You bump someone's shoulder in a Seoul café. Three words race through your head — 죄송합니다? 미안해? 실례합니다? Pick wrong and a stranger hears you talking like their little brother. This beginner-friendly guide covers how to say sorry in Korean: which apology fits which moment, with native audio for each one.
What's the most common way to say sorry in Korean?
It's 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) — the polite, formal "I'm sorry" that works with strangers, staff, and anyone older. One pronunciation warning: that "joe" is not the English name Joe. The vowel ㅚ sounds like "we," so the whole word comes out "jwe-song-ham-ni-da."
How to say sorry in Korean: which word when?
Korean has three apology families, and the choice depends on who you're talking to, not how sorry you feel. Here's the whole system in one table.
| Expression | Romanization | Politeness | Use it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 죄송합니다 | joesonghamnida | Formal + humble | Strangers, customers, your boss — the safe default |
| 죄송해요 | joesonghaeyo | Polite | Everyday slip-ups with people you don't know well |
| 미안합니다 | mianhamnida | Formal | Formal but less humble than 죄송합니다 — to a group, or from the senior person |
| 미안해요 | mianhaeyo | Polite-casual | Friends you still speak politely with |
| 미안해 | mianhae | Casual (반말) | Close friends and people younger than you |
| 실례합니다 | sillyehamnida | Polite | "Excuse me" — before interrupting or asking a stranger something |
Notice the ladder: 죄송 (joesong) runs more humble than 미안 (mian), and each softens as the ending gets shorter. If this formal-casual split is new to you, the formal vs informal Korean guide explains the whole register system.
Hear the Korean apologies
Tap each clip and repeat it out loud. The longer lines are exactly what you'd say after showing up late — the single most common apology situation in Korea.
Teacher aside: K-drama fans already know a fourth form — the plain 미안하다 (mianhada), as in the famous tearjerker line 미안하다, 아빠가 미안해 ("I'm sorry. Dad is sorry."). Parents use it toward children when the feeling is too heavy for polite endings. Recognize it, enjoy it, but don't apologize to your landlord with it.
How do you respond when someone apologizes in Korean?
Say 괜찮아요 (gwaenchanayo, "it's okay") or 아니에요 (anieyo, "it's nothing"). Both brush the apology off warmly, the way English speakers say "no worries." You'll use these daily — Koreans apologize a lot for small bumps and delays.
Common mistakes with Korean apologies
| What learners say | Say instead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 죄송해 to a close friend | 미안해 (mianhae) | 죄송 belongs to the humble register. In casual speech the apology word is 미안 — 죄송해 sounds like a mismatched outfit. |
| 미안해요 to your boss | 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) | Workplace hierarchy calls for the most humble form. 미안해요 reads as too familiar there. |
| 죄송합니다 for "sorry to hear that" | 어떡해요 (eotteokaeyo) / 안됐네요 (andwaenneyo) | Korean apologies admit fault. For sympathy, Koreans say "oh no" (어떡해요) or "that's too bad" (안됐네요) instead. |
| 실례합니다 after stepping on a foot | 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) | 실례합니다 asks permission to interrupt. It doesn't apologize for a mistake you already made. |
Korean Apologies — Quick Check
1. You bump a stranger on the subway. What do you say?
2. You forgot your close friend's birthday. The natural apology is:
3. You need to squeeze past someone to ask a question. You open with:
That's the whole map of how to say sorry in Korean: 죄송합니다 for strangers and bosses, 미안해 for close friends, 실례합니다 to interrupt — and 괜찮아요 to wave an apology off. Now try it: say 늦어서 죄송합니다 out loud like you just walked in late.
Then drill 죄송합니다 with native audio in the Greetings & Basics word list, or round out your polite toolkit with the essential Korean greetings guide.
Practice these words with native-speaker audio
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