When to use it
Koreans rarely ask "how are you" as a greeting. When you haven't seen someone for a while, ask 잘 지냈어요? ("Have you been well?"). Friends also ask 밥 먹었어? ("Did you eat?") as a caring hello.
What people say back
네, 잘 지냈어요 (ne, jal jinaesseoyo): Yes, I've been well
Letter by letter: 잘 지냈어요
Korean is written in syllable blocks. Here is what each block of 잘 지냈어요 is made of.
| Block | Letters | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| 잘 | ㅈ + ㅏ + ㄹ | ㅈ j, ㅏ a, ㄹ l (at the end) |
| 지 | ㅈ + ㅣ | ㅈ j, ㅣ i |
| 냈 | ㄴ + ㅐ + ㅆ | ㄴ n, ㅐ ae, ㅆ t (at the end) |
| 어 | ㅇ + ㅓ | ㅇ silent, ㅓ eo |
| 요 | ㅇ + ㅛ | ㅇ silent, ㅛ yo |
Written 잘 지냈어요, but said [잘 지내써요]: linking (final moves to the next vowel). The romanizer explains these sound rules for any word.
New to the letters? Tap through the Hangul chart to hear each one.
How to type it
On a standard Korean keyboard (2-set), press these keys in order:
WㅈKㅏFㄹSpace␣WㅈLㅣSㄴOㅐShift+TㅆDㅇJㅓDㅇYㅛ
Practice with the online Korean keyboard, or learn the layout in the typing test.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "How are you?" in Korean?
The everyday polite way is 잘 지냈어요? (jal jinaesseoyo?). With close friends, say 잘 지냈어?.
How do you pronounce 잘 지냈어요??
It sounds like "jal jinaesseoyo?", because of Korean sound changes it is said as [잘 지내써요]. Press the speaker button on this page to hear it.
Romanization: Revised Romanization of Korean, with sound changes. Audio: a recorded native-sounding Korean voice.
Last checked: 2026-10-20