Korean 반말: How to Speak Casually with Close Friends
Korean 반말 drops 요 for casual speech among close friends — 밥 먹었어?, 같이 가자, 나야 — but only with people you're close to, and only after you both agree to switch.
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Korean 반말 is casual, intimate speech for close friends — you drop the 요 and say 밥 먹었어? (did you eat?), 같이 가자 (let’s go together), 나야 (it’s me) — but only with people you are close to, and only after you both agree: 우리 말 놓을까? (shall we drop the formalities?). This lesson teaches the casual forms and, just as importantly, when not to use them.
In the last lesson you climbed up to the formal 합니다체. Now you go the other way — down to the warmest, closest register Korean has.
Words for getting close
These words come up whenever two people talk about how they speak to each other.
How do you make 반말 from 해요체?
The good news: you mostly just drop the 요. A few forms change shape, and you gain a casual proposal ending and a casual address particle.
먹어요 → 먹어 · 가요 → 가 · 좋아요 → 좋아 · 뭐 해요? → 뭐 해? 학생이에요 → 학생이야 · 저예요 → 나야 (I → 나) 같이 가요 → 같이 가자 · 밥 먹어요 → 밥 먹자 (let’s …) 밥 먹었어요? → 밥 먹었어? · 어디 가요? → 어디 가? / 어디니?
To call out to someone, add 야 after a vowel or 아 after a consonant: 민수야! (hey Minsu), 지은아! (hey Jieun). And the phrase that starts it all is 우리 말 놓자 (let’s drop the formalities) or 우리 반말로 할까? (shall we switch to 반말?).
✅ OK: very close friends, people clearly younger, children, or by mutual agreement. ❌ Risky: elders, strangers, coworkers, anyone you just met — 반말 can sound rude or insulting. 🙋 Ask first: 말 놓아도 돼요? (may I speak casually?) or 우리 말 놓을까? 👉 Default to 존댓말 and let the older / senior person offer 반말 first.
This caution matters more than any single ending. Korean ties speech level to age and closeness, so dropping into 반말 with the wrong person — a stranger on the subway, your boss, an elder — lands as disrespectful. The safe habit: start polite, and switch only once someone says it is okay.
Why ask before switching?
Because the switch is a small social ceremony. Usually the older or more senior person offers first, and the younger one happily agrees. Watch two same-age friends make it official:
Notice the whole flow: they confirm they are 동갑 (same age), one proposes 말 놓을까?, the other agrees with 좋아, and from there every line is 반말 — 어색했어, 하자, 먹었어?, 가자. That little “shall we?” is what makes 반말 friendly instead of rude.
FAQ
What exactly is 반말 and when can I use it? 반말 (the 해체 style) is casual, intimate Korean — you drop the 요 and speak plainly: 밥 먹었어? instead of 밥 먹었어요? You can use it with very close friends, with people clearly younger than you, with children, or when both sides have agreed to. Outside those cases — with elders, strangers, coworkers, or anyone you have just met — 반말 sounds rude or even insulting. When in doubt, stay polite and let the other person offer first.
How do I make 반말 from the 해요 form? Mostly you just delete 요. 가요 → 가, 먹어요 → 먹어, 좋아요 → 좋아, 뭐 해요? → 뭐 해? Three forms change shape: the copula 이에요/예요 becomes 이야/야 (학생이야, 나야), the proposal -읍시다 becomes -자 (가자, 먹자), and questions can take -니? as well (어디 가?, 어디니?). To call someone, add 야 after a vowel or 아 after a consonant: 민수야, 지은아.
How do two people agree to switch to 반말? Someone proposes it. Common openers are 우리 말 놓을까? (shall we drop the formalities?), 말 놓아도 돼요? (may I speak casually?), or 우리 반말로 할까? (shall we switch to 반말?). Usually the older person or the one in the senior position offers first, and the younger agrees with 네, 편하게 하세요 or 응, 좋아. Asking permission is the polite ritual — it is rude to drop into 반말 unilaterally.
Next: change stories — -게 되다. Previous: formal 합니다체. Full path: curriculum hub.