How to Say ‘Yes’ in Korean

While ‘yes’ seems like a simple word, the way you say ‘yes’ in Korean depends on the situation. We can say ‘yes’ to accept someone’s offer or invitation, to agree with someone’s opinion, and we can also say ‘yes’ to acknowledge what someone has said. However, it’s important to consider the level of formality required based on the situation and who you’re speaking to.

Luckily, saying ‘yes’ in Korean is still relatively simple. Read on to find out how to say ‘yes’ in Korean and some of the different ways to say ‘yes’ in Korean.

The basic ‘yes’

As with many Korean phrases, there are formal, polite and casual forms of ‘yes’ in Korean.

Formal ‘yes’ – 예 (ye)

The most formal ‘yes’ is 예, and since it’s the most formal form of ‘yes,’ we only use it in very formal settings and when we are speaking to people who are much higher in seniority. This includes elderly people and those in a more senior position in organizations. Here are two examples of the formal ‘yes’ in Korean:

A: 식사했어요? [Sik-sa-hae-sseo-yo?] (Did you eat?)
B: 예, 했습니다. [Ye, hae-sseum-ni-da.] (Yes, I did.)

A: 아침에 일찍 오세요. [A-chim-e il-jjik o-se-yo.] (Please come early in the morning.)
B: 예. [Ye.] (Yes.)

Polite ‘yes’ – 네 (ne)

네 is the polite form of ‘yes,’ and it expresses politeness without a high level of formality. So in nearly every common setting, we can use 네 to say ‘yes.’ Whether you are talking to work colleagues of similar rank, a taxi driver, or a server at a restaurant, you can use 네 as yes. Take a look at these examples:

A: 외식할까요? [Oe-sik-hal-kka-yo?] (Should we eat out?)
B: 네, 고깃집에 가요! [Ne, go-git-jib-e ga-yo.] (Yes, let’s go to a BBQ restaurant.)

A: 내일 일해요? [Nae-il il-hae-yo?] (Are you working tomorrow?)
B: 네. [Ne.] (Yes.)

A variation of 네 is 넵 [nep]. This is quite a formal sounding ‘yes,’ and it’s also quite a firm way of saying ‘yes.’ Because of its formal nature, it’s often used at work, and we can use 넵 to show certainty in our answer, as in the following example:

A: 이거 내일까지 할 수 있어요? [I-geo nae-il-kka-ji hal su i-sseo-yo?]
(Can you do this by tomorrow?)
B: 넵, 할 수 있습니다. [Nep, hal su i-sseum-ni-da.]
(Yes, I can do it.)

Another variation is 넹 [neng]. 넹 is also a formal sounding word, but it comes across lighter in tone, so while it can still be used in formal settings such as the workplace, it should only be used in less serious situations and with those you are close to at work.

A: 카페에 갈티 갈래요? [Ka-pe-e ga-chi gal-le-yo?]
(Do you want to go to the cafe together?)
B: 넹, 같이 가요. [Neng, ga-chi ga-yo.]
(Yes, let’s go together.)

Casual ‘yes’ – 응 (eung)

응 is the casual form of ‘yes,’ and like most other casual phrases, we use 응 when we are talking to close friends and close family members, usually siblings. The casual ‘yes’ can, however, vary in pronunciation. It can sometimes sound like 어 (eo), and it can sometimes sound like 으 (eu), so do keep this in mind. Here are two examples using 응:

A: 우리 영화 보러 갈까? [U-ri yeong-hwa bo-reo gal-kka?] (Should we go and see a movie?)
B: 응, 가자! [Eung, ga-ja.] (Yes, let’s go.)

A: 숙제했어? [Suk-je-hae-sseo?] (Did you do the homework?)
B: 응. [Eung.] (Yes.)

Different uses of 네

The most common form of ‘yes’ is 네. We use 네 in nearly all the daily situations you can think of. We use 네 when speaking to strangers, when speaking to store clerks, and when we are at the hospital talking to doctors and nurses.

Additionally, even though there is a more formal form of ‘yes,’ 예, we mostly use 네 at the workplace, as 네 is still a respectful way of saying ‘yes.’

However, in addition to meaning ‘yes,’ we can also use 네 in other ways, including to ask someone to repeat what they said, to show surprise, and to plead with someone.

1) Pardon? Sorry?

You can use 네 to mean ‘Pardon?’ or ‘Sorry?’ when you want to let the other person know that you didn’t understand what they said and to ask them to repeat it, as you can see in the examples below.

A: 내일 시간 있어요? [Nae-il si-gan i-sseo-yo?] (Do you have time tomorrow?)
B: 네? 다시 한번 말해주세요. [Ne? Da-si han-beon mal-hae-ju-se-yo?] (Sorry? Can you say that again?)

A: 회의가 10시에 있어요. [Hoe-ui-ga yeol-si-e i-sseo-yo.] (The meeting is at 10.)
B: 네? 언제요? [Ne? Eon-je-yo?] (Pardon? When?)

2) Excuse me? (To show surprise)

You can also use 네 to show surprise. When you use 네 in this way, you need to raise the tone of your voice at the end to indicate that you are surprised at what you heard.

A: 진수가 결혼했어요. [Jinsu-ga gyeol-hon-hae-sseo-yo.] (Jinsu got married.)
B: 네? 진짜요? [Ne? Jin-jja-yo?] (Excuse me? Really?)

3) Please? (To plead with the other person)

When making a request or asking someone to do something, you can add 네 at the end to plead with the other person. This use of 네 is more commonly used by children when they ask their parents to do something for them.

• 주말에 수영장에 가요. 네? [Ju-mal-e su-yeong-jang-e ga-yo. Ne?]
  (Let’s go to the swimming pool this weekend. Please?)
  
• 저녁에 피자 먹고 싶어요. 네? [Jeo-nyeok-e pi-ja meok-go sip-e-yo. Ne?]
  (I want to have pizza tonight. Please?)

Other ways of saying ‘yes’

We don’t always use the word 네 when we want to say yes. There are a number of different ways to say ‘yes’ in Korean with different words and phrases. Let’s look at three examples.

1) 좋아요 [jo-a-yo] – “Sounds good.”

좋아요 comes from the adjective 좋다 (to be good), and we mainly use 좋아요 to accept someone’s offer or invitation to do something. It roughly translates as “Sounds good.” 좋아요 is the polite form, so it’s the most common form in everyday life. However, to be more formal, you can say 좋습니다 [jo-sseum-ni-da], and to be casual you can say 좋아 [jo-a].

A: 우리 치킨 시켜 먹을까? [U-ri chi-kin meo-geul-kka?] (Shall we get chicken delivery?)
B: 좋아! [Jo-a!] (Sounds good!)

A: 내일 한강에서 자전거 탈래요? [Nae-il Han-gang-e-seo ja-jeon-geo tal-le-yo?]
(Do you want to go bike riding in Hangang tomorrow?)
B: 좋아요! [Jo-a-yo!]
(Sounds good.)

2) 맞아요 [ma-ja-yo] – “That’s right.”

맞아요 comes from the verb 맞다 (to be right), and we use 맞아요 to show agreement with what someone has said, like saying ‘that’s right’ in English. 맞아요 is the polite form, so it’s the most common form in everyday life. However, to be more formal, you can say 맞습니다 [ma-sseum-ni-da], and to be casual you can say 맞아 [ma-ja].

A: 이 가게는 너무 비싸요. [I ga-ge-neun neo-mu bi-ssa-yo.] (This shop is too expensive.)
B: 맞아요. [Ma-ja-yo.] (That’s right.)

A: 이 영화 정말 무서워요. [I yeong-hwa jeong-mal mu-seo-wo-yo.] (This movie is really scary.)
B: 맞아요. [Ma-ja-yo.] (That’s right.)

3) 알겠습니다 [al-ge-sseum-ni-da] – “I understand.”

알겠습니다 comes from the verb 알다 (to know), and we use 알겠습니다 to acknowledge that we have understood what the other person has said.

알겠습니다 is the formal form, and while formal language is mainly used in formal settings, using the formal expression is more common with this phrase. The polite form is 알겠어요 [al-ge-sseo-yo] and the casual form is 알겠어 [al-ge-sseo].

알겠습니다 literally means “I understand,” but it’s often translated to mean “okay.” Additionally, using 알겠습니다 with 네 is also quite common, so people often say 네, 알겠습니다 to mean “Yes, I understand.”

A: 이따가 드릴게요. [I-tta-ga deu-ril-ge-yo.] (I’ll give it to you later.)
B: 알겠습니다. [Al-ge-sseum-ni-da.] (Okay.)

A: 저기요, 반찬 좀 더 주세요. [Jeo-gi-yo, ban-chan jom deo ju-se-yo.]
(Excuse me. Please give me some more side dishes.)
B: 네, 알겠습니다. [Ne, al-ge-sseum-ni-da.]
(Yes, I understand.)

Wrapping up ‘yes’ in Korean

As you can see, ‘yes’ is quite a flexible word in Korean that can be used in many different ways. Saying ‘yes’ in Korean is actually not that difficult – you just have to be mindful of using the appropriate form of ‘yes’ and understand how 네 (yes) is used in various contexts.

Besides the examples in this article, there are many other different ways to say yes in Korean depending on the situation. Now that you know the basics, why not keep on learning so you can make use of those phrases as well?