4 Heartwarming Ways To Say Congratulations In Korean

It’s so meaningful to congratulate someone on their success or joy. How about saying congratulations in Korean like in a K-drama? Pat someone on the back or shake their hands. And celebrate with them their success by learning to say Congratulations in Korean “축하해요 (Chukahaeyo)”. Below, we will introduce various Korean congratulatory greetings, along with key Korean expressions related to this.

Suppose you know someone who is celebrating a very important event in their life like graduation, birthday, promotion, wedding day, or even having a new baby. In that case, it’s nice to congratulate them. In most situations, Koreans love to give presents (–선물 seonmul), but it is still essential to know how to congratulate someone using Korean words and phrases.

There are many ways to say congratulations in different languages like 恭喜 (gōng xǐ!) in Chinese, おめでとうございます!(omedetougozaimasu!) in Japanese, and Félicitations! in French. But, in this blog, you will learn how to say Congratulations in Korean in different ways. If you want to learn more, you can check Ling App for more free lessons.

How To Say Congratulations In Korean

Koreans love to celebrate no matter how grand or small the reason is. They value hard work, and they celebrate their wins. The typical Korean celebration involves enjoying Samgyeopsal (삼겹살 ) with your family, close friends, or colleagues, having drinks in a nearby pub (for adults only), or having dinner with your whole family. But, how do they congratulate each other aside from celebrations?

Here are different ways to say Congratulations in Korean. Actually, Koreans have many ways to say Congratulations that are based on the politeness levels in their culture. Meaning, you have to carefully choose what word or phrase to use when talking to people because it will depend on their social hierarchy. But, before we learn these ways, let’s first learn an important Korean word which is 축하하다 (chukahada).

The Korean verb 축하하다 (chukahada), congratulate in English, came from 2 words which are 축하 (chuka), which means “celebrations,” and “하다 (hada), which means “to do.” So if you combine it, you’ll get 축하하다 (chukhahada) which means ‘celebrate.’

Now that you know this, you’re completely geared up to learn more. Here’s the basic way to say Congratulations in Korean. Remember to pronounce it correctly to avoid misunderstandings.

축하합니다 (Chukahamnida) – Formal Form

The first one is the formal way. The formal way of Congratulations in Korean, 축하합니다 (Chukahamnida), is used to congratulate someone in formal situations. It is also used to say congratulations to people older than you. Remember the scene in “Record of Youth” where Sa Hye-Jun congratulated his grandfather on being a model at his age? Such a clear example of congratulating someone using the formal form.

You may be familiar with this phrase because Koreans use this to sing Happy Birthday to someone. So, the phrase 생일 축하합니다 Saengil Chukahamnida means “Birthday Congratulation.”

축하드립니다 (Chukadeurimnida) – More Formal

Let’s move on to the second way to say Congratulations in Korean, which is the more formal. This form is used to congratulate those in a higher social hierarchy than you, for example, a teacher, colleague, or boss. Remember how Secretary Kim congratulated Lee Young-Joon for his achievement as the company’s vice president in “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim“?That’s the perfect example of when to use this phrase.

축하해요 (Chukahaeyo) – Standard Form

If you’re new in Korea, you should definitely be careful on speaking to other people. If you listen to the locals very carefully, you’ll notice that they have different words and phrases to use depending on whom they are talking to. Learning this is a sign of respect in their culture. So, if you don’t want to sound rude, you can learn the standard form or the polite form to say Congratulations in the Korean language.

Koreans use the word 축하해요 (Chukahaeyo). You’ll notice that they have attached 요 (yo) to the end, which makes it sound polite. You can use this like how Seo Dal-mi’s team congratulated each other when they got accepted into Start-up.

축하해 (Chukahae) – Informal/Casual Form

The last way to say Congratulations in Korean that we will learn is the informal form 축하해 (Chukahae). This phrase is used when you talk to your friends or someone really close to you, like your girlfriend or boyfriend. It’s like when Won Hae-Yo congratulated Sa Hye-Jun for his “Best Actor” award.

Remember, when you’re learning Korean, you will only use the informal form to people really close to you. Using this for older people will make you sound rude. You wouldn’t hear locals using the informal form often because it is meant for more personal conversations.

Other Words For Congratulations in Korean

Now that you have learned the four different ways to say Congratulations in Korean let’s discover some more ways to congratulate someone using different Korean words.

잘했어. (Jalhaesseo.)

English Translation: Good job.

대단해! (Daedanhae!)

English Translation: Great!

정말 최고야! (Jeongmal Choigoya!)

English Translation: It’s the best

Try Learning These Simple Sentences

Hey, you got this far! Indeed, you’re ready to take it to the next level. Being able to dive into conversations is the main purpose of learning new languages. So here are three sentences that you can practice first. Don’t worry because the meaning of these sentences is given. You just have to practice how to pronounce it.

How To Answer?

고마워요 (Gomawoyo)

There are lots of answers or responses when someone congratulates you but saying “Thank you” is the most common way to do it. Of course, it also has different forms to use depending on whom you are talking to. You may want to check the blog post to learn more.

Congratulations On Making It This Far! Wanna Learn More?

Are you already a member of the “I want to learn Korean club?” well, then, you found yourself a buddy because, with Ling App, you can have fun while learning the Korean language. If you love to play games and want to learn Korean at the same time, Ling App (IOS, Android)uses games to test what you have learned in every lesson or topic. Not only Congratulations in Korean. There are tons of lessons you can learn. After every lesson with Ling App, you will surely improve your speaking, reading, and writing skills. Stop wasting time and learn Korean now!