8 Korean phrases for calling in sick and asking for a day off
Calling in sick in Korea is less about the symptom and more about the form. You apologise, you name the problem briefly, you say what you will do about it (see a doctor, use leave, work from home), and you say when you will be back. Managers want the shape of the message more than the details.
These phrases step between polite 요 speech and the formal -ㅂ니다 ending, and that is deliberate. Spoken to a manager you know well, 요 is fine; in a KakaoTalk message to the team or to a senior manager, the -겠습니다 forms are what everyone else is using.
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몸이 안 좋아서 오늘 쉬어야 할 것 같아요.
momi an joaseo oneul swieoya hal geot gatayo.
I'm not feeling well, so I think I need to take today off.
Literally: Body is not good, so today (I) seem to have to rest.
몸이 안 좋다 (the body is not good) is the all-purpose Korean for unwell, and you are not expected to say more. -아/어야 할 것 같아요 (it seems I have to) is how you announce a decision to a superior while leaving them room to agree.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
죄송합니다, 열이 나서요.
joesonghamnida, yeori naseoyo.
I'm sorry, I have a fever.
Literally: Sorry, because a fever is coming out.
Koreans apologise for being sick at work, and skipping the 죄송합니다 reads as oddly entitled. The trailing -서요 (because...) ends the explanation politely without a main clause. Other symptoms: 배탈이 나서요 (upset stomach), 목이 너무 아파서요 (bad sore throat).
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
병원에 다녀와도 될까요?
byeongwone danyeowado doelkkayo?
May I go to the doctor and come back?
Literally: Hospital, go-and-return even if, would it be okay?
Korean offices expect you to see a doctor for a cold, and 다녀오다 (go and come back) promises you will return the same day. -아/어도 될까요? is the gentlest way to ask permission for anything at work.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
오늘 연차 써도 될까요?
oneul yeoncha sseodo doelkkayo?
May I use a day of annual leave today?
연차 is annual leave, and it is 쓰다 (used), like money. Many Korean companies have no separate sick-day category, so a sick day is a 연차 day. Say this to your direct manager before you do anything in the HR system.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
반차 쓰겠습니다.
bancha sseugetseumnida.
I'll take a half day.
반차 is half a 연차, taken as a morning or an afternoon. The formal -겠습니다 ending states an intention firmly and politely, the register of a written message to a boss. 오전 반차 (morning off) and 오후 반차 (afternoon off) tell them which half.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
재택근무 가능할까요?
jaetaekgeunmu ganeunghalkkayo?
Would working from home be possible?
Literally: Home-work, would it be possible?
재택 is 'at home' and 근무 is work duty. 가능할까요? asks whether something is possible rather than whether you may do it, which puts the decision on the policy, not on you. Use it when you are well enough to work but should not be on the subway.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
진단서 제출하겠습니다.
jindanseo jechulhagetseumnida.
I'll submit a doctor's note.
Offer this before being asked for anything longer than a day or two. 진단서 is the medical certificate a clinic issues on request for a small fee; 처방전 is a prescription and will not do. 제출하다 is the formal 'submit'.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase → -
내일은 출근할 수 있을 것 같아요.
naeireun chulgeunhal su isseul geot gatayo.
I think I'll be able to come in tomorrow.
Literally: As for tomorrow, (I) seem to be able to go to work.
Close the message with when you expect to be back; leaving it open is what makes managers anxious. 출근하다 is going to work, 퇴근하다 leaving it, and -(으)ㄹ 수 있을 것 같아요 is the hedge that lets you be wrong tomorrow without having lied today.
Ask Ipsae about this phrase →
A complete sick-day message is usually three of these in a row: an apology with the symptom, what you are doing today, and when you will be back. 죄송합니다, 열이 나서요. 오늘 연차 써도 될까요? 내일은 출근할 수 있을 것 같아요. Send it early, before the working day starts, and expect a reply of 푹 쉬세요 (rest well).