Overview
반말 (banmal) literally means "half speech" — it is the casual, intimate speech level used between close friends, family members of the same or younger age, and people you are very familiar with. The grammatical term is 해체 (hae-che), named after the base form 해 (casual form of 해요).
| Speech Level | Ending | Example (가다) | Social Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal polite (합니다체) | ~ㅂ니다 | 갑니다 | News, presentations |
| Informal polite (해요체) | ~아/어요 | 가요 | Daily conversation |
| Casual (해체/반말) | ~아/어 | 가 | Close friends, younger |
Formation: Just Drop 요
The simplest way to think about 반말 is: take the 해요체 form and remove 요.
| 해요체 | 반말 | English |
|---|---|---|
| 가요 | 가 | go |
| 먹어요 | 먹어 | eat |
| 좋아요 | 좋아 | good |
| 해요 | 해 | do |
| 마셔요 | 마셔 | drink |
| 있어요 | 있어 | exist / have |
| 없어요 | 없어 | not exist / not have |
| 와요 | 와 | come |
| 줘요 | 줘 | give |
| 배워요 | 배워 | learn |
| 써요 | 써 | write / use |
That's it. If you already know 해요체, you already know 반말 conjugation.
Tenses in 반말
All tenses work the same way — just drop 요.
Present tense
| 해요체 | 반말 |
|---|---|
| 가요 | 가 |
| 먹어요 | 먹어 |
| 공부해요 | 공부해 |
Past tense
| 해요체 | 반말 |
|---|---|
| 갔어요 | 갔어 |
| 먹었어요 | 먹었어 |
| 공부했어요 | 공부했어 |
Future tense
| 해요체 | 반말 |
|---|---|
| 갈 거예요 | 갈 거야 |
| 먹을 거예요 | 먹을 거야 |
| 할 거예요 | 할 거야 |
Note: For the future tense, 거예요 becomes 거야 (not just dropping 요, but changing the copula to casual form).
The Copula (이다 / 아니다) in 반말
The copula has special casual forms:
이다 (to be)
| After | 해요체 | 반말 |
|---|---|---|
| Consonant | 이에요 | 이야 |
| Vowel | 예요 | 야 |
학생이에요. → 학생이야. (I'm a student.) 뭐예요? → 뭐야? (What is it?)
아니다 (to not be)
| 해요체 | 반말 |
|---|---|
| 아니에요 | 아니야 |
그게 아니에요. → 그게 아니야. (That's not it.)
Special Casual Endings
반말 has some unique expressions and endings that don't exist in 해요체.
~자 (Let's...)
Used to suggest doing something together:
가자! (Let's go!) 먹자! (Let's eat!) 같이 하자. (Let's do it together.) 영화 보자. (Let's watch a movie.)
~아/어라 or ~해라 (Command — casual)
Casual imperative for telling someone to do something:
빨리 와! (Come quickly!) 이거 먹어. (Eat this.) 공부 해. (Study.) 조용히 해! (Be quiet!)
~지? (Right? / Isn't it?)
A tag question seeking confirmation:
맛있지? (It's delicious, right?) 알지? (You know, right?) 이거 좋지? (This is good, right?)
~는/은/ㄴ 거 알아? (Did you know...?)
내일 시험인 거 알아? (Did you know there's an exam tomorrow?)
Pronouns in 반말
When speaking casually, pronouns change too:
| Polite | Casual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 저 | 나 | I, me |
| 저는 | 나는 / 난 | I (topic) |
| 저를 | 나를 / 날 | me (object) |
| — | 너 | you |
| — | 너는 / 넌 | you (topic) |
| — | 너를 / 널 | you (object) |
In polite speech, you rarely say "you" directly. In 반말, 너 is normal among friends.
When to Use 반말
Appropriate situations
- Close friends of the same age: The most common context
- Older person to younger: Parents to children, teacher to young students
- Between siblings: Younger siblings may still use 존댓말 to older siblings depending on the family
- Couples: After becoming comfortable with each other
- Talking to yourself: Inner monologue, diaries
- Between children: Kids naturally use 반말 with each other
When NOT to use 반말
- With strangers (regardless of apparent age)
- With elders (unless they specifically ask you to)
- In the workplace (with seniors or clients)
- First meeting (even with same-age people)
The 반말하자 ritual
When two Koreans of similar age meet, they might eventually say:
우리 반말하자! (Let's speak casually!) 말 놓자! (Let's drop the formality!)
This is a mutual agreement to switch from 존댓말 (polite speech) to 반말. It is considered rude to use 반말 without this explicit or implicit agreement.
Common Casual Expressions
| 반말 | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| 뭐 해? | mwo hae? | What are you doing? |
| 어디 가? | eodi ga? | Where are you going? |
| 밥 먹었어? | bap meogeosseo? | Have you eaten? |
| 괜찮아? | gwaenchana? | Are you okay? |
| 몰라 | molla | I don't know |
| 알았어 | arasseo | Got it / I understand |
| 진짜? | jinjja? | Really? |
| 대박! | daebak! | Awesome! / No way! |
| 잠깐만 | jamkkanman | Wait a moment |
| 고마워 | gomawo | Thanks |
| 미안해 | mianhae | Sorry |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correction | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Using 반말 at first meeting | Start with 해요체 | Even with same-age people, start polite |
| 갈 거요 | 갈 거야 | Future casual uses 거야, not 거요 |
| Mixing 저 with 반말 | Use 나 with 반말 | 저 is the humble "I" for polite speech |
| 반말 with 님 titles | Drop 님 or switch to 존댓말 | 선생님, 사장님 require polite speech |
| Using 너 in polite speech | Use name + 씨 | 너 only works in 반말 |
해요체 vs 반말 Side by Side
| Situation | 해요체 | 반말 |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting | 안녕하세요 | 안녕 |
| Thank you | 감사해요 / 고마워요 | 고마워 |
| Sorry | 미안해요 | 미안해 / 미안 |
| Let's eat | 먹어요 / 먹을까요? | 먹자 |
| I know | 알아요 | 알아 |
| Goodbye (staying) | 안녕히 가세요 | 잘 가 |
| Goodbye (leaving) | 안녕히 계세요 | 잘 있어 |
| Good night | 안녕히 주무세요 | 잘 자 |
Summary
- 반말 formation is simple: Drop 요 from 해요체 (가요 → 가, 먹어요 → 먹어).
- The future tense copula changes: 거예요 → 거야.
- The copula 이에요/예요 becomes 이야/야.
- Use casual pronouns: 저 → 나, and you can use 너 for "you."
- Special casual endings: ~자 (let's), ~지? (right?).
- Social rules are critical: Only use 반말 with close friends, younger people, or after mutual agreement (반말하자!).
- When in doubt, use 해요체 — it is never offensive.