See You Later in Korean: 또 봐요, 이따 봐, 나중에 봐
See you later in Korean depends on when "later" actually is. 이따 봐 (itta bwa) means later today, 나중에 봐 (najung-e bwa) means someday, unspecified, and 내일 봐 (naeil bwa) means tomorrow. For strangers or acquaintances, skip the timestamp entirely and use the polite 또 봐요 (tto bwayo) — "see you again" — instead.
In English, "see you later" is a placeholder. It could mean twenty minutes or twenty years and nobody blinks. Korean doesn't let you off that easy — pick the wrong 봐 and you've either promised to text a near-stranger tonight, or quietly ghosted a friend who thought you meant this week.
Here's the actual system: three time-stamped versions for people you already know, the polite catch-all for people you don't, how to excuse yourself from a group without it looking like you snuck out, and the texting shorthand that closes out a KakaoTalk thread.
The time-precision system: 이따, 나중에, 내일
All three end in 봐 (bwa) — the casual form of 보다 (boda, "to see"), used the way English uses "see you": short for "let's see each other." What changes is the timestamp bolted to the front, and Korean speakers track it more closely than English speakers track "later."
이따 봐
i-tta bwa
See you later (today)
Later THIS day — a few hours from now, after work, tonight.
나중에 봐
na-jung-e bwa
See you sometime
No day attached. Could be next week, could be never — vague on purpose.
내일 봐
nae-il bwa
See you tomorrow
A specific, checkable promise. Say it and you're expected to show up.
The mix-up that trips learners: 이따 (itta, "in a bit") looks like the vague English "later," but Koreans hear it as today, within hours. If your plan is genuinely open-ended, say 나중에 instead — using 이따 for a someday-maybe hangout reads like you've just set a same-day expectation you have no intention of keeping.
또 봐요 and 조만간 보자: when you don't know the person that well
None of the three above fit someone you barely know — a cashier, a coworker's plus-one, a barista who remembers your order. For that distance, Korean has a phrase that skips the timestamp altogether.
| Phrase | Who it's for | What it actually signals |
|---|---|---|
| 또 봐요 (tto bwa-yo) | Shopkeepers, acquaintances, coworkers you speak politely with | "See you again" — friendly, zero commitment, fine even if you never do |
| 또 봐 (tto bwa) | Friends, after a casual hangout | Same phrase minus -요; a light, low-stakes goodbye |
| 조만간 보자 (jo-man-gan bo-ja) | Friends you'd actually like to make plans with | "Let's meet soon" — sincerer than a brush-off, but still not an actual plan |
Ending a hangout: 먼저 갈게
Korean goodbyes often come with an announcement, not just a farewell. If you're the one leaving a group first — dinner's wrapping up, or you've got an early morning — the standard line is 먼저 갈게 (meon-jeo gal-ge), "I'll go first." Naming yourself as the one leaving, rather than just quietly standing up, is the polite move; slipping out unannounced reads as odd even among close friends.
나 먼저 갈게, 낼 스케줄 일찍이라.
na meon-jeo gal-ge, nael seu-ke-jul il-jji-gi-ra.
I'll head out first — early schedule tomorrow.
어 조심히 가!
eo jo-sim-hi ga!
Okay, get home safe!
ㅇㅇ 낼 봐 ㅂㅂ
eung-eung nael bwa bb
Yep, see you tomorrow, bye
Texting sign-offs by closeness level
Once the goodbye moves to KakaoTalk, Korean shortens even further. 낼 봐 (nael bwa) is just 내일 봐 with 내일 clipped to 낼 — pure convenience, fine with anyone you already text casually. ㅂㅂ borrows English "bye-bye" and behaves exactly like it does in English texting: fast, breezy, close friends only. 굿밤 (gut-bam) splices English "good" onto 밤 (bam, "night") for a light good-night sign-off younger Koreans favor — slangier and more playful than the plain 잘 자 (jal ja, "sleep well").
- 낼 봐 (nael bwa) — "see you tomorrow," casual contraction, any friend
- ㅂㅂ (bb) — "bye-bye," the fastest, closest tier — see our texting slang guide for more like it
- 굿밤 (gut-bam) — "good night," playful Konglish, Gen Z-leaning
- 잘 자 (jal ja) — the non-slang "sleep well," one notch more sincere than 굿밤
One more layer: talking to someone above you
Every phrase so far assumes a peer or someone younger. Toward a professor, a boss, or an elder, Korean swaps the verb itself — casual 보다 becomes humble 뵙다. "See you later" turns into 나중에 뵐게요 (najung-e boelgeyo) or, more formally, 나중에 뵙겠습니다 (najung-e boepgesseumnida). Using 이따 봐 with your boss doesn't just sound casual — it sounds like you forgot who you're talking to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common way to say see you later in Korean?
It depends on timing. Talking to a friend about later today, use 이따 봐 (itta bwa). For an unspecified future date, 나중에 봐 (najung-e bwa). With someone you don't know well, the safest default is the polite 또 봐요 (tto bwayo), "see you again."
What's the difference between 이따 봐 and 나중에 봐?
이따 (itta) means "later today" — a few hours out, still the same day. 나중에 (najung-e) means "sometime," with no day attached — it could be next week or never. Using 이따 for an open-ended plan sets a same-day expectation you probably don't mean to keep.
Is 또 봐요 the same as 또 만나요?
Close, but not identical. 또 봐요 (tto bwayo, "see you again") is the general, low-commitment goodbye — fine for a cashier or a one-time acquaintance. 또 만나요 (tto mannayo, "let's meet again") leans slightly more toward an actual future meetup, though both are casual enough to use loosely.
How do you say see you later to your boss or a teacher in Korean?
Swap 보다 for its humble form, 뵙다. "See you later" becomes 나중에 뵐게요 (najung-e boelgeyo), or more formally 나중에 뵙겠습니다 (najung-e boepgesseumnida). Using the casual 이따 봐 with a superior sounds oddly familiar, not just informal.
What does 먼저 갈게 mean?
"I'll go first" — the standard line for leaving a group before everyone else, said when dinner's wrapping up or you have somewhere else to be. Announcing yourself this way is considered more polite than quietly slipping out, even among close friends.
What does ㅂㅂ mean in Korean texting?
It's shorthand for 바이바이 (bai-bai), a borrowed "bye-bye," and it functions exactly like English texting bye — fast, casual, and reserved for close friends. It's common as the last line in a KakaoTalk thread, often paired with 낼 봐 ("see you tomorrow").