A Juicy Lesson in Korean: #2 - Thank you.

I thought about doing more advanced sort of greeting, but Josh suggested that it might be better to cover the basics first.

All Korean textbooks will say that Koreans do not use intonation, which is true. Our syllables mean exactly what they mean no matter how you say it. However, we do have a set way of using tones in common phrases, even if we don't think about it. This is why Koreans might need you to repeat sentences a couple of times to understand what you're saying. Sadly, I'm a bit lazy at the moment to put up sound clips. -_-;; We'll see how that goes.

A) Thank you - 감사합니다 or 고마워요

i) 감사합니다.

Kahm-sah-hab-nee-da.

Most Koreans pronounce this in such a way that the third syllable "hab" blurs into "ham". This slides into the next syllable, "nee". The last syllable, "da" should sound almost like a soft "t".


ii) 고마워요.

Ko-mah-wo-yo.

wo = "Whoa~", but short. (I trust that you won't need to imitate Keanu Reeves.)


"감사합니다" is a more formal thank-you, to be used in situations with strangers. It might be used in business transactions, for instance. "고마워요" is more familiar. It's a heartfelt thank-you for the other person helping you. Between good friends, you may shorten this to "고마워" (Ko-mah-wo), which is informal.


B) You're welcome - 천만에요.

Chun-mahn-eh-yo

People may not use "천만에요" all the time, just like we all have different ways of saying "You're welcome" ("No problem", "Don't mention it", etc).


Random note: "Please" is implied by the formal speech level when you ask for something in Korean. There is a word in the dictionary for "please" - 제발 (Jeh-bahl), but the tone is more desperate and pleading. It is therefore not used in everyday conversation, unless you want to stress its importance.