7 ways to say sorry in Korean, and what to say back
Korean has no single word for sorry; it has a formal one, a friendly one and a casual one, and picking the wrong register is itself a small offence. A 죄송합니다 to a close friend sounds like you are putting distance between you, and a 미안해 to your manager is a story they will tell later.
The seven apologies below run from the most formal to the most casual, then add the two pieces a real apology needs, the reason and the ownership, and finish with the reply you will hear back. Speech level is marked on each.
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죄송합니다.
joesonghamnida.
I'm sorry.
The formal apology, for strangers, staff, customers, your boss and anyone older. 죄송해요 is the same word in everyday polite speech and is what you will hear most in offices and shops.
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미안해요.
mianhaeyo.
I'm sorry.
Warmer and more personal than 죄송합니다. It fits people you are already on friendly terms with but still address politely: a coworker your age, a friend's partner. Saying it to a customer or a superior sounds too familiar.
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미안해.
mianhae.
Sorry.
Casual speech (반말), for close friends, a partner, or someone younger. In texts it shrinks to 미안 or even ㅁㅇ. Doubling it, 미안 미안, makes it light, for bumping into someone or being two minutes late.
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실례합니다.
sillyehamnida.
Excuse me.
Literally: (I) commit a discourtesy.
Said before the intrusion, not after a mistake: squeezing past someone, approaching a stranger with a question, stepping into an office. 실례지만 at the start of a sentence is the polite 'excuse me, but'.
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늦어서 죄송합니다.
neujeoseo joesonghamnida.
Sorry I'm late.
Literally: Because (I) am late, I am sorry.
-아/어서 glues the reason onto the apology, and the reason comes first. The same frame gives 연락 못 해서 미안해 (sorry I didn't get back to you) and 기다리게 해서 죄송해요 (sorry to keep you waiting).
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제가 잘못했어요.
jega jalmothaesseoyo.
It was my fault.
Literally: I did wrong.
An apology without this can sound like you are only sorry it came up. Koreans use it readily, and among friends it is 내가 잘못했어. Adding 제가 (I, humble) makes the ownership explicit.
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다시는 안 그럴게요.
dasineun an geureolgeyo.
It won't happen again.
Literally: Again, (I) won't do like that.
-(으)ㄹ게요 is a promise made to the listener, so this is the second half of a serious apology. Casual: 다시는 안 그럴게. Without a real change afterwards it is the phrase people remember you breaking.
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괜찮아요.
gwaenchanayo.
It's okay.
The standard reply to any apology. 아니에요 (not at all) works when the apology was for something tiny, and 신경 쓰지 마세요 (don't worry about it) when you want to close the matter for good.
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One pattern to notice: Koreans apologise for small things more often than English speakers do, and a quick 죄송합니다 when you brush past someone in the subway is simply good manners, not an admission. The heavy phrases, 제가 잘못했어요 and 다시는 안 그럴게요, are kept for the moments that deserve them.