There is a beginning and an ending in nearly everything in life. The outset of a lovely sunrise constantly closes with a sunset.  A meeting generally commences with “hello” and ends by saying “farewell.”  

“Bye” in Korean may be expressed in a number of ways. There is an casual way used with friends and those you are close to. On the other hand, there is a formal manner of saying bye which is made use of when speaking to those senior to you. Always think about the social position of the person you are conversing with, whenever thinking of the proper “bye” expression to use. For instance, a staff member in a business, could use the expression “Jal gaseyo” to say goodbye to the boss when that person is the one going away. However, use the words “Annyeonghee gyeseyo” to say goodbye to a manager when you are the one going away. The difference between the two expressions is small but necessary to bear in mind. If you want to courteously say goodbye to somebody in the society who has a higher societal status, use the phrases “Annyeonghee gaseyo” and “Annyeonghee gyeseyo.”  These formal expressions are not really needed if you are speaking to a friend or somebody who has a lower societal rank.  A straightforward “Jal ga” will do whenever you want to bid someone goodbye.

Goodbyes, whether said in a formal way or informally, also have accompanying motions. As explained previously, if you are expressing bye to a person who has a higher societal status, you would say “Jal gaseyo” or “Annyeonghee gyeseyo” but in addition you should also make a graceful bow as a show of respect. Whenever you happen to be conversing with a guest or someone you are not close to,  the same polite expression with the bow is employed. While a very simple hand wave accompanying “an Annyeong” is all that is necessary when communicating with a good friend or someone of equal or lower social standing.  It is not essential for you to bow towards the individual since the two of you have identical societal position.

Whenever you say farewell to another person, quite often you also add some other expressions. If you have a close connection with an individual, here are some of the typical expressions that you may would like to say in addition to a bye. To say that you will miss the person, say “Bogoshipeulguhya.” If you wish to remind the person to take care, say “Mohm joshimhera.”  If you still have some unfinished business with the person, say “Najoonge yhunlakhe” when you would like to say “Get in touch with me afterward.”   

Let us assume the phrases previously mentioned are not addressed to someone of the same social standing but to those who have a higher social position, like your parents, professors, and older loved ones. You should remember that you have to use polite expressions. To let the person know that you will miss him or her, say “Bogoshipeulguheyo.” If you would like to remind the person to take care, say “Mohm joshimhaseyo.” “Doh Mannayo” is employed to politely say to the person “I’ll see you later.” There are additional Korean vocabulary correlated to parting ways.

Nice interactions are more apt to have both a good beginning and a great ending, so it is crucial to learn the suitable ways of saying a warm “hello” and a pleasant “farewell” as well.