Answering the Phone: 여보세요

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TL;DR 🦄

📞 여보세요? [yeo-bo-se-yo?] — "Hello?" (on the phone)

❓ 누구세요? [nu-gu-se-yo?] — "Who is this?"

⏳ 잠시만요 [jam-si-man-yo] — "Just a moment"

🚫 전화 잘못 거셨어요 [jeon-hwa jal-mot geo-syeo-sseo-yo] — "You have the wrong number"

✅ 네, 맞는데요 [ne, mat-neun-de-yo] — "Yes, that's correct"

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🎧 Iru Helper Note: Hear every phrase in this lesson spoken aloud and practice your pronunciation with the Iru Helper Widgets.

🌈 The Big Picture

여보세요 [yeo-bo-se-yo] is the special greeting used only when answering the phone — never in person. Even though 안녕하세요 means "hello" too, picking up the phone with 안녕하세요 sounds odd to Korean ears.

여보세요? — "Hello?" (answering or checking if the call connected)

여보세요, 거기 누구세요? — "Hello, who is this?"

Once the call connects and you know who's on the line, you can switch to a more normal greeting like 안녕하세요 or 네 (formal "yes").

🎭 Personal Calls vs. Business Calls

How you answer changes depending on context. For a personal call from an unknown number, a simple 여보세요? is enough. For a business or formal call, Koreans often identify themselves right away: 네, ○○○입니다 ("Yes, this is ○○○").

(personal, unknown caller) 여보세요? 누구세요? — "Hello? Who is this?"

(business/formal) 네, ○○ 회사 ○○○입니다 — "Yes, this is ○○○ from ○○ Company"

If you don't recognize the number but it might be important (a delivery, a clinic, etc.), answering with just 여보세요? and waiting for them to introduce themselves first is completely normal.

🧳 Essential Phrase Kit

여보세요? [yeo-bo-se-yo?] — "Hello?" (on the phone)

누구세요? [nu-gu-se-yo?] — "Who is this?"

잠시만요 [jam-si-man-yo] — "Just a moment"

전화 잘못 거셨어요 [jeon-hwa jal-mot geo-syeo-sseo-yo] — "You have the wrong number"

네, 맞는데요 [ne, mat-neun-de-yo] — "Yes, that's correct"

지금 통화 괜찮으세요? [ji-geum tong-hwa gwaen-cha-neu-se-yo?] — "Is it okay to talk now?"

전화 받았어요 [jeon-hwa ba-da-sseo-yo] — "I got your call / I answered"

소리가 잘 안 들려요 [so-ri-ga jal an deul-lyeo-yo] — "I can't hear you well"

그럼 끊을게요 [geu-reom kkeu-neul-ge-yo] — "Okay, I'll hang up then"

전화해 줘서 고마워요 [jeon-hwa-hae jwo-seo go-ma-wo-yo] — "Thanks for calling"

🛠️ Putting Together

A. Answering an unknown number

A: 여보세요?

B: 여보세요, 김민수 씨 휴대폰 맞나요?

A: 네, 맞는데요. 누구세요?

A: Hello?

B: Hello, is this Kim Minsu's cell phone?

A: Yes, that's correct. Who is this?

✨ Grammar note: 맞나요? ("is that right?") is a soft way to confirm information — common when callers double-check they've reached the right person.

B. A wrong number

A: 여보세요?

B: 여보세요, 거기 이마트죠?

A: 아니요, 전화 잘못 거셨어요. 여기는 개인 번호예요.

B: 아, 죄송합니다.

A: Hello?

B: Hello, is that E-Mart?

A: No, you have the wrong number. This is a personal number.

B: Oh, I'm sorry.

✨ Grammar note: 여기는 예요 ("this is ") helps clarify what the number actually belongs to, so the caller knows for next time.

C. A business call

A: 여보세요?

B: 네, 안녕하세요. 한국어학원인데요, 김민수 씨 계세요?

A: 네, 저예요. 지금 통화 괜찮으세요?

B: 네, 잠시만 통화 가능하세요?

A: 네, 말씀하세요.

A: Hello?

B: Yes, hello. This is the Korean language academy — is Kim Minsu there?

A: Yes, that's me. Is it okay to talk now?

B: Yes, do you have a moment to talk?

A: Yes, go ahead.

✨ Grammar note: 말씀하세요 ("please go ahead and speak") politely signals you're ready to listen — common once you've confirmed it's a good time to talk.

🗣️ Speaking Practice: Mini Dialogue

민수: (전화벨이 울린다) 여보세요?

[(jeon-hwa-be-ri ul-lin-da) yeo-bo-se-yo?]

(the phone rings) Hello?

지은: 여보세요, 민수야! 나 지은이야.

[yeo-bo-se-yo, min-su-ya! na ji-eu-ni-ya]

Hello, Minsu! It's me, Jieun.

민수: 어, 지은아! 지금 통화 괜찮아?

[eo, ji-eu-na! ji-geum tong-hwa gwaen-cha-na?]

Oh, Jieun! Is it okay to talk now?

지은: 응, 괜찮아. 어... 그런데 소리가 좀 안 들려.

[eung, gwaen-cha-na. eo... geun-de so-ri-ga jom an deul-lyeo]

Yeah, it's fine. Um... but I can't hear you very well.

민수: 어, 잠시만. 자리를 옮길게. ...이제 들려?

[eo, jam-si-man. ja-ri-reul om-gil-ge. ...i-je deul-lyeo?]

Oh, hold on. I'll move to a different spot. ...Can you hear now?

지은: 어, 이제 잘 들려! 좋아, 얘기하자.

[eo, i-je jal deul-lyeo! jo-a, yae-gi-ha-ja]

Yeah, I can hear well now! Great, let's talk.

🧭 Speaking Tip

When you answer the phone, your tone matters as much as the words. A friendly, slightly questioning 여보세요? (rising tone) is normal for personal calls. For unknown numbers, keeping your tone neutral until you find out who's calling is completely fine — you don't owe a warm greeting to someone you don't recognize yet.

If it's a bad connection, don't just repeat 여보세요? over and over — try 소리가 잘 안 들려요, 잠시만요 (move somewhere with better signal), or simply 다시 전화해도 돼요? ("Can you call back?").

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

❌ 안녕하세요! (answering the phone with the in-person greeting)

✅ 여보세요? — always use this special phone greeting when picking up

❌ Staying silent and just listening when you don't recognize the number

✅ 여보세요? 누구세요? — it's normal and polite to ask who's calling

❌ Hanging up abruptly with no closing words

✅ 그럼 끊을게요 / 안녕히 계세요 — always signal that you're ending the call

❌ Assuming 전화 잘못 거셨어요 is rude — avoiding it and just staying confused

✅ 전화 잘못 거셨어요 — this is the standard, polite way to say "wrong number"

📞 여보세요, 이제 전화 받기 자신 있죠? ✨

<summary>Try this exercise

Instructions: Choose the best phrase from this lesson for each situation. Tap "Answer" to check.

You pick up the phone. What's the first thing you say?

<summary>Answer

여보세요? — "Hello?"

You don't recognize the caller's voice. Ask who it is.

<summary>Answer

누구세요? — "Who is this?"

You need a few seconds before you can talk. What do you say?

<summary>Answer

잠시만요 — "Just a moment"

Someone called the wrong number. How do you tell them?

<summary>Answer

전화 잘못 거셨어요 — "You have the wrong number"

The caller asks "Is this Kim Minsu?" and it's correct. How do you confirm?

<summary>Answer

네, 맞는데요 — "Yes, that's correct"

Before launching into a topic, how do you check if now is a good time?

<summary>Answer

지금 통화 괜찮으세요? — "Is it okay to talk now?"

You want to confirm you successfully got someone's call.

<summary>Answer

전화 받았어요 — "I got your call / I answered"

The connection is bad. How do you say "I can't hear you well"?

<summary>Answer

소리가 잘 안 들려요 — "I can't hear you well"

You're ready to end the call politely. What do you say?

<summary>Answer

그럼 끊을게요 — "Okay, I'll hang up then"

How do you thank someone for calling?

<summary>Answer

전화해 줘서 고마워요 — "Thanks for calling"

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Vocabulary Box

전화 — phone/call

여보세요 — "hello" (on phone)

끊다 — to hang up

통화 — phone conversation

잘못 걸다 — to dial wrong

들리다 — to be heard

자리 — spot/seat

번호 — number

휴대폰 — cell phone

잠시 — a moment

Pitfalls 💡

여보세요 is phone-only — never used in person

전화 잘못 거셨어요 is polite, not rude

Always close with 끊을게요 or 안녕히 계세요

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Want more reps? Next time your phone rings, practice answering with 여보세요? out loud before you even look at the screen!

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🎯 Practice Hub — Answering the Phone

Time to pick up with confidence! These three exercises cover basic phone greetings, handling tricky calls, and full conversations. Use the Iru Helper Widgets to listen and repeat.

Exercise 1 — Pick Up 📞

A. How do you say "Hello?" when answering the phone?

<summary>Answer

여보세요?

B. How do you ask "Who is this?"

<summary>Answer

누구세요?

C. How do you say "Just a moment"?

<summary>Answer

잠시만요

D. How do you say "You have the wrong number"?

<summary>Answer

전화 잘못 거셨어요

E. How do you confirm "Yes, that's correct"?

<summary>Answer

네, 맞는데요

F. How do you ask "Is it okay to talk now?"

<summary>Answer

지금 통화 괜찮으세요?

G. How do you say "I can't hear you well"?

<summary>Answer

소리가 잘 안 들려요

H. How do you say "Okay, I'll hang up then"?

<summary>Answer

그럼 끊을게요

I. How do you say "Thanks for calling"?

<summary>Answer

전화해 줘서 고마워요

J. How do you say "I got your call"?

<summary>Answer

전화 받았어요

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Quick Reference

여보세요 — phone-only "hello"

누구세요? — "who is this?"

끊다 — to hang up

통화 — phone conversation

잘못 걸다 — to dial wrong

Exercise 2 — Handling Tricky Calls 🔧

A. You answer and don't recognize the voice. What do you say first, then ask who it is?

<summary>Answer

여보세요? 누구세요?

B. The caller is looking for a store, but they reached your personal phone. Tell them.

<summary>Answer

전화 잘못 거셨어요. 여기는 개인 번호예요.

C. The connection is bad. Ask them to say it one more time.

<summary>Answer

소리가 잘 안 들려요. 다시 한번 말씀해 주시겠어요?

D. You need to step away for a moment during the call.

<summary>Answer

잠시만요. 자리를 옮길게요.

E. Someone asks "Is this Kim Jieun?" Confirm it.

<summary>Answer

네, 맞는데요.

F. You're busy right now — ask if you can call back later.

<summary>Answer

지금은 바빠서요. 나중에 다시 전화해도 돼요?

G. Tell a caller you'll hang up now because you're busy.

<summary>Answer

바빠서 그럼 끊을게요.

H. A business caller asks if now is a good time. Say yes and invite them to go ahead.

<summary>Answer

네, 괜찮아요. 말씀하세요.

I. Thank a friend for calling you back.

<summary>Answer

다시 전화해 줘서 고마워.

J. End a call politely with "Okay, goodbye" (to someone you won't see).

<summary>Answer

네, 안녕히 계세요.

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Cheat Sheet

자리를 옮기다 — to move spots

나중에 — later

바쁘다 — to be busy

안녕히 계세요 — "goodbye" (to person staying)

다시 — again

Exercise 3 — Full Conversations 🗣️

A. Your phone rings from an unknown number. Answer it.

<summary>Answer

여보세요?

B. The caller asks for "Park Jisoo." That's not your name — explain they have the wrong number.

<summary>Answer

전화 잘못 거셨어요. 여기는 박지수 씨 번호가 아니에요.

C. A coworker calls about a meeting. Greet them and ask if now's a good time.

<summary>Answer

여보세요, 지금 통화 괜찮으세요?

D. They say yes — invite them to go ahead and speak.

<summary>Answer

네, 말씀하세요.

E. Midway through, the call gets choppy. Say you can't hear well and ask them to call back.

<summary>Answer

소리가 잘 안 들려요. 다시 전화해 주시겠어요?

F. They call back. Answer and confirm "Yes, that's correct, I'm available now."

<summary>Answer

여보세요? 네, 맞아요. 지금 통화 가능해요.

G. After finishing, thank them for calling.

<summary>Answer

전화해 줘서 고마워요.

H. Tell them you'll hang up now.

<summary>Answer

그럼 끊을게요.

I. Say goodbye formally before hanging up.

<summary>Answer

안녕히 계세요.

J. Later, a friend calls. Answer warmly with their name.

<summary>Answer

여보세요? 어, 지은아!

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Cheat Sheet

통화 가능해요 — "I'm available to talk"

다시 전화해 주시겠어요? — "could you call back?"

미팅/회의 — meeting

안녕히 계세요 — formal goodbye

🎉 잘했어요! 여보세요 is your new go-to — pick up that phone with confidence!