๐Ÿ™ Essential Korean Phrases: Saying “I’m Sorry” and “Thank You” – Beginner Level (TOPIK 1–2)

Essential Korean Phrases: Saying “I’m Sorry” and “Thank You” | Beginner Korean (TOPIK 1–2)

ํ•œ๊ตญ ์„ค์•…์‚ฐ ์ด๋ฏธ์ง€


Do you know the two most important phrases every Korean learner must master?


 Whether you are traveling in Korea or just starting your Korean studies, learning how to say “I’m sorry” and “Thank you” is essential for everyday interactions and showing respect.


๐Ÿ“š Table of Contents



๐Ÿ’ก Why These Phrases Matter

“Thank you” and “I’m sorry” are universal phrases of kindness. In Korea, using the right level of politeness is very important. Mastering these simple words helps you build good first impressions and navigate daily life more smoothly.



๐Ÿ™‡ How to Say “Thank You”

  • ๊ฐ์‚ฌํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค (gam-sa-ham-ni-da) – Polite/formal “Thank you” (used in stores, restaurants, public settings)
  • ๊ณ ๋งˆ์›Œ์š” (go-ma-wo-yo) – Polite but slightly less formal “Thank you” (used with acquaintances or slightly older friends)
  • ๊ณ ๋งˆ์›Œ (go-ma-wo) – Casual “Thanks” (used with close friends or younger people)

Tip: Beginners should use ๊ฐ์‚ฌํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค in most situations—safe and respectful anywhere!



๐Ÿ˜” How to Say “I’m Sorry”

  • ์ฃ„์†กํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค (joe-song-ham-ni-da) – Polite/formal “I’m sorry” (used when apologizing to strangers or elders)
  • ๋ฏธ์•ˆํ•ด์š” (mi-an-hae-yo) – Polite “I’m sorry” (used with acquaintances or in everyday settings)
  • ๋ฏธ์•ˆํ•ด (mi-an-hae) – Casual “Sorry” (used with close friends or younger people)

Note: In serious situations, ์ฃ„์†กํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค is safer to use, while ๋ฏธ์•ˆํ•ด์š” works well in casual apologies.



๐Ÿ’ฌ Example Sentences

  • ๋„์™€์ฃผ์…”์„œ ๊ฐ์‚ฌํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. – Thank you for helping me.
  • ๋Šฆ์–ด์„œ ์ฃ„์†กํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. – I’m sorry for being late.
  • ์„ ๋ฌผ ๊ณ ๋งˆ์›Œ์š”! – Thanks for the gift!
  • ๋ฏธ์•ˆํ•ด, ๋‚ด๊ฐ€ ์ž˜๋ชปํ–ˆ์–ด. – Sorry, it was my fault.

๐Ÿงฉ Quick Check: Can you make a sentence saying “I’m sorry for not calling” using ๋ฏธ์•ˆํ•ด์š”?



๐Ÿ—ฃ Practice Dialogue

A: ๋Šฆ์–ด์„œ ์ฃ„์†กํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. I’m sorry for being late.

B: ๊ดœ์ฐฎ์•„์š”. ๊ธฐ๋‹ค๋ ค ์ฃผ์…”์„œ ๊ฐ์‚ฌํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. It’s okay. Thank you for waiting.

A: ๋‹ค์Œ์—๋Š” ๋” ์ผ์ฐ ์˜ฌ๊ฒŒ์š”. I’ll come earlier next time.

๐Ÿงฉ Quick Check: Can you rewrite this dialogue using ๋ฏธ์•ˆํ•ด์š” and ๊ณ ๋งˆ์›Œ์š” instead of formal expressions?



๐ŸŒ Did You Know?

Did you know? In Korean culture, bowing slightly while saying ๊ฐ์‚ฌํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค or ์ฃ„์†กํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค adds extra politeness. Even young children are taught to bow when thanking or apologizing, making it a universal gesture of respect in Korea.



๐Ÿ“ฆ Final Thoughts

Mastering “I’m sorry” and “Thank you” in Korean opens doors to polite and kind communication. These phrases may seem simple, but they are the backbone of everyday conversations and help you make great first impressions in Korea.

Keep practicing these expressions in daily life, and soon they will come naturally when you interact with Koreans!



๐Ÿ”— Related Posts

๐ŸŽ“ Want to practice polite Korean expressions in real conversations?
Book a 1:1 Korean class on italki and gain confidence using these must-know phrases with native speakers.


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