“It’s been a while” in Korean: 오랜만이에요 (oraenmanieyo)

오랜만이에요

oraenmanieyo

Situation: Greetings & basicsLevel: Beginner (TOPIK 1–2)

Meaning

It’s been a while.

The standard line when you meet someone you have not seen for a while.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 6 · Words: 1

Said aloud, it sounds like [오랜마니에요].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
오	ㅇ+ㅗ	o
랜	ㄹ+ㅐ+ㄴ	raen
만	ㅁ+ㅏ+ㄴ	[마] ma
이	ㅇ+ㅣ	[니] ni
에	ㅇ+ㅔ	e
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 만이 → [마니]

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

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Question 1 What does “오랜만이에요” mean?

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Answer: It’s been a while

Question 2 How do you say “It’s been a while” in Korean?

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Answer: 오랜만이에요 oraenmanieyo

Question 3 How is “오랜만이에요” pronounced?

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Answer: [오랜마니에요]

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