반말

In Korean, 반말 is the intimate speech level used between close friends and relatives, and when talking to children.

Cases where 반말 is appropriate

1. When the speaker is significantly older than the listener, and the speaker is certain the listener won't be offended.

2. The speaker has the listener's permission to use 반말.

3. The speaker is in grade school and their classmates are the same age.

4. One is speaking or writing to themself.

Features

• When addressing someone by name, instead of using 씨 or 님, suffix names with -아 or -야 depending on whether the name ends in a consonant or vowel.

• When referencing someone in third person, names ending in consonants are suffixed with -이.