Key Facts
- Hangul: 죄송하다 (joesonghada)
- Meaning: sorry (formal)
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 죄송하
- Class: 하다 type
What Does 죄송하다 Mean?
죄송하다 is the "sorry" you owe to elders, bosses, customers and strangers. The phrase 죄송합니다 is already a complete apology, so nothing needs to follow it. It also has a second job: opening a request politely, like "excuse me", in 죄송한데요. The person you address takes 에게 or 한테, and the reason attaches with -아서/어서, as in 늦어서 죄송해요.
How Do You Pronounce 죄송하다?
No consonant in the stem changes, so the first two syllables are read just as written. The formal 죄송합니다 is [죄송함니다], because ㅂ before ㄴ is heard as ㅁ. The past 죄송했어요 is [죄송해써요]. The planned future 죄송할 거예요 is read [죄송할꺼예요].
How Do You Use 죄송하다 in a Sentence?
늦어서 죄송합니다.
I am sorry for being late.
This is the shop-and-office version: the formal ending fits a customer or a manager, and 늦어서 states the reason before the apology.
정말 죄송해요. 다시는 안 그럴게요.
I'm really sorry. I won't do it again.
Two sentences work together here. The first apologizes warmly, and the second promises it will not happen again.
어제 일은 죄송했어요.
I was sorry about yesterday's matter.
The past tense speaks of yesterday's matter from a distance. It sounds like a report of how you felt rather than a fresh apology.
Usage Notes for 죄송하다
Staff in shops and offices say 죄송합니다 many times a day, often before any request or refusal. Use the polite 죄송해요 when the setting is a little softer, such as a message to a neighbor. The word is humbler than 미안하다, so it fits any situation where the other person has higher standing or is a stranger. When you need to apologize with an object, such as apologizing to someone for something, 사과하다 is the verb.
How Does Joesonghada Conjugation Work?
죄송하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 죄송해요 | ||
| Polite past | 죄송했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 죄송할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 죄송하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 죄송합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 죄송했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 죄송할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 죄송해 | ||
| Casual past | 죄송했어 | ||
| Casual future | 죄송할 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 죄송해서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 죄송하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 죄송한 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 죄송했던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 죄송할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 죄송해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 죄송하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 죄송해요 | — |
| Polite past | 죄송했어요 | [죄송해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 죄송할 거예요 | [죄송할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 죄송하겠어요 | [죄송하게써요] |
| Formal present | 죄송합니다 | [죄송함니다] |
| Formal past | 죄송했습니다 | [죄송핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 죄송할 것입니다 | [죄송할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 죄송해 | — |
| Casual past | 죄송했어 | [죄송해써] |
| Casual future | 죄송할 거야 | [죄송할꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 죄송해서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 죄송하면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 죄송한 | — |
| Modifier, past | 죄송했던 | [죄송핻떤] |
| Modifier, future | 죄송할 | — |
| Short negative | 안 죄송해요 | — |
| Long negative | 죄송하지 않아요 | [죄송하지 아나요] |
Is 죄송하다 Regular or Irregular?
Every form is a stem plus an ending: 죄송하다 loses the 다 and gives 죄송하 as the base. Before 아 or 어 endings the 하 becomes 해, giving 죄송해요 and 죄송했어요. Before -ㅂ니다 and -ㄹ the 하 stays whole, as in 죄송합니다 and 죄송할 거예요. Nothing else in the word ever bends. For more words built this way, see the lesson on how 하다 becomes 해요.
Common Mistake with 죄송하다
Wrong: ✗ 죄송하세요
Correct: ✓ 죄송해요 / 죄송합니다
Why: The honorific -세요 marks a respected subject, so 죄송하세요 would say that someone else is sorry. For your own apology use 죄송해요 or 죄송합니다.
죄송하다 Versus 미안하다 and 사과하다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 미안하다 | 미안하다 is casual, for friends and younger people. 죄송하다 is respectful and fits elders, bosses and strangers. |
| 사과하다 | 사과하다 is the verb "to apologize" and takes an object. 죄송하다 expresses the feeling and is itself the apology. |
Interrupting a Colleague at the Office
A visitor needs help finding a meeting room. The first apology opens a request; the second acknowledges an interruption.
Visitor
죄송한데요. 회의실이 어디예요?
Joesonghandeyo. Hoeuisiri eodiyeyo?
Excuse me. Where is the meeting room?
Colleague
오른쪽에 있어요.
Oreunjjoge isseoyo.
It’s on the right.
Visitor
일하는데 방해해서 죄송해요.
Ilhaneunde banghaehaeseo joesonghaeyo.
I’m sorry for interrupting your work.
Colleague
괜찮아요.
Gwaenchanayo.
That’s all right.
죄송한데요 leaves room for the request that follows. 죄송해요 completes the apology. The reply 괜찮아요 accepts the small interruption without repeating the apology word. Both speakers keep polite endings, even though neither needs a long formal speech.
Which Apology Phrases Can You Reuse?
늦어서 죄송합니다 means “I’m sorry for being late”. The reason comes first. The present apology refers to a delay that has already happened, so you do not need to put 죄송하다 into the past merely because you arrived late earlier.
연락이 늦어서 죄송합니다 means “I’m sorry for the late reply/contact”. This fits an email or message when someone has waited to hear from you. 연락 refers to making contact, so the phrase can cover a delayed response without naming a specific messaging app.
번거롭게 해서 죄송합니다 means “I’m sorry for the trouble”. Literally, the speaker apologizes for making things troublesome for the other person. It suits an extra request or an inconvenience. It is more specific than using a bare apology every time you need someone’s attention.
정말 and 진심으로 can strengthen an apology: “really” and “sincerely”. They add emphasis, but the reason and the response still matter. A short apology that names the inconvenience is easier to understand than a string of emphatic words with no explanation.
Where Does Respectful Sorry Fit?
죄송합니다 appears at service counters, in workplace messages and in public apologies. A company announcement may use the formal ending because it addresses customers as a group. 죄송해요 suits many smaller personal interactions, including apologizing to a neighbor for noise.
The casual form 죄송해 exists, but it combines humble vocabulary with a casual ending. Among close friends, 미안해 is often the more ordinary choice. Being able to form a conjugation does not mean every form belongs in the same relationship. Pick the wording for the person and situation.
English “I’m sorry” also expresses sympathy when something bad happens to someone else. 죄송합니다 normally concerns your own fault, inconvenience or imposition. If a friend reports disappointing news, repeating it can sound as though you caused the problem. A sympathetic response needs wording suited to their news.
What Changes When You Add an Ending?
죄송한 comes before a noun, as in 죄송한 마음, “an apologetic feeling”. 죄송해서 gives your own feeling as a reason for something else. 죄송한데요 is a conversational lead-in. These share a stem but do different jobs, so the word following the form helps you interpret it.
The negatives in the table are useful for understanding arguments, but 죄송하지 않아요 directly denies being sorry. It can sound confrontational. It is not a polite way to accept someone else’s apology; 괜찮아요 fills that role in the dialogue.
The core contraction is 하 to 해, not a change to the noun 죄송. Keep 죄송하다 and 죄송해요 together as single words. The apology stays humble without adding subject honorific 시 to yourself. Formality in 죄송합니다 already shows respect to the listener.
Words to Recognize around an Apology
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 사과 | apology | Names the apology as an act or message. |
| 실수 | mistake | Names an error you may need to explain. |
| 불편 | inconvenience; discomfort | Common when an organization acknowledges a problem. |
| 괜찮아요 | it’s all right | A possible response when accepting a small apology. |
The sorry phrase lesson compares apology levels and replies. Use that wider set when the relationship matters more than the particular conjugation.
Mini Drill: Choose an Apology Form
- Give the formal present used at a service counter.
- Choose 죄송해요 or 죄송하세요 for your own apology.
- Which form introduces a request: 죄송한데요 or 죄송했어요?
- Put 죄송하다 before 마음, “feeling”.
Show apology drill answers
- 죄송합니다.
- 죄송해요. Subject honorific 시 does not belong in your own apology.
- 죄송한데요.
- 죄송한 마음, an apologetic feeling.
Quick Self-Test
- Must the apology be past tense because you were late earlier?
- Which dialogue phrase accepts the apology?
- Is 죄송하지 않아요 a gentle acceptance of someone else’s apology?
Show answers
- No. 늦어서 죄송합니다 apologizes now for earlier lateness.
- 괜찮아요.
- No. It means you are not sorry and can sound confrontational.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Difference between 죄송해요 and 죄송합니다?
죄송해요 is polite and warm, while 죄송합니다 is formal and fits shops, offices and service counters.
Can I Use 죄송하다 to Say Excuse Me?
Yes. 죄송한데요 politely gets attention before a request, much like excuse me.
Should I Say 죄송하세요 When I Apologize?
No. That form would give honor to the subject, so it suggests someone else is sorry. Say 죄송해요 or 죄송합니다.
How Do I Say I Am Not Sorry?
Use the long negative 죄송하지 않아요, said as [죄송하지 아나요].
Which Words Are Related to 죄송하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 미안하다 (하다 type) next to hear the casual side of the same feeling, then 사과하다 for the apologizing verb and 감사하다 for the matching formal thanks. Type any other stem into the Korean verb conjugator to compare, and find the rest of the family in the Korean verb dictionary.