From “Annyeong” to “Mat-pal”: Ace Your Korean SNS!

Hello! Welcome to [Maeil Hangeul], your daily dose of Korean to level up your skills!

Have you ever received a friend request on social media from a Korean person and panicked? What do you say? How do you accept it without sounding awkward? Don’t worry! Today, we’re going to learn how to accept a friend request in Korean and make new friends online, just like a local.

Lately in Korea, connecting with people who share your hobbies, like loving the same K-pop group or binge-watching the same K-drama, is super popular. Knowing these simple phrases will help you jump right into those fun conversations. Let’s get you ready to expand your Korean social circle!

Core Expressions You Need to Know

Here are the essential phrases for handling that new friend request.

• 한국어 표현: 친구 신청 (chingu sincheong)
  • 발음 [로마자]: Chin-gu sin-cheong
  • 영어 뜻: Friend request
  • 상세 설명: This is the most direct and common way to say “friend request.” 친구 (chingu) means “friend,” and 신청 (sincheong) means “application” or “request.” You’ll see this exact phrase on Korean social media sites like Facebook.
• 한국어 표현: 수락하다 (surakada)
  • 발음 [로마자]: Su-ra-ka-da
  • 영어 뜻: To accept
  • 상세 설명: This is the verb for “to accept.” When you click the ‘accept’ button on a friend request, you are doing 수락 (surak). It’s a slightly formal-sounding word, but it’s the standard term used on platforms.
• 한국어 표현: 맞팔 (matpal)
  • 발음 [로마자]: Mat-pal
  • 영어 뜻: Mutual follow / Follow back
  • 상세 설명: This is a super common slang term you’ll see on Instagram and Twitter! It’s short for 맞팔로우 (mat-pallowo), which combines the Korean word 맞 (mat), meaning “reciprocal” or “mutual,” with the English word “follow.” If someone follows you and you follow them back, you are 맞팔!
• 한국어 표현: 반가워요 (bangawoyo)
  • 발음 [로마자]: Ban-ga-wo-yo
  • 영어 뜻: Nice to meet you / Glad to see you
  • 상세 설명: This is the perfect friendly greeting to use after accepting a friend request. It’s polite but warm, making it great for new online friends. You can use this when you meet someone for the first time, both online and offline.

Example Conversation

Let’s see how these words are used in a real chat between two friends, Alex and Minjun.

Alex: 와, 민준아! 나 방금 모르는 사람한테 친구 신청 받았어.
(Wa, Minjun! I just got a friend request from someone I don’t know.)

Minjun: 진짜? 누구야? 프로필 사진에 뭐 있어?
(Jinjja? Who is it? What’s on their profile picture?)

Alex: 요즘 인기 있는 드라마 ‘선재 업고 튀어’ 팬 계정인가 봐! 수락할까?
(I think it’s a fan account for the popular drama ‘Lovely Runner’! Should I accept?)

Minjun: 응! 사진 예쁘다. 맞팔하고 “반가워요!” 라고 메시지 보내 봐!
(Yeah! The pictures are pretty. Do a mutual follow and send a message saying “Nice to meet you!“)

Culture Tip & Trend Deep Dive

Mastering the Art of “Mat-pal” (맞팔)

On Korean Instagram, 맞팔 (matpal) is a huge part of the culture. You’ll often see hashtags like #맞팔해요 (matpal-haeyo) which means “Let’s follow each other!” or #선팔하면맞팔 (seonpal-hamyeon-matpal) which means “If you follow me first, I’ll follow you back.”

Korean Gen Z often use this to connect with people who have similar interests. For example, if you post a picture of your visit to a café featured in a SEVENTEEN music video, you might get a friend request from another fan. When you accept, you can send a DM saying:

“친구 신청 감사해요! 반가워요! 저도 세븐틴 팬이에요. 맞팔했어요!”
(Chingu sincheong gamsahaeyo! Bangawoyo! Jeodo sebeuntin paen-ieyo. Matpal-haesseoyo!)
“Thanks for the friend request! Nice to meet you! I’m also a SEVENTEEN fan. I’ve followed you back!”

Using these phrases shows you understand the online culture and makes you seem much more approachable!

Let’s Recap & Practice!

Great job today! You learned how to talk about friend requests (친구 신청), how to accept them (수락하다), the essential SNS slang 맞팔, and the perfect greeting, 반가워요.

Now, time for a quick quiz!

Practice Question:
You just accepted a friend request from someone who loves the same K-pop group as you. How would you write a short, friendly message to them? Fill in the blank!

“안녕하세요! 친구 신청 수락했어요. _________!”

What’s the best word to put in the blank? (Hint: It means “Nice to meet you!”)

Leave your answer in the comments below using the phrases you learned today! We’d love to see you try them out. See you next time at [Maeil Hangeul]