반말 – Korean casual speech (반말)
- Meaning
- informal speech with close friends
- Level
- Intermediate
- Topic
- Honorifics & speech levels
반말 is the casual speech level used with close friends, siblings and younger people. In the present tense it is mostly the polite form without -요: 먹어요 → 먹어, 가요 → 가.
Key rules
- Vowel contraction
- -ㄹ래 = wanna?
- 해 = casual 해요
- Drop -요
- 가 = casual 가요
- Common question
- Common greeting
- Adjective endings
Examples with 반말
The highlighted part is the grammar form.
- 뭐 해? Mwo hae? What are you doing? 반말 removes -요. 해요 → 해. Used with close friends and younger people.
- 어디 가? Eodi ga? Where are you going? 가요 → 가. Very common casual question among friends.
- 밥 먹어? Bap meogeo? Are you eating? 먹어요 → 먹어. '밥 먹었어?' = 'Did you eat?' - common greeting!
- 이거 봐? Igeo bwa? Are you watching this? 봐요 → 봐. 보다 is irregular: 보 + 아 contracts to 봐.
- 나 지금 바빠. Na jigeum bappa. I'm busy now. 바빠요 → 바빠. 나 = I (casual), 저 = I (polite).
- 오늘 피곤해? Oneul pigonhae? Are you tired today? 피곤하다 → 피곤해 (casual). -하다 verbs drop 요.
- 여기 앉아. Yeogi anja. Sit here. 앉아요 → 앉아. Casual command to sit down.
- 빨리 와. Ppalli wa. Come quickly. 오다 → 와 (casual). 오 + 아 contracts to 와.
- 뭐 하고 싶어? Mwo hago sipeo? What do you want to do? V-고 싶어 = want to V (casual). 싶어요 → 싶어.
- 언제 사? Eonje sa? When are you buying it? 사요 → 사. 언제 = when. Common question words.
- 어디 가고 싶어? Eodi gago sipeo? Where do you want to go? 어디 = where. 어디에 can be shortened to 어디.
- 왜 그래? Wae geurae? Why are you like that? / What's wrong? 왜 그래? is a set expression meaning 'what's wrong?' or 'why?'
Vocabulary in these examples
어디where
이거this
빨리quickly
같이together
갈래wanna go
반말informal
먹어eat (casual)
밥meal
봐see (casual)
바빠busy (casual)
나I (casual)
피곤해tired
Use 반말 in your own sentences
Write, fill in and build Korean sentences with instant feedback. Free to start, no account needed.
More: honorifics & speech levels
Keep practicing: All Korean grammar Korean grammar practice Korean fill in the blank Korean sentence builder Hangul chart Daily Korean quiz