How to Introduce Yourself in Korean

When you meet a new Korean person, knowing how to introduce yourself in Korean is very helpful! In this way, you can easily introduce yourself and start communicating with the locals.

How you’ll introduce yourself in the Korean language will vary based on the situation, we can get you started on the basics. Add to these based on your situation. Let’s get started!

A girl waving her left hand while saying hello in Korean

Below is a free PDF guide that you can download and take with you:

Things to know when meeting new people in Korea

It’s good to go over a couple of points on the manners and culture in Korea first. This is extremely important if you’re in South Korea. After you’ve learned them, we’ll get started on how to introduce yourself in Korean! These situations are also often portrayed on television, so you can see this in Korean drama.

1. Greet them by saying 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo).

Before anything else, greet them by saying 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo). It is important in Korean culture to be polite and show respect toward others. First impressions are everything.

2. Bow as you greet them.

This is a sign of respect and politeness. If you’re already acquainted, then just a head nod should do.a man bowing while shaking hands in the Korean fashion, this is a polite way to introduce yourself in korean

3. If you shake hands, use your right hand or both hands.

When you shake hands, use your right hand or both hands. You can show more respect by bowing and touching your left hand to your right or grabbing your stomach with your left hand.

4. Address them by their title or family name.

Koreans do not refer to each other by their first name unless they are close friends, and even then, they often go by “언니 (eonni),” “오빠 (oppa)” and so on.

When you are meeting a new person, use their title or family name unless they say otherwise.

How to introduce yourself in Korean

Now that we’ve gone through the important things to know when meeting a new friend in South Korea, let’s proceed with learning self-introduction in Korean. We will teach basic greetings, how to state your age and where you’re from your job, and the usual conversations people have when meeting for the first time.

You’ll also get to learn more about Korean grammar and more Korean words. When you greet people in Korean, they are likely to talk to you in Korean, and a Korean self-introduction script might come in handy!

You might know how to speak Korean, but if you don’t know how to read the Korean Alphabet, you can learn it here in about 1 hour.

Basic Greetings in Korean

As you learn Korean, how to greet someone is one of the first things that you’ll know, whether it’s from recognizing phrases in a Korean drama or as part of general language learning. The Korean phrases below are essential in introducing yourself in Korean and teaching the basics of what you can use, whether the standard or formal form or way to say them.

“Hello” in Korean

The most common way to greet someone you’ve met for the first time is by saying “hello.” Below is how you can say it in a standard way.

Our article on how to say “hello” in Korean shows different ways to say this greeting.

Standard

Hello.

“Nice to meet you” in Korean

When meeting someone for the first time, you can say, “It’s nice to meet you.” You can say it in a standard or a formal way.

We also have a separate article that teaches you how to say “nice to meet you” in Korean in many other ways.

Formal

It’s nice to meet you!

Standard

It’s nice to meet you!

Your self-introduction in Korean

When introducing yourself to someone, you can simply state your name following the sample sentence below. The example shown is can be used in formal situations.

Formal

My name is John.

Introducing Your Age in Korean

Age makes a big difference in your interactions in Korea. You want to use a more formal version and polite language in introductions for people in a higher social position (your boss, your elders, etc.). You can use standard versions of the Korean language when you introduce yourself in Korean to those who are the same age or younger than you.

Formal

I’m 24 years old.

Standard

I’m 24 years old.

As you tell others your age, it’s best if you’re familiar with Korean numbers, and you should use the native Korean Number System. We have a complete guide for Korean numbers here. Here’s a quick refresher if you need it.

Note that the Korean age is not the same as the international age. You can be up to two years older in Korean age.

Introducing Where You Are From in Korean

Something that will come up when you introduce yourself in Korean, your partner will probably want to know where you’re from.

Formal

I am from the U.S.

Standard

I am from the U.S.

Example Countries in Korean

You can fill in the blank with the country that applies to you. For more countries, you can check our post about how to say “country” in Korean.

EnglishKorean
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Australia
Thailand
Germany

Introducing Your Occupation in Korean

Work is important in Korean culture, and it’s likely to come up when you introduce yourself in Korean, either during your self-introduction or as a question after you finish.

Formal

I am a student.

Standard

I am a model.

I am a singer.

Example Occupations in Korean

Here are some examples of jobs and what they are called in Korean. You can use these with the sentences above to introduce yourself in Korean as well as to explain your occupation.

EnglishKorean
Student
Teacher
Engineer
Part-timer
Web developer
Nurse
Singer
Freelancer
Hairdresser
Salesperson
Clerk
Model

five happy people talking at a table

Conversation topics when introducing yourself in Korean

After you introduce yourself in Korean and finish with the basic questions South Koreans will ask, you might want to introduce some other topics to keep the conversation going. Here are some basic sentences you can use.

Formal

I learned Korean at the academy.

Standard

I studied Korean by myself.

I learned Korean from my friend.

Formal

I live in Seoul.

Standard

I live in the Philippines.

My hobby is running.

My hobby is cooking.

Reading is one of my hobbies.

If you’d like to know more about constructing sentences in Korean, we have a full article on Korean sentence structure.

List of Hobbies in Korean

For more lists of hobbies and activities, you can check our separate article focused on hobbies in Korean and sports in Korean.

EnglishKorean
Reading
Cooking
Hiking
Soccer
Basketball
Baseball
Listening to music
Running or

Wrap Up

Now you know how to introduce yourself to your new Korean friends or some native speakers in Korean! If you’re looking for more, check out our fantastic resources on learning Korean here. We also have a structured online Korean language web program that will teach you how to have a 3-minute conversation in the first 90 days.

Did you find today’s lesson on learning Korean useful? Practice introducing yourself in the comments, and we’ll reply with how you did!

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153 thoughts on “How to Introduce Yourself in Korean”

  1. Thanks for this! Sir, now I can have basic conversations and write in Korean! Could you please suggest more ways to sharpen my Korean?

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