How to make Korean friends - 13 easy phrases you can use now

With the help of technology and innovative apps like Hilokal, it is much easier to make Korean friends. Yet, some people still find it difficult to maintain these friendships and find themselves losing contact with their Korean friends.

Fret not! Today, I am here to teach you 13 easy phrases that you can use now to make new Korean friends. I will also give you practical tips that you can follow to keep those friendships alive.

Before we begin, here is a compilation of the phrases that you will come across throughout this post:

1) 안녕하세요? (annyonghaseyo) - How are you?

People underestimate the power that this one basic phrase can give you. It breaks the ice the moment you use it on a new Korean friend since it gives the Korean listener a sense of familiarity over a “hello” in English.

Koreans are also very proud of their own language, so if a foreigner takes an effort to learn Korean, they are likely to be impressed.

I’d be rich if I had a dollar for every time a Korean told me that I spoke Korean well just because I said “안녕하세요?”

You can even learn different ways to say ‘hello’ in Korean. Keep learning new things to show genuine interest in Korean culture and its language, and your Korean friend will feel a real connection with you.

2) 영어를 할 줄 아세요? (yongoreul hal jjul aseyo) - Do you speak English?

This phrase is particularly useful for people who just started learning Korean but want to get to know some Korean friends early on.

Being able to communicate easily is important in any kind of friendship. So if you can’t communicate in Korean, you can always do it in English.

However, do not expect every Korean to be proficient in English. According to Education First, Korea ranks ‘moderately proficient’ in the English language.

While Koreans learn English in schools, many just learn to tackle their exams and forget about it after that.

Ultimately, Korean is still their official language. Learning Korean will still be your best bet in being able to make new Korean friends.

If you are a beginner, I recommend learning and mastering Hangul first before moving on to learning grammar and new vocabulary.

3) 이름이 어떻게 되세요? (ireumi ottoke dweseyo) - What's your name?

This phrase may seem basic at first but knowing AND remembering the name of the person you are talking to is actually very important when making new friends. When someone remembers our name after the first meeting, we feel respected.

However, you need to also remember that Korean is a hierarchical language. Calling by name may or may not be acceptable according to who you are talking to. You need knowledge of Korean honorifics to know when it is acceptable.

Regardless, knowing a person’s name at the first meeting is always recommended so memorize this phrase well.

4) 몇 살이세요? (myot sariseyo) - How old are you?

Speaking of Korean being a hierarchical language, this next phrase is important in determining your ‘social rank’ relative to your new Korean friend.

In Korea, older people receive more respect. If you happen to be older than your Korean friend, you can afford to speak more casually. If you are younger, then you need to be respectful. Once again, you need to know your Korean honorifics well.

Also, it will be nice to ask for your friend’s birthday.

생일이 언제예요? (saengiri onjeeyo) - When is your birthday?

Knowing and remembering your friend’s birthday will be a great way to reconnect with your friend, perhaps after a long period of no communication. Also, who wouldn’t appreciate a heartfelt birthday greeting?

You can also show that you care by giving a 기프티콘 (gi-peu-ti-kon) or ‘gifticon’. Giving a gifticon is extremely convenient since everything can be done digitally. You can even gift a cup of Ice Americano, which costs less than $5.

5) 한국말 조금 할줄 알아요. (hangungmal jogeum haljjul arayo) - I can speak a little Korean.

Saying this phrase to your new Korean friend can be a great way to help them manage their expectations.

If you just started learning Korean, speaking with someone in Korean can be quite daunting. With this phrase, you can signal to your new Korean friend that you need some grace when communicating in their native language.

You might run into some difficulties when talking with your friend. Let’s say you are having a conversation with your Korean friend but they are talking a little fast, you can say,

천천히 말 해주세요. (chonchonhi mal haejuseyo) - Please speak slowly.

Or you were busy eating that last piece of Korean fried chicken and missed what your friend said, you can say,

다시 말 해주세요. (dasi mal haejuseyo) - Please repeat that again.

6) 우리는 언어교환 합시다! (urineun onogyohwan hapssida) - Let’s do language exchange!

Over the years, I have made many Korean friends through language exchange. It’s probably also the easiest way to make new Korean friends.

You find a Korean, who is also looking to learn English through language exchange, and both of you can help each other improve your language skills.

I found myself talking to my new Korean friends more often because of language exchange but be careful not to make your interactions too transactional.

Think of language exchange as helping a friend out instead. Make it fun and you will be able to make real friends.

There are many different ways to do language exchange. You can do meet-ups, chat over text, or call.

I find calling the most approachable way. No anxiety over meeting in person, but yet more effective than just texting alone. I highly recommend you give Hilokal a go.

7) 무슨 일을 하세요? (museun ireul haseyo) - What do you do for work?

I personally like to ask this question when making new Korean friends. Asking this question gives you the opportunity to ask more about what they do at work (or at school if they are still students), making it a great conversation starter.

If both of you are coincidentally in the same line of work, it will also be an excellent chance to network.

Once, I made a Korean friend who was a preschool teacher, and that opened up opportunities for us to meet and help each other with work matters.

8) 취미가 있나요? (chwimiga innayo) - Do you have a hobby?

This is also another one of my favorite questions to ask. If you happen to find someone who has the same hobby as you, you will have a solid reason to hang out with them while doing something that you both enjoy.

I love video games and I have made so many Korean friends online through playing Overwatch. I have even met some of them in real life.

Although I have made Korean friends via other means, meeting through a shared hobby really trumps them all.

Don’t worry if your friend doesn’t have a common hobby with you. You can take the chance to learn more about the other person’s hobby and for all you might know, you may end up picking up a new hobby for yourself.

9) 서울에 사세요? (soure saseyo) - Do you live in Seoul?

These days, more people are making new friends online than offline. Personally, I find it difficult to maintain “online friendships”. A lot of times, these friendships start and end quickly.

That’s why I tend to ask the above question to find out which city in Korea the person lives in.

You may ask, “Why Seoul?” It’s just my way of asking the question indirectly. If the person lives in another city, they will usually correct you in their reply.

Knowing which city your Korean friend lives in can serve as a conversation starter and you can even talk about the different places that you have been to before. I can also plan meet-ups in their city so the friendship isn't purely online.

10) 혹시 인스타를 하세요? (hokssi inseutareul haseyo) - Do you have Instagram?

Knowing your new Korean friend’s Instagram is a good way to keep in constant contact without you looking too forced about it.

Instagram is an app that allows users to post pictures of their daily lives and temporary ‘stories’ for their followers to see.

I always enjoy seeing updates on my friends’ lives and I sometimes comment or reply to their stories to show that I’m still interested in what they do.

I found that such random acts of reaching out through Instagram can help maintain your friendship for a long time. If your friend doesn’t update often, you can be the one doing the uploading instead.

11) 혹시 카톡 아이디를 알려줄 수 있나요? (hokssi katok aidireul alryojul ssu innayo) - Can you tell me your Kakaotalk ID?

Kakaotalk is a messenger app that almost all Koreans use on a daily basis to keep in contact with their friends and family. So when you ask for someone’s Kakaotalk ID, it is almost the same as asking for someone’s contact number.

Being able to keep in contact is important in maintaining friendships. With your new Korean friend’s KakaoID, you will be able to text, call, or even video call them.

Some Koreans may be wary of giving away their Kakaotalk ID to people whom they have just met since it is their main messenger app so don’t be too upset if they reject you.

Focus on getting to know your new friend first and exchanging Kakaotalk ID will come naturally.

12) 기회 되면 밥 한번 같이 먹읍시다! (gihwe dwemyon bap hanbon gachi mogeupssida) - Let's have a meal together if we have the chance!

Who doesn’t enjoy a nice meal with great food and drinks, right? Instead of enjoying it alone, you can use the phrase above and invite your new Korean friend to a meal together.

Having a meal together has a lot of benefits. Research has shown that having a meal with friends or family can improve one's happiness and promote bonding. It can also boost endorphin levels.

Let’s explore other related phrases to help you secure that appointment with your Korean friend. Let’s say you want to invite your friend to a meal and would like to go to a restaurant that they frequent, you can ask,

좋아하는식당이 있으세요? (joahaneunsikttangi isseuseyo) - Do you have a favorite restaurant?

Going for a meal together also means that both of you will have to intentionally fork out time from your busy schedules to meet. So, if you want to ask when your friend is free, you can ask,

언제 시간이 되세요? (onje sigani dweseyo) - When do you have time?

13) 연락하고 지냅시다! (yolrakago jinaepssida) - Let's keep in touch!

This last phrase perfectly sums up the essence of what is required to be able to make Korean friends: keeping in touch.

Constant communication is key to making and maintaining Korean friends. Some of you may not even be living in Korea, so all the more you need to keep in touch with your Korean friends, through any means possible.

This last phrase is easy to say but definitely not easy to follow. It takes time and effort to exchange texts or meet up, but those are the very least you should do if you want to make friends that you can depend on.

Final Thoughts on Making Korean Friends

Making Korean friends is easy but maintaining these friendships requires effort.

In fact, you can go into Hilokal right now and use these phrases immediately but what really counts is what you do AFTER using what you learned.

There isn’t much point in getting a person’s Kakaotalk ID if I don’t intend to keep in touch with the person after that, is it?

So don’t focus too much on the technicalities of the phrases in this post. Instead, use these phrases to help you form real connections with other Koreans.

If you are Korean and would also like to make friends through teaching your native language, you can join as a Hilokal trainer here.