How to Say Sorry in Korean: 죄송합니다, 미안합니다 & the Full Ladder

How to say sorry in Korean starts with two different tools, not one word. The safe default for strangers, elders, and work is 죄송합니다 (죄송합니다, joesonghamnida, pronounced jwe-song-ham-ni-da)—formal, deferential, “I take the blame seriously.” With friends and people your own age, 미안합니다 / 미안해요 / 미안해 sit closer and more personal. One-sentence definition: Korean apology splits formality from intimacy—죄송 for rank and distance, 미안 for closeness—and English “excuse me” is usually a third word entirely.

If you only keep one travel line: say 죄송합니다, add a small bow, and wait. The rest of this page—실례합니다 for passing, 잠시만요 in a crowd, 괜찮아요 as the reply—is the map that keeps a quick “sorry” from reading as dismissive.

Quick facts

Safe default	죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida)
Pronunciation	jwe-song-ham-ni-da
Personal / closer twin	미안합니다 / 미안해요 / 미안해
“Excuse me” (pass / interrupt)	실례합니다
Crowd tools	잠시만요, 저기요
Standard reply	괜찮아요
Body language	slight bow + full stop—not a fly-by mumble
Register ladder	banmal → polite -요 → formal -습니다

죄송합니다 vs 미안합니다 — the real split

English speakers search “how to say sorry in Korean” and get one phrase. Korean rooms run a two-family system:

Family	Hangul core	Social feel	Typical room
죄송	죄송	formal, deferential, “I am at fault before you”	bosses, elders, clients, strangers, service recovery
미안	미안	personal, warm, “I feel bad toward you”	friends, peers, partners, siblings

죄송합니다 is not merely “more polite 미안합니다.” It is the form that lifts the other person’s status and lowers yours. That is why a junior late to a meeting reaches for 죄송, not a breezy 미안—even if both are “sorry” in a bilingual dictionary.

미안합니다 still works as a full polite apology. It just carries more relational heat. With a close coworker or a friend, 미안 can sound more sincere precisely because it is less ceremonial. With a senior you barely know, that same warmth can land as under-dressed.

Getting this backwards is a real misstep

• 미안 to a boss for a serious mistake → can sound too light, like you are treating rank as optional.
• 죄송 to a best friend for being five minutes late to coffee → can sound stiff, like you put on a suit for a picnic.
• Either, muttered while already walking away → the words lose, the body wins. Koreans read apology weight from bow + pause + tone, not from flashcard speed.

This is the same social software as Korean honorifics: title, distance, and speech level have to move together. An apology is just another place the map shows.

The apology ladder

Think of Korean sorry as a ladder, not a single rung.

Level	Phrases	When
Casual (banmal)	미안해, 미안, 잘못했어	close friends, siblings, partners who already banmal
Polite (-요)	미안해요, 죄송해요	everyday polite—shops, classmates, many peers
Formal (-습니다)	미안합니다, 죄송합니다	work, elders, strangers, serious harm

미안해 — casual, close only

미안해 (미안해, mianhae) is the form English speakers steal from dramas. It is real—and relationship-locked. Use it only where banmal already lives. Firing 미안해 at a professor or a store manager is not cute fluency; it is status freelancing.

Friends often stack responsibility on top:

• 미안해. 내 잘못이야. — Sorry. It’s my fault.
• 진짜 미안해. — I’m really sorry.

미안해요 · 죄송해요 — the polite middle

-요 endings are the everyday public gear. 미안해요 softens personal regret; 죄송해요 keeps a deferential flavor without full formal armor. Both appear constantly in shops, classrooms, and soft work chat.

If you are unsure whether the room wants full formal, 죄송해요 is often a strong default for light collisions and small mistakes with people you do not banmal with.

죄송합니다 · 미안합니다 — formal weight

죄송합니다 is the line you want for:

• bumping an elder
• being late to a client
• interrupting a senior
• any situation where hierarchy is loud

미안합니다 is formal on the surface but still carries the 미안 personal root. It can sound very sincere among adults who are not intimate enough for banmal, yet not distant enough for pure 죄송 theater. Listen for what the room already uses—copying the local apology family is cheap nunchi.

Extra weight words (use sparingly)

Add-on	Rough sense	Caution
정말 / 너무	really / so	fine in moderation
대단히 죄송합니다	deeply / greatly sorry	heavy—save for serious harm
제가 잘못했습니다	I was wrong / it was my fault	strong ownership; good when facts matter
다신 안 그럴게요	I won’t do it again	only if you mean the promise

Do not stack every intensifier at once. One clear apology plus ownership beats a monologue of superlatives.

실례합니다 is not “sorry” — highest-value correction

English collapses sorry and excuse me into one mouth-habit. Korean splits them.

실례합니다 (실례합니다, sillyehamnida) means roughly “excuse me” / “pardon the intrusion.” It is for:

• squeezing past someone on a subway
• stepping into a conversation
• entering a room mid-meeting
• getting past a blocked aisle

It is not the right tool for “I spilled coffee on your laptop” or “I forgot your birthday.” Using only 실례합니다 for real harm can sound like you treated damage as traffic management.

English habit	Korean tool	Job
“Sorry!” while squeezing past	실례합니다 / 잠시만요	clear a path, mark interruption
“Sorry I hurt you / broke this / was late”	죄송합니다 / 미안…	accept fault
“Sorry—what?” (didn’t hear)	often 네? / 다시 한 번요	repair hearing, not morality

Learners who map every English “sorry” onto 죄송 end up over-apologizing for existing in space—and under-apologizing when they actually owe something. Split the jobs and both words get sharper.

잠시만요 and 저기요 — the crowd phrases you actually need

In dense Seoul transit and market aisles, the phrases that keep peace are often not full apologies.

잠시만요

잠시만요 (잠시만요, jamsimanyo) — “just a moment” / “excuse me for a second.” Raised hand optional. Perfect when you need someone to shift half a step so you can exit a train car. Soft, practical, low drama.

Casual twin among friends: 잠깐만.

저기요

저기요 (저기요, jeogiyo) — attention-getter: “excuse me (over there).” Use it to call a server, stop a stranger for directions, or flag someone who dropped a card. Tone decides everything: warm and clear is polite; sharp and loud is a fight invitation.

저기요 is not an apology. Pair it with a request:

• 저기요, 이 버스 시청 가나요? — Excuse me, does this bus go to City Hall?
• 저기요, 메뉴판 하나 주세요. — Excuse me, could I get a menu?

Mini crowd kit

Need	Say
Squeeze past	실례합니다 or 잠시만요
Get attention	저기요
Real fault (stepped on foot hard, spilled drink)	죄송합니다 + slight bow
Reply to their apology	괜찮아요

Apology weight: bows, repetition, and why a quick “sorry” can feel cold

In many English-speaking rooms, a fast “sorry!” while still moving is social grease. In Korean rooms, that same fly-by can read as dismissive—especially upward in hierarchy.

What carries weight:

1. Stop moving for half a beat. Plant your feet.
2. Slight bow for everyday mistakes; deeper for serious ones or elders.
3. Clear phrase at full volume for the distance—not a swallowed mumble.
4. Own the fact when needed: late, wrong file, broken glass.
5. Wait for 괜찮아요 or a nod before you sprint away.

Repetition is real. People often say 죄송합니다 more than once, or pair it with 제가 실수했습니다 (“I made a mistake”). That is not melodrama by default; it is showing the apology is not a speed bump. Overdo it for a paper cut and you look theatrical. Underdo it for a damaged laptop and you look careless.

Body language also interacts with greeting culture. The same slight bow you use with hello in Korean reappears here—shoulders ease forward, eyes soft, not a ninety-degree performance for every grocery cart bump.

Workplace note

Juniors apologizing to managers usually choose 죄송 forms, stand if the room is formal enough, and keep banmal out of the sentence. A soft 미안 among same-generation peers after a tiny mix-up can be fine if that peer culture already lives on casual speech—but do not invent that culture on day one with the team maknae energy or a manager who still uses full titles.

괜찮아요 — the standard reply

When someone apologizes to you, the default soft landing is 괜찮아요 (괜찮아요, gwaenchanayo) — “it’s okay / I’m fine / no worries.”

Reply	Register	Feel
괜찮아요	polite default	releases tension cleanly
괜찮습니다	more formal	same meaning, stiffer coat
괜찮아	banmal	friends only
신경 쓰지 마세요	polite	“don’t worry about it”
아니에요	polite	“no (it’s nothing)” — common soft deflect

You do not have to forgive real harm with 괜찮아요. The phrase is a social tool for ordinary bumps, not a legal waiver. If something is not okay, a calm factual response beats fake cheer.

When you’ll hear each form

• Crowded subway, brushing past: 실례합니다 / 잠시만요
• Stepped hard on a stranger’s foot: 죄송합니다 + bow
• Late to a meeting with a manager: 죄송합니다. 늦었습니다.
• Forgot a friend’s plan: 미안해 / 미안해요 depending on speech level
• Calling a server: 저기요
• They apologize to you for a tiny bump: 괜찮아요
• Service recovery at a shop: staff often lead with 죄송합니다

Example dialogues

1. Subway squeeze — 실례합니다, not a full moral apology

Rush hour. A commuter needs to exit; someone blocks the door path.

• Commuter: 실례합니다. 내려야 해서요.
  Sillyehamnida. Naeryeoya haeseoyo.
  Excuse me. I need to get off.
• Passenger: 아, 네—죄송해요.
  A, ne—joesonghaeyo.
  Oh, right—sorry.
• Commuter: 괜찮아요. 감사합니다.
  Gwaenchanayo. Gamsahamnida.
  It’s fine. Thank you.

Gloss: The person needing space leads with 실례합니다 (passage). The person who was blocking answers with a light 죄송해요 (small fault). 괜찮아요 closes the loop. No banmal between strangers.

2. Office lateness — 죄송 with ownership

Meeting room. Junior arrives two minutes after start. Manager already seated.

• Junior: 죄송합니다. 조금 늦었습니다.
  Joesonghamnida. Jogeum neujeotseumnida.
  I’m sorry. I’m a little late.
• Manager: 다음부터는 조금 일찍 와 주세요.
  Daeumbuteoneun jogeum iljjik wa juseyo.
  From next time, please come a bit earlier.
• Junior: 네, 명심하겠습니다.
  Ne, myeongsimhagetseumnida.
  Yes—I’ll keep that in mind.

Gloss: Full formal 죄송합니다, fact named, no cute 미안해. The junior does not over-explain traffic for three minutes. Short ownership reads cleaner than a monologue.

3. Friends after a flaky cancel — banmal 미안

Park bench. One person brought coffee as a peace offering.

• Jisoo: 어제 갑자기 취소해서 미안해. 내가 잘못했어.
  Eoje gapjagi chwisohaeseo mianhae. Naega jalmothaesseo.
  Sorry for canceling suddenly yesterday. That was on me.
• Minho: 진짜 속상했어. 다음엔 미리 말해.
  Jinjja soksanghaesseo. Daeumen miri malhae.
  I was really upset. Next time, tell me in advance.
• Jisoo: 알겠어. 이건 사과 커피야.
  Algesseo. Igeon sagwa keopiya.
  Got it. This is apology coffee.

Gloss: Banmal throughout—미안해, 잘못했어, no polite -요 endings mixed in. The hurt person does not fake instant 괜찮아; they name the feeling, then set a boundary. That is still a working apology dialogue.

Good nunchi / Zero nunchi

Do / Don’t

Do

• Default to 죄송합니다 with strangers, elders, and work.
• Use 미안 forms where closeness already exists.
• Keep 실례합니다 / 잠시만요 / 저기요 for passage and attention—not for real fault.
• Pair serious apologies with a bow, a pause, and a fact when needed.
• Reply to small apologies with 괜찮아요 when you mean it.

Don’t

• Fire banmal 미안해 at bosses and shop clerks.
• Treat every English “sorry” as 죄송—English “excuse me” often wants 실례 or 잠시만.
• Mumble while jogging past the person you just hit.
• Stack empty intensifiers instead of owning the mistake.
• Force fake 괜찮아요 when something is genuinely not okay—calm honesty beats forced sugar.

Nearby ideas on Have Nunchi

• Hello in Korean — the polite default greeting that often shares the same small bow
• Korean honorifics explained — why rank and closeness change which apology family fits
• Nunchi — reading whether this room wants a deep bow or a light 잠시만요
• Maknae — age position in a group, which often predicts who apologizes first and deeper

A closing line

Sorry in Korean is not a single souvenir phrase. It is a small kit: 죄송 for deference, 미안 for closeness, 실례 for interruption, 괜찮아요 for release.

Pick the tool that matches the harm and the relationship—then let your feet stop long enough for the bow to mean something.