안녕 (Korean)

Where does "안녕" come from?

The Korean interjection '안녕' is a Sino-Korean word derived from the Hanja characters '安寧'[1]. This compound combines '安', meaning 'peaceful, tranquil, quiet', with '寧', meaning 'repose, serenity, peace', resulting in a foundational greeting used for both hello and good-bye[1].

Full etymology tree

• 안녕 (annyeong) (Korean), 'hello, hey'
  • borrowed 安寧 (Literary Chinese)
    • compound 安 (Literary Chinese)
    • compound 寧 (Literary Chinese)

Sources

1. 안녕 (annyeong) (Korean) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris