Saying sorry in Korean
Saying sorry in Korean
Apologizing in Korean is a real art, and you shouldn’t get it wrong if you want to avoid being rude. This article explains how to apologize depending on different everyday situations.
Apologizing in Korean - General Cases
The most common way to apologize in Korean- whether you're speaking to a stranger or someone you must show respect to, like a teacher or your boss—is:
죄송합니다 [joesonghamnida]
In similar situations with someone you don’t know, if you've made a small mistake and the other person is your age or younger, it's sometimes okay to use a slightly lower level of politeness. For example, if you accidentally step on the foot of someone younger than you on the street and want to say "oh, sorry", you can simply say:
죄송해요 [joesonghaeyo]
Be careful: if you're unsure about which level of politeness to use with someone you don't know, it's safest to say 죄송합니다 to avoid coming across as rude.
Keep in mind that 죄송 is a strong word. You generally wouldn't use it with close friends, because it would sound too formal for the situation.
Apologizing in Korean with Friends
If it’s a friend you’re not very close with, or someone older than you, you would say:
미안해요 [mianhaeyo]
If it’s a close friend who is younger than you or the same age, you can just say:
미안해 [mianhae]
Feeling Sorry in Korean
Important: The words in this lesson are only used when you’ve made a mistake and are apologizing because it’s your fault. You can’t use them to express feeling sorry in a more empathetic way - there are other expressions for that depending on the situation.
You already know some vocabulary and sentence structures… But when you listen to Koreans speak, do you ever feel like something is missing, the meaning behind the words, the cultural nuance that makes the language truly come alive?
That’s completely normal. In Korean, proverbs and idiomatic expressions are essential to understanding how Koreans think and communicate. Without them, you can speak, but your language will feel flat and overly literal.
With 100 Korean Proverbs - Illustrated and Explained, you’ll understand not only what Koreans say, but why they say it, and what each expression reveals about their mindset and culture.
Learn more