How Do You Say "I'm Sorry" in Korean? Is There a More Formal and Informal Way to Say It?

Knowing how to say sorry is likely one of the most important phrases to learn in Korean. None of us is perfect and unfortunately that means eventually we will have across a situation where we need to apologize to someone for something. With a language like Korean, itu2019s especially important to also be aware of the different levels of politeness required in different situations.

Iu2019ll give you the phrases for each and throw in some associations to help remember them!Formal u2018Sorryu2019 in Koreanuc8c4uc1a1ud569ub2c8ub2e4 (joesonghamnida)Especially in situations where you are apologizing to an older person, a stranger, or someone who ranks higher than you, it is of utmost importance to use the most formal way possible. In this case, that would be uc8c4uc1a1ud569ub2c8ub2e4.

To be safe, this works when apologizing to friends as well, though it is not required to be so formal. For good measure, you may want to throw in the word uc815ub9d0 (jeongmal) in front of the word u2018sorryu2019 to form the phrase u2018Iu2019m really sorryu2019.AssociationDo you know the old rapper Fat Joe?

(if you donu2019t then you do now!)Imagine he made a big gaffe, he made a song about needing some ham in a very offensive way! (offensive or shocking images are easier to remember)Now heu2019s apologizing on the news (formal), u201cSorry, for Fat Joeu2019s Song - Ham Needau201d (joesonghamnida)Standard u2018Sorryu2019 in Koreanuc8c4uc1a1ud574uc694 (joesonghaeyo)ubbf8uc548ud574uc694 (mianhaeyo)Of these two, ubbf8uc548ud574uc694 is a slightly more friendly way of saying youu2019re sorry.

However, they are largely interchangeable, depending on whichever sounds better to you. This is good to use with someone whou2019s a few years older than you, or not that close of a friend. Be careful not to use it in business situations.

AssociationThe first is easier, youu2019re meeting someone for the first time (standard) and someone puts on Fat Joeu2019s Song so you say u201cHey! Yo, turn that off or youu2019ll be sorry. u201dFor the second, imagine that to say sorry in the Korean culture you give an offering of hay (you donu2019t really but the image can be useful for this story).

Thereu2019s a picture of you giving an apology to someone like this and youu2019re describing it to someone you want to impress (standard) by being young and hip so you say u201cthis is me and hayu2026. You201d (mianhaeyo)Informal u2018Sorryu2019 in Koreanubbf8uc548ud574 (mianhae)Unless you have made a massive mistake, itu2019s totally fine to informally say youu2019re sorry to your friends. Using uc8c4uc1a1ud574 (joesonghae) is also fine, though ubbf8uc548ud574 is far more common to be used in informal Korean.

AssociationJust like the story above, but youu2019re not trying to be hip with your friends so you just tell them about the picture of you saying sorry by saying u201cthis is me and hayu201d (mianhae)How do I say sorry both formally and informally in Korean?

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What character traits describe the Korean people?

As a native Korean, these are some of the traits that I think, best describes Korean peopleUnity.

Koreans are incredibly unified against unjust/corrupt systems of the government or political parties.This is a picture of one of the longest, and most massive Candlelight Assemblies that was held in Korea, which lasted nearly 8 months from October 2016 May 2017. This assembly that more than one million people took part in, was a peaceful, democratic protest started because of former president Park Geun-Hyeu2019s monopoly of government affairs.

She was found guilty of abusing her power, and of coercion, which was also related to bribery. Former president Parku2019s childhood friend u2018Choiu2019 was found to be highly influencing national affairs through her connections/friendships with Park. There were even more suspicions about Parku2019s governing and moral values leading up to the incident, such as the unclear whereabouts of the president while the Sewol Ferry Disaster was taking place in April, 2014 (during which more than 300 students of Danwon High School died, and thorough investigation is still not being done).

The people were infuriated by the last straw of former president Park, and they came together to form the massive assembly which was the Candlelight Assembly. Koreans showed great moral esteem in their unified beliefs of democracy and justice during this incident. Now letu2019s go on to a lighter note.

2. Hard WorkingKoreans are famous for plowing through their work and getting a lot of work done. Theyu2019re extremely hard-working, and to see how Koreans work their bones off from a young age, please check my writing in As a former/current Korean high school student, what do you think of the Korean education system?

.3. Beauty/Fashion-SensitiveKoreans have very specific standards of beauty, which are large eyes, high-bridged and slim nose, moderately full lips, small face, long legs( for short skirts or tight pants), fair or at least clean skin etc.

Not only this, the list of fine beauty and fashion goes on and on! Whew!Korean celebrities and K-pop stars take on a big roll in setting specific standards because they influence Koreans greatly, by single-handedly setting certain trends of fashion, make-up, and accessories, and posting them on social media.

Iu2019ve seen small aspects of these u2018trendsu2019 change, almost unnoticeably, from one to the other.Of course, there are some very noticeable changes such as everyone suddenly owning u2018long-paddingsu2019. But also, there are subtle changes in fashion that are almost unnoticeable, but Koreans catch on, and copy, at an incredible rate!

These are some subtle changes in fashion that took place in Korea.People suddenly love having cute little creatures dangling from their backpacksu2026As well as unpractical dangly keychains (no one even uses keys anymore) on their Airpod cases.Everyone suddenly like over-fit clothes better (although this isnu2019t a u2018subtleu2019 change; Iu2019m sorry I put it in this category), which is a change that Iu2019m personally very fond of,And everyone seems to be piercing their ears more and more (Is it just me?

Iu2019m sorry if it is; my nice little friends have a habit of suddenly appearing with three more holes in their ears and looking very proud of themselves. ). There are many more changes in fashion/culture (such as the increase of Korean youtubers, the changes in make-up etc.

) and Iu2019ll go deep about them in another time, on an another Quora answer request:).4. Like to play it HOT.

As I mentioned in my other article about the Korean education, and as I mentioned Koreans are extremely hard-working, Koreans build up a lot of stress over time. They need to vent that stress out somewhere, and boy, do they get it out right!These are ways Koreans (or at least, Koreans Iu2019ve seen) vent their overwhelming stress.

Eat Spicy!This is a picture of a spicy u2018tteok-bok-kiu2019 dish I took after a long day of tests/quizzes at school. This deliciously spicy dish gets your mind off all your worries.

Yum!Eat Sweet!Although this is more of a universal trait, Koreans also like having cold sweet drinks after a long day.

Go Karaoke!Koreans love to go to karaoke places to scream (u2026you read that right.) and to pour their heart out by singing.

There are many karaoke places in Korea, but if youu2019re planning to visit, I suggest you try to find a clean, safe place (there are a few fishy places. ). Chicken and Beer!

Most Koreans like having chicken and beer during their free time. I mean, who wouldnu2019t?Personally,When I have free time, I like to meet up with my friends, or I like to go on walks or run by the Han-gang River with my dog Loki.

Iu2019m more of a outdoorsy person:)I think this pretty much sums up what I think are Korean characteristics. To tell the truth, Koreans arenu2019t very different from people anywhere on the planet, and the small differences come mainly from aspects of our culture. We like meeting other people, we get infuriated with injustice, and we are sensitive to what others may think of us.

(Though we all might fare better by toning down that last bitu2026)I hope you had fun reading, and I wish the best for you readers as well as my beautiful country. See you guys soon again:)-Rina.