Can I use 인사하다 to say goodbye? / to bid farewell
Hello,

in a TOPIK-test I saw this sentence:
우리는 공항에서 인사를 했습니다. 저는 마리 씨와 헤어져서 눈물이 났습니다.

Which means they said goodbye to each other at the airport. And then the one friend cried because she got separated from Marie.

So I am wondering - I always understood 인사하다 only means to greet someone or to bow. But not to say goodbye.

Can someone from Korea please confirm that both meanings - to greet and to bid farewell - are correct?

Thank you!

Question

Can I use 인사하다 to say goodbye? / to bid farewell
Hello,

in a TOPIK-test I saw this sentence:
우리는 공항에서 인사를 했습니다. 저는 마리 씨와 헤어져서 눈물이 났습니다.

Which means they said goodbye to each other at the airport. And then the one friend cried because she got separated from Marie.

So I am wondering - I always understood 인사하다 only means to greet someone or to bow. But not to say goodbye.

Can someone from Korea please confirm that both meanings - to greet and to bid farewell - are correct?

Thank you!

Answer

Yes, 인사하다 is a very general word which can mean both greeting and saying goodbye.

However, there are other words and expressions to describe the situation more specifically.

- 우리는 공항에서 작별인사를 했습니다 (작별인사 = farewell, goodbye.  작별 = parting)
- 우리는 그날 첫인사를 했습니다 = 우리는 그날 처음으로 만났습니다  (첫인사 = greeting on the first meeting)
- 아침 인사 = morning greeting,

Answer

Hi there! I am Linda from Korea. 
Yes. In korea 인사 means greeting and say goodbye both! 
I wish my answer could u help u! 
Have a nice day :)

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