Do you have a plan for a trip to Korea or to work in Korea? I guess you already know how to greet in Korean. Then, it is the time to learn how to say ‘How are you?’ in Korean.
Usually, Korean people say ‘How are you?’ only to people who they already know but not to strangers. If you say it to strangers, it can be a little awkward.
I talked to some foreigners who was studying Korean, and they said ‘어떻게 지내세요?(eotteohge jinaeseyo)’ for ‘How are you?’. But this is not natural Korean expressions. I think they learned it from a textbook written by foreigners. ‘어떻게 지내세요?‘ is a direct translation without cultural context.
So, if you want to say ‘How are you?’ to a stranger, don’t say ‘어떻게 지내세요?’. ‘안녕하세요’ for ‘Hi’ is enough.
If you want to say ‘How are you?’ to your friend or your acquaintance that you haven’t reached for some time, you can say ‘잘 지냈어요?(jal jinaetsseoyo?)’ after ‘Hi’.
‘잘 지냈어요?’ is similar to ‘Are you doing well?’. We like to say in a positive way and it implies that I hope you have been doing well.
Next time you talk to Korean friend, try to say ‘잘 지냈어요?’ instead of ‘어떻게 지내세요?’. Your friend will think your Korean has improved.