{"id":79558,"date":"2022-07-10T18:00:02","date_gmt":"2022-07-10T22:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/good-night-in-korean\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T02:07:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T07:07:17","slug":"good-night-in-korean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/korean\/good-night-in-korean\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say Good Night in Korean: 8 Ways to End the Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your evening routine may be busy, but it’s not complete without a nighttime salutation to mark the end of your day. And if you’ve started learning Korean greetings<\/a>, then you probably know that they’re more than just mundane conversation pieces.<\/p>\n

Etiquette is a big deal in Korean culture<\/a>, and greetings are just one aspect of it. So even a simple nightly farewell<\/a> can carry a lot of magnitude.<\/p>\n

Check out eight ways you can say “good night” in Korean.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]
\n<\/p>\n

1. \uc798 \uc790\uc694 – Sleep well (formal)<\/h2>\n

Pronunciation: jal ja-yo<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The phrase is relatively formal<\/strong> (again, the \uc694 at the end will tell you!) so you can use it for elder family members as well as your seniors.<\/p>\n

However, from my observations, I’ve found \uc798 \uc790\uc694 to be used a bit more casually than \uc548\ub155\ud788 \uc8fc\ubb34\uc138\uc694. It’s pretty common to hear it among more familiar acquaintances, such as between co-workers who are close in age.<\/p>\n

2. \uc548\ub155\ud788 \uc8fc\ubb34\uc138\uc694 \u2013 Sleep well (formal)<\/h2>\n

Pronunciation: ahn-nyung-hee ju-mu-se-yo<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

You might recognize the \uc548\ub155 at the beginning of this phrase as the standard way to say “Hello” in Korean. When translated literally, \uc548\ub155 means “peace” or “to be at peace.” So \uc548\ub155\ud788 \uc8fc\ubb34\uc138\uc694 can mean that you’re wishing someone a peaceful snooze.<\/p>\n

This phrase for saying “good night” in Korean is formal in nature,<\/strong> so you should use it for your parents, elders and other social superiors<\/strong> (such as your boss). It’s very frequently used and it’s my personal go-to for anyone who’s my senior.<\/p>\n

The inclusion of \uc138\uc694 (more specifically, the \uc694) is what makes this phrase respectful. This small addition to phrases automatically boosts their formality.<\/p>\n

If you want to be even more courteous, you can switch out \uc8fc\ubb34\uc138\uc694 with \uc8fc\ubb34\uc2ed\uc2dc\uc624 (ju-mu-ship-shi-o<\/em>), to say \uc548\ub155\ud788 \uc8fc\ubb34\uc2ed\uc2dc\uc624. This is reserved for those who really deserve that extra respect<\/a>, although you probably won’t find many instances in which it’s needed.<\/p>\n

3. \uc798 \uc790 – Sleep well (informal)<\/h2>\n

Pronunciation: jal ja<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the informal form of \uc798 \uc790\uc694, made possible by simply removing the \uc694. It’s short and sweet and rolls nicely off the tongue since both words start with the same consonant.<\/p>\n

This phrase is very common among friends, family members, and when speaking to someone around your age or younger.<\/strong> In my personal friend group, it’s the greeting we use most often before we split up and head off to bed.<\/p>\n

4. \uc88b\uc740 \uafc8 \uafd4\uc694 – Dream good dreams (formal)<\/h2>\n

Pronunciation: joh-eun kkum kkwo-yo<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

You can remove the \uc694 to say \uc88b\uc740 \uafc8 \uafd4, which is appropriate for use among your buddies.<\/p>\n

While it can be used among adults that are around your age or status,<\/strong> I’ve heard this phrase spoken often to youngsters and children before they head off to bed.<\/p>\n

For couples, there’s sometimes a cute alteration<\/a> to this expression. One may playfully implore their sweetheart \ub0b4 \uafc8 \uafd4 (nae kkum-kkwo<\/em>), which means “Dream of me.”<\/p>\n

5. \ud3b8\uc548\ud55c \ubc24 \ub418\uc138\uc694 – Have a comfortable night (formal)<\/h2>\n

Pronunciation: pyu-nahn-han bahm dwae-se-yo<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This formal statement wishes the person a relaxing rest of the night, quite similar to the English expression “Have a pleasant night.” (\ubc24 is the Korean word for “night”).<\/p>\n

This is a polite phrase commonly used among adults<\/strong>. It’s a bit of a mouthful, especially since the first three syllables end in the same consonant (try saying it three times fast!). So if you’re having trouble, take your time enunciating.<\/p>\n

6. \uad7f\ubc24 – Good night (slang)<\/h2>\n

Pronunciation: guut-bahm<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a Konglish (Korean-English) phrase. It’s a combo of \uad7f, a transliteration of the English word “good,” and \ubc24, the Korean word for night.<\/p>\n

This is a Korean slang term commonly seen in text<\/a>, so you’d see it\u00a0more often in online spaces and social media.<\/strong> It’s most commonly used by youths on digital platforms such as Kakaotalk<\/a>, Korea’s number one social messaging app.<\/p>\n

While it’s not a phrase you’d normally use in person, it’s definitely a funny and modern send-off that you can use with your pals online!<\/p>\n

By the way, Korean slang<\/a> lessons can be a nifty addition to your Korean studies. After all, the country boasts a very active social media scene<\/a>, and most natives are connected to the net and embrace the fun and convenience of slang in their interactions.<\/p>\n

7. \uad7f\ub098\uc787 – Good night (slang)<\/h2>\n

Pronunciation: guun-na-eet<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Similar to \uad7f\ubc24, this is also a slang term.<\/p>\n

One difference between the two is that \uad7f\ub098\uc787 is entirely an English transliteration of “Good night.” \ub098\uc787 is just a Korean phonetic spelling of the English “night.” So none of the words actually have a standard Korean definition.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, you probably wouldn’t say this out loud to someone, especially if they’re senior to you in any way. But you can find it being used casually by social media users.<\/strong><\/p>\n

8. \uafc0\uc7a0 – Sweet dreams (slang)<\/h2>\n

Pronunciation: kkul-jam<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The phrase \uafc0\uc7a0 is equivalent to the English expression “Sweet dreams.”<\/p>\n

\uafc0 means “honey” and \uc7a0 means “sleep.” So, when you use this phrase, you’re wishing someone honey-sweet dreams!<\/p>\n

This is a cute modern slang<\/strong> that would primarily be found online, although it can slip into some casual conversations as an affectionate way to bid your pals goodnight.<\/p>\n

Consuming Korean media is a great way to memorize which terms can be used in person and which should remain online only. Watching your favorite K-dramas on a learning program like FluentU<\/a>, for example, can provide useful context for new words and phrases.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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