Languages · 한국어
Video Chat with Korean Speakers
To practice Korean with native speakers, you need to try the speech levels, sound changes and everyday expressions that textbooks can only describe. A random video chat on Omlet lets you do that face to face, for free, in your browser, with no account.
Omlet doesn't match people by language. To meet people in South Korea, pick it with the country filter, or ask whoever you meet: "한국어 할 줄 아세요?" (hangugeo hal jul aseyo? Do you speak Korean?)
South Korea runs on UTC+9 all year, with no daylight saving time, so its evenings fall in the early morning in the Americas and around midday in Europe. Below you'll find phrases in Hangul with romanization, a guide to polite and casual Korean, pronunciation tips and a routine for each chat.
Where people speak Korean
Korean (한국어) is an official language in 2 countries and territories. To meet people from one of them, pick it with the country filter.
- North Korea
- South Korea
Useful Korean phrases for video chat
Short, natural phrases you can use in your first minute on camera. The pronunciation is a simple English-style guide; stressed syllables are in capitals.
| English | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo |
| Nice to meet you. | 만나서 반가워요 | mannaseo bangawoyo |
| I'm … (이에요 after a consonant, 예요 after a vowel) | 저는 …이에요 / …예요 | jeoneun … ieyo / … yeyo |
| Where are you from? | 어디에서 왔어요? | eodieseo wasseoyo? |
| I'm from … | …에서 왔어요 | … eseo wasseoyo |
| I'm learning Korean. | 한국어를 배우고 있어요 | hangugeoreul baeugo isseoyo |
| Please speak slowly. | 천천히 말해 주세요 | cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo |
| Please say that one more time. | 다시 한번 말해 주세요 | dasi hanbeon malhae juseyo |
| Sorry, I didn't catch that. | 죄송해요, 잘 못 알아들었어요 | joesonghaeyo, jal mot aradeureosseoyo |
| How do you say … in Korean? | …는 한국어로 뭐라고 해요? | … neun hangugeoro mworago haeyo? |
| What do you do for work? | 무슨 일 하세요? | museun il haseyo? |
| What time is it there now? | 거기는 지금 몇 시예요? | geogineun jigeum myeot siyeyo? |
| I enjoyed talking with you. | 얘기 즐거웠어요 | yaegi jeulgeowosseoyo |
| Thank you! Let's talk again sometime. | 감사합니다! 다음에 또 얘기해요 | gamsahamnida! daeume tto yaegihaeyo |
Tips for practicing Korean on video chat
- Learn Hangul first. The alphabet was designed to be easy, and many learners can sound out words after a few focused sessions; then partners can type new words for you in the text chat.
- Use the polite -요 (-yo) ending with everyone you meet. It's the safe default between adults who don't know each other yet.
- Avoid 너 (neo, you) with strangers. Koreans usually use the person's name plus 씨 (ssi) or simply leave "you" out; even 당신 (dangsin) can sound odd in everyday conversation.
- Show you're listening with 네 (ne, yes or right), 아, 그래요? (a, geuraeyo? oh, really?) and 맞아요 (majayo, that's right).
- If someone asks your age early, it's often about choosing speech levels and titles rather than nosiness. You can answer or politely skip it; what you share is always up to you, as covered in what not to share with strangers online.
Speech levels: polite, formal and casual
Korean verb endings change with the relationship between speakers. Three levels cover almost everything you'll hear on a video chat:
| Level | Example: "It's delicious." | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Polite (해요체) | 맛있어요 (masisseoyo) | Your default with anyone you've just met. |
| Formal (합쇼체) | 맛있습니다 (masitseumnida) | Introductions, presentations, news and customer service. |
| Casual (반말) | 맛있어 (masisseo) | Close friends, or once both people agree to switch. |
To suggest casual speech, the usual question is "말 놓을까요?" (mal noeulkkayo? Shall we speak casually?). It's usually offered by the older person, so wait for them to agree or suggest it first.
Greetings follow the same pattern: 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) is polite and works at any time of day, while 안녕 (annyeong) is a casual hi or bye between friends.
Pronunciation and sound changes
- Three kinds of consonants. ㄱ/ㅋ/ㄲ, ㄷ/ㅌ/ㄸ, ㅂ/ㅍ/ㅃ and ㅈ/ㅊ/ㅉ come in plain, aspirated (with a puff of air) and tense (tight, no puff) versions. 불 (bul, fire), 풀 (pul, grass) and 뿔 (ppul, horn) are three different words.
- ㅓ vs ㅗ. ㅓ (eo) is an open "uh" sound and ㅗ (o) is a rounded "oh": 거기 (geogi, there) and 고기 (gogi, meat) depend on it.
- Linking. A final consonant moves to the next syllable if that syllable starts with a vowel, so 한국어 is said "han-gu-geo," not "hanguk-eo."
- Nasal changes. ㅂ before ㄴ or ㅁ becomes m: 감사합니다 is spelled with ㅂ (gamsahabnida) but said gamsahamnida.
- ㄹ. A light tap between vowels, close to a quick d, and an l at the end of a syllable, as in 서울 (Seoul).
- No word stress. Keep syllables even; the rise and fall comes at the end of a sentence, especially in questions.
Ask your partner to say a word with a tense consonant, like 빵 (ppang, bread) or 짜다 (jjada, salty), and copy it. Hearing the difference live is the fastest way to learn it.
Cultural notes and a 10-minute routine
- Names and titles. Instead of "you," people use a name with 씨, a role or a relationship word. On a chat, someone's name with 씨 is polite and friendly.
- Age counting. South Korea switched to international age for legal and official purposes in 2023, but the traditional count still comes up in conversation, so don't be surprised if numbers don't match.
- Levels of thanks. 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) is formal, 고마워요 (gomawoyo) is polite and warm, and 고마워 (gomawo) is casual.
- Minute 1: "안녕하세요! 저는 (name)이에요/예요. 한국어를 배우고 있어요."
- Minutes 2–4: ask "어디에 살아요?" (eodie sarayo? Where do you live?) and one follow-up about their city.
- Minutes 4–7: talk about food, music or a show you both know, and copy one expression they use.
- Minutes 7–9: ask them to type one new word in the text chat and read it back.
- Minute 10: "얘기 즐거웠어요. 감사합니다!"
Korean and Japanese have similar sentence structure, with the verb at the end and particles after nouns, so if you're learning both, compare notes on the Japanese page. For a fair two-way swap, read these language exchange tips or see how language exchange video chat works.
Practice Korean with the country filter
Omlet's interface is in English only, and it doesn't match people by language or translate anything. There are two easy ways to find Korean speakers:
- Use the country filter. Press Country, pick a country where Korean is spoken (for example South Korea or North Korea), then press Start.
- Ask whoever you meet. On Worldwide matching, a quick "Do you speak Korean?" costs nothing to try.
The country filter's first day is free (you add a card to start, and can cancel in Settings before the charge). After that it's $3 one time for that device and browser, with no subscription. It can make matching slower when fewer people from that country are online; if a match takes a while, try another country or switch back to Worldwide.
Say you're practicing Korean in your first sentence and ask your partner to slow down or correct you. It's a normal request.