Learn how to sound natural and confident when introducing yourself in Korean! :) NEW PODCAST EVERY MONDAY & FRIDAY! ☺️
www.koreanwithjo.com
TikTok / Instagram: @koreanwithjo
Podcast Notes:
A BASIC Korean self-introduction (which can either be called an 인사 or 자기소개 which literally means self 자기 introduction - 소개. So, You'll often hear parents tell their children (인사해) meaning "to give a greeting / introduction."
Typically, your 인사 will be made up of 3 parts.
First, your greeting. Simply put, it's your "Hello." In Korean, the word for Hello is: annyeong-ha-say-yo (안녕하세요)
*While saying hello, you'll also want to give a slight head nod and bow. This is super important as it shows respect to whomever you're addressing and gives you the vibe of being approachable.
The next step in your 인사 is: Your name! You'll want to let people know your name and how they should address you. There are a few ways to do this.
To say "My name is _______." You'd say (저는 ______ 입니다.) (Jeo-neun _____ I'm-ni-da)
For example, My name is Jo would be 저는 Jo 입니다.
2. Alternately, you can say the literal translation of "my name is" which is: 제 이름은 ______ 입니다. 제 meaning "MY" 이름 meaning "NAME" and "입니다" meaning "to be" For example, My name is Jo would be 제 이름은 Jo 입니다.
3. Another way to introduce yourself is to say "I am called ____" To say this, you'd say : 저는 ______ (이) 라고 합니다 / 해요. This structure is a little different because how you say it depends on the last letter of your name. If it ends with a consonant, you'd use the ending 이라고 해요. Whereas, if your name ends in a vowel, you'd simply add 라고 합니다 / 해요 to your name.
Out of the three ways I've shown you to say your name, the first one (저는 _____ 입니다.) Is probably the most colloquial with self introductions.
Lastly, you want to say... "Nice to meet you."
The most basic way to say this is: 만나서 반갑습니다.
The literal meaning of this is : 만나서 comes from the verb 만나다 meaning "to meet" So, in this case 만나서 means (because we're meeting/ because I've met you.) 반갑습니다 (I am grateful.)
This is a formal way to say "Nice to meet you." However, if you're in a more casual situation, (such as at school or around people who are similar to your age) You can use the casual polite term: 만나서 반가워요. (Remember, this polite casual speech is not rude, you can use this with people older than you.
Okay, so if your tie all three parts together, your 인사 should sound like this.
안녕하세요. 저는 Jo 입니다. 만나서 반갑습니다.