Key Facts
- Hangul: 미안해하다 (mianhaehada)
- Meaning: to feel sorry
- Level: B1
- Stem: 미안해하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Polite present: 미안해해요
- Object marking: intransitive
What Does 미안해하다 Mean?
미안해하다 is built from the adjective 미안하다 plus the -어하다 ending, which turns a feeling into something you can see someone doing. That is why it usually describes another person, seen from the outside: a parent can say it about a child, a teacher about a student, a narrator about a character. The person felt sorry toward takes 에게/한테, and the reason takes 을/를 or 에 대해.
To say sorry yourself, use the adjective 미안하다 (미안해요), or the more formal 죄송하다.
How Do You Pronounce 미안해하다?
The ㄴ of 안 links smoothly to the ㅎ that follows, and in fast speech the ㅎ is often weakened. The tense ㅆ of the past shows up before a vowel: 미안해했어요 is [미안해해써요]. In 미안해합니다 the ㅂ becomes ㅁ before ㄴ: [미안해함니다].
How Do You Use 미안해하다 in a Sentence?
All three examples describe how another person feels.
동생은 늦은 것을 미안해해요.
My younger sibling feels sorry about being late.
동생은 is the third person whose feeling is described.
친구가 너무 미안해해서 괜찮다고 말했어요.
My friend felt so sorry that I told him it was fine.
The reason form 미안해해서 shows the friend's guilt causing your reply.
그 사람은 별로 미안해하지 않아요.
He does not feel very sorry.
The long negative 미안해하지 않아요 says someone shows no regret.
Useful Patterns with 미안해하다
The most useful phrase is the negative command 미안해하지 마세요, "Don't feel bad about it", said to someone who keeps apologising. Here the listener's visible guilt is what you are describing, which is why the -어하다 verb fits even though you are talking to them directly.
How Does Mianhaehada Conjugation Work?
미안해하다 ends in 하다, so it conjugates like any 하다 verb: 하 + 여 becomes 해, giving 미안해해요 and 미안해했어요, with two 해 syllables in a row. Other endings attach to 미안해하 directly: 미안해합니다, 미안해하지 않아요.
미안해하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 미안해해요 | ||
| Polite past | 미안해했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 미안해할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 미안해하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 미안해합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 미안해했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 미안해할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 미안해해 | ||
| Casual past | 미안해했어 | ||
| Casual future | 미안해할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 미안해하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 미안해하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 미안해해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 미안해하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 미안해하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 미안해한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 미안해할 | ||
| Short negative | 안 미안해해요 | ||
| Long negative | 미안해하지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 미안해했어요 | [미안해해써요] |
| Polite future | 미안해할 거예요 | [미안해할꺼예요] |
| Polite guess | 미안해하겠어요 | [미안해하게써요] |
| Formal present | 미안해합니다 | [미안해함니다] |
| Formal future | 미안해할 것입니다 | [미안해할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 미안해했어 | [미안해해써] |
| Casual future | 미안해할 거야 | [미안해할꺼야] |
| Long negative | 미안해하지 않아요 | [미안해하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 저는 미안해해요 meaning I am sorry
Correct: ✓ 미안해요
Why: 미안해하다 is for observing others' feelings; to state your own, use the adjective 미안하다. Learners who have just met the -어하다 pattern sometimes use it for themselves, which sounds as if they are describing their own behaviour from the outside.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 미안해하다 |
|---|---|
| 미안하다 | 미안하다 describes your own feeling (I am sorry); 미안해하다 describes someone's visible feeling of regret, often a third person. |
| 사과하다 | 사과하다 is to actually apologize; 미안해하다 is to feel sorry. |
After a Friend Cancels Dinner
Jisu and Minho are talking about a friend who cancelled their dinner plans. They describe her feelings, then suggest reassuring her.
Jisu
수진 씨가 많이 미안해해요.
Sujin ssiga mani mianhaehaeyo.
Sujin feels really bad about it.
Minho
어제도 미안해했어요.
Eojedo mianhaehaesseoyo.
She felt bad yesterday, too.
Jisu
“너무 미안해하지 마세요”라고 말할까요?
“Neomu mianhaehaji maseyo”rago malhalkkayo?
“Please don’t feel so bad.” Shall we tell her that?
The first two lines report the same person's feelings at different times. 미안해해요 describes her current reaction; 미안해했어요 looks back at yesterday. In the last line, Jisu rehearses a kind response to Sujin. The negative request asks her to stop feeling guilty, rather than ordering her to apologise.
Phrases for Guilt and Reassurance
친구에게 미안해하다 means to feel sorry toward a friend. The friend is the person affected, so 에게 identifies the recipient of the feeling. In conversation, 한테 can fill the same role. Neither marker tells you what went wrong; add the reason when the listener needs it.
늦은 것을 미안해하다 means to feel sorry about being late. Here 늦은 것 turns “being late” into a noun phrase that can take 을. The existing sibling example uses this pattern. It lets you name the cause of the guilt instead of leaving the listener to guess.
너무 미안해하다 means to feel very sorry or excessively guilty, depending on the situation. In a reassuring reply, 너무 often suggests that the person's guilt is more than the situation calls for. 미안해하지 마세요 is therefore useful after a small favour, a minor inconvenience or an apology you have already accepted.
괜히 미안해하다 means to feel bad without a good reason, or to feel unnecessarily guilty. 괜히 comments on the reason for the feeling. It can describe someone feeling guilty about receiving help even though the helper is happy to help. The guilt is real; the speaker questions whether it is needed.
Where Will You Hear 미안해하다?
In everyday conversation, 미안해하다 often appears when someone explains another person's reaction. A friend might be too embarrassed to contact you after cancelling plans. Someone else can report that friend's regret without quoting an apology word for word.
In a drama recap or a story, the verb helps describe relationships. A character may feel sorry but still avoid apologising. Choosing 미안해하다 tells you about the feeling or behaviour; choosing 사과하다 tells you that an apology happens. A sincere-looking reaction does not by itself tell you the exact words spoken.
The verb itself is neutral. 미안해해요 suits a polite conversation about a friend, while 미안해합니다 gives a more formal report. When speaking directly to someone after your own mistake, 미안해요 or 죄송해요 is the practical choice. Reporting regret and making an apology serve different jobs in the conversation.
Why Are There Two 해 Syllables?
미안해해요 keeps the first 해 from the base 미안해 and changes the final 하 to 해요. Removing one 해 changes the word to 미안해요, the adjective form used for “I'm sorry”. The repeated syllable carries a grammar difference, so keep both even if the sequence feels unusual at first.
Write 미안해하다 and 미안해하지 as single words. In 미안해하지 않아요, the space comes before 않아요. Compare the negative statement with 미안해하지 마세요: the first reports a lack of regret; the second reassures or asks someone to stop feeling bad.
| Related word | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 사과 | apology | Names the apology itself rather than the feeling. |
| 실수 | mistake | Names a possible reason for someone's regret. |
| 용서 | forgiveness | Names forgiving someone after a wrong. |
| 괜찮아요 | it's okay | A possible response when accepting an apology. |
The apology phrases lesson helps you choose wording for your own apology and a reply to someone else's.
Mini Drill: Feeling or Apology?
- Tell someone “I'm sorry”: 미안해요 or 미안해해요?
- Change 미안해해요 to the polite past.
- Complete “does not feel sorry”: 미안해하지 ____.
- Which verb reports actually apologising: 미안해하다 or 사과하다?
Show drill answers
- 미안해요, for your own apology.
- 미안해했어요.
- 않아요. Keep the space: 미안해하지 않아요.
- 사과하다.
Quick Self-Test
- In 친구에게 미안해하다, who does the person feel sorry toward?
- What does 미안해하지 마세요 ask the listener to stop doing?
- Does 미안해하다 guarantee that someone said an apology aloud?
Show answers
- A friend; 에게 marks the person toward whom the feeling is directed.
- Feeling bad or guilty about it.
- No. It describes regret, while 사과하다 describes apologising.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is 미안해하다 Different from 미안하다?
미안하다 states your own feeling: 미안해요 (I'm sorry). 미안해하다 describes someone else's visible feeling of regret.
How Is 미안해하다 Different from 사과하다?
사과하다 is to actually apologise in words. 미안해하다 is to feel and show that you are sorry, whether or not you apologise.
What Is the Most Common Phrase with 미안해하다?
미안해하지 마세요, "Don't feel bad", said to someone who keeps apologising.
Can I Say 미안해하다 about Myself?
Not to apologise. To say sorry yourself, use 미안해요, or the formal 죄송하다 when the situation calls for it.
Which Words Are Related to 미안해하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
See 미안하다 for your own apology and 죄송하다 for the formal one. The 하다 → 해요 change is explained in Korean 하다 conjugation. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.