization with Korean Flashcards from Quizlet
If you want to learn even more phrases you can use right away in the real world, this Quizlet card set can help. Once you have the phrases memorized, you can test yourself to see if you’ve retained them. Alternatively, you can also use other flashcard apps that feature Korean.
If you prefer your flashcards the old-fashioned way, that’s great too: simply make some using paper or notecards. Writing these phrases down will help you practice spelling and aid in memorization as well.
MondlyAR—part of the broader Mondly language-learning service—provides a virtual reality chatbox feature that can help you practice phrases you’ve learned.
Try starting a conversation and practicing the phrases you’ve learned today. Using a chatbot can be a great way to build confidence before reaching out to an actual native speaker. You can learn more about whether MondlyAR is the app for you via our review.
Other than the above, there are plenty of apps you can check out to level up your Korean.
For more information on how to introduce yourself in Korean, you can also watch this YouTube video:
And if you want to get your honorifics right, this video can help you out:
See? 15 minutes of your time, and you’re already a more confident Korean speaker.
Now that you know some basic phrases, you can use them to kickstart your next conversation in Korean. This just might be the perfect moment to transform that Korean-speaking stranger into a new friend.
