Sorry in Korean

Saying sorry in Korean only requires a simple phrase, but it’s one of the most useful phrases in everyday life. This is because we often find ourselves in situations where we need to apologize to someone. When we accidentally bump into people on the streets, we can say ‘sorry’ and show that it was just an accident, and we can all smile politely and go on with our daily lives.

But what if you don’t know how to say sorry? Things can get unnecessarily tense, so being able to say sorry can often get us out of sticky situations. In this article, you will learn how to say sorry in Korean in a variety of situations.

Two ways of saying ‘sorry’ in Korean

There are two words for sorry in Korean, 미안하다 [mi-an-ha-da] and 죄송하다 [joe-song-ha-da]. Both words mean ‘sorry’ and are commonly used in everyday life, so it’s important to be aware of them both. Of the two, 죄송하다 is more formal than 미안하다.

Formal ‘sorry’: 죄송합니다 and 미안합니다

In general, we only use these formal phrases in formal settings and when speaking to those with much higher seniority. However, the use of the phrases 죄송합니다 and 미안합니다 is very common in everyday life.

So when you are apologizing to strangers on the street, or when you are apologizing to those working in shops and restaurants (perhaps you spilled food on the floor and need to ask the server to clean things up), saying 죄송합니다 or 미안합니다 is more common than other ways to say sorry.

Of the two words, 죄송하다 is a little more formal than 미안하다, so if you are apologizing to someone with higher status, such as the CEO of a company or a friend’s grandparents, then it’s more appropriate to say 죄송합니다. Here are some examples:

• 선생님 죄송합니다. [Seon-saeng-nim joe-song-ham-ni-da.]
  (Teacher, I’m sorry.)
  

• 늦어서 죄송합니다. [Neu-jeo-seo joe-song-ham-ni-da.]
  (I’m sorry for being late.)
  

• 이름을 몰라서 미안합니다. [I-reum-eul mol-la-seo mi-an-ham-ni-da.]
  (I’m sorry for not knowing the name.)
  

Polite ‘sorry’: 죄송해요 and 미안해요

Use of 죄송해요 and 미안해요 is very common in everyday life. In general, 죄송해요 and 미안해요 are polite expressions that are slightly less formal and respectful than 죄송합니다 and 미안합니다.

So if we are apologizing to complete strangers who are clearly much older than us and it’s important for us to be extra respectful, then we should use the formal phrases 죄송합니다 or 미안합니다. However, if we are apologizing to complete strangers who seem to be our age or perhaps younger and we don’t have to be so respectful, then it’s more appropriate to use 죄송해요 or 미안해요.

One thing to note is that in many situations, it’s appropriate to use either formal or polite phrases, and quite often, it’s just a matter of how respectful you want or need to be. So if you are apologizing to a server at a cafe for spilling your drink on the floor, you can say either the formal or polite ‘sorry’ – both are polite phrases, but the formal phrases show added respect for the other person. Here are some examples of the polite words for ‘sorry’:

• 이모 미안해요. [I-mo mi-an-hae-yo.]
  (Auntie, I’m sorry.)
  

• 죄송해요, 물을 흘렸어요. [Joe-song-hae-yo, mu-reul heul-lyeo-sseo-yo.]
  (Sorry, I spilled water.)
  

• 선배님, 죄송해요. [Seon-bae-nim, joe-song-hae-yo.]
  (Senior, I’m sorry.)
  

Casual ‘sorry’: 미안해

In general, we use casual language with our close friends and siblings, and that’s no different with the casual form of sorry. Of the two words used to say sorry in a formal or polite way, we don’t make 죄송하다 into a casual form, so we only use the casual form of 미안하다 to say sorry to our close friends and siblings.

Between friends and family, we can also just say 미안, but this is a very casual way of apologizing. Notice how the casual form of ‘sorry’ is used in the following sentences:

• 누나, 미안해! [Nu-na mi-an-hae!]
  (Older sister, I’m sorry.)
  

• 수지야, 미안해. [Suji-ya mi-an-hae.]
  (Suji, I’m sorry.)
  

The table below summarizes the different levels of formality used when saying I’m sorry in Korean.

Different forms of 죄송하다 and 미안하다

We can change 죄송하다 and 미안하다 into adjective and adverb forms for different situations. The adjective form can be used in front of nouns, and the adverb form can be used with verbs.

Using 죄송한 and 미안한

The words 죄송한 and 미안한 are adjectives used to indicate that a person or thing is sorry. Here are some examples:

• 죄송한 마음 뿐이에요. [Joe-song-han ma-eum ppun-i-e-yo.]
  (I’m nothing but a regretful mind.)
  

• 그게 미안한 사람의 태도야? [Geu-ge mi-an-han sa-ram-ui tae-do-ya?]
  (Is that the attitude of someone who’s sorry?)
  

Using 죄송하게 and 미안하게

The words 죄송하게 and 미안하게 are adverbs, so we can use them with verbs to describe those actions as being sorry.

• 죄송하게 생각합니다. [Joe-song-ha-ge saeng-gak-ham-ni-da.]
  (“I’m sorry” or “I’m thinking in a regretful way.”)
  

• 미안하게 됐어. [Mi-an-ha-ge dwae-sseo.]
  (I’m sorry things have turned out this way.)

I’m really sorry!

We can express a strong feeling of being sorry by using words like the English words ‘really’ and ‘very.’ In Korean, these words are 죄송하다 and 미안해요. The table below shows these words along with an example sentence for each one.

Responding to ‘sorry’ in Korean

Aside from knowing how to say sorry in Korean, it’s also important to know how to respond when someone says sorry to you.

When someone says ‘sorry,’ we usually respond by saying, “It’s okay.” To say this in Korean, we use the word 괜찮다 [gwaen-chan-ta], which means ‘to be okay’ or ‘fine.’

You can use this word in various situations to say that something is okay. So if you fall over and someone asks whether you are hurt, you can say 괜찮다 to say that you’re okay. Or if you try a new dish at a restaurant and a friend asks how the dish is, you can use 괜찮다 to say the new dish is okay. Similarly, when someone apologizes, you can use 괜찮다 to accept their apology.

Like the words for ‘sorry,’ we use different phrases depending on who we are speaking to. You can see these phrases in the table below.

As with all Korean phrases, we use the formal form in formal situations and when we are speaking to those in a much more senior position. The polite form is a polite and respectful phrase, but without the high level of formality. Lastly, we use the casual form with friends and close family members, such as our siblings.

Other common responses

Besides saying 괜찮다 (‘it’s okay’), there are a number of other ways to accept an apology:

• 걱정마세요. [Geok-jeong-ma-se-yo.]
  (Don’t worry.)
  

• 별일 아니에요. [Byeol-il a-ni-e-yo.]
  (It’s nothing special.)
  

• 그럴수 있어요. [Geu-reol-su i-sseo-yo.]
  (That can happen.)
  

While saying sorry and being able to respond to an apology is important, sometimes you need to say more, and sometimes you need ways to talk about the act of apologizing. Let’s take a look at some words and phrases you can use to do this.

Talking about apologizing

The word for apology is 사과 [sa-gwa]. (사과 also means ‘apple,’ so it should be fairly easy to remember this word!) The verb ‘to apologize’ is 사과하다 [sa-gwa-ha-da], so we combine 사과 with the verb 하다 (‘to do’) to make this verb. Below are some examples:

• 사과했어요. [Sa-gwa-hae-sseo-yo.]
  (I apologized.)
  

• 사과해. [Sa-gwa-hae.]
  (Apologize.)
  

• 사과 할 거 없어? [Sa-gwa hal geo eop-seo?]
  (Isn’t there something you need to apologize for?)
  

• 사과하려고 왔어요. [Sa-gwa-ha-ryeo-go wa-sseo-yo.]
  (I’ve come to apologize.)
  

• 제 사과 받아 주세요. [Je sa-gwa ba-da-ju-se-yo.]
  (Please accept my apology.)
  

As you can see from these last examples, we can also use 사과 on its own to mean ‘apology.’

We can also change 하다 to 드리다 [deu-ri-da]. 드리다 means ‘to give.’ It’s the honorific form of this meaning, so we use 사과드리다 rather than 사과하다 when talking about apologizing to someone in a much senior position. Notice how this is used in the following sentences:

• 선생님께 사과드려요. [Seon-saeng-nim-kkae sa-gwa-deu-ryeo.]
  (Apologize to the teacher.)
  

• 사과드리려고 전화드렸어요. [Sa-gwa-deu-ri-ryeo-go jeon-hwa-deu-ryeo-sseo-yo.]
  (I called to apologize.)
  

• 사과드릴 마음이 없습니다. [Sa-gwa-deu-ril ma-eum-i eop-seum-ni-da.]
  (I have no intention to apologize.)
  

Common expressions related to apologies

There are times when a simple apology is not enough. You can use the expressions below to show that you are truly and deeply sorry about something.

1) 진심으로 죄송합니다. (“From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry.”)

The word 진심 [jin-sim] means sincerity and honest, so we say 진심으로 [jin-sim-eu-ro] to talk about doing something with total honesty and sincerity. After 진심으로, we can say what we are doing with total honesty and sincerity, so in this sentence, we are saying sorry with total honesty and sincerity. This way of apologizing is very formal.

We tend to use this phrase when we have done something really bad. This phrase is often used by shops and businesses when they are apologizing to customers and clients.

You can also change 죄송합니다 to 미안합니다, but as it’s such a formal way of saying sorry, using 죄송합니다 is more appropriate in this expression. You can also say 사과합니다 instead of 죄송합니다 to apologize with total honesty and sincerity.

2) 폐를 끼쳐서 죄송합니다. (I’m sorry for causing trouble.)

This expression combines the phrase 폐를 끼치다 [pye-reul kki-chi-da], meaning ‘to cause trouble,’ with 죄송합니다 (I’m sorry). When we combine these two phrases to say 폐를 끼쳐서 죄송합니다, it means, “I’m sorry for causing trouble.” This is, again, quite a formal way to apologize, and we only use it when we have done something really bad.

3) 잘못했어요. (I’ve done a bad thing.)

The phrase 잘못했어요 literally means ‘I did bad,’ so we use it as a way of admitting our guilt, as a way of apologizing and as a way of asking for forgiveness. Being a playful child in my youth, I have many first-hand experiences saying this phrase to my parents and to my teachers – and yes, it’s a very useful phrase to get you out of trouble!

How to say sorry in Korean

If you’ve studied Korean for a little bit, you will have noticed that many phrases come in pairs, such as those meaning ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye.’ The word for ‘sorry’ is another one. In most cases, you can use either 죄송합니다 or 미안합니다 to apologize, but remember that 죄송합니다 is the more formal phrase.

Besides saying sorry in Korean, it’s also important to be able to respond when someone apologizes to you, so don’t forget to say 괜찮아요 if someone says sorry to you.

Language learning is all about practice, so if you ever find yourself near a Korean, just give them a little nudge as you walk by and instantly say either 죄송합니다 or 미안합니다 to apologize and see how they respond. Do make sure it’s gentle nudge – we don’t want to get you in trouble! (😉)