New Year's Resolutions in Korean: 새해 다짐
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · How we write & review
After this page, you can state your 새해 다짐 (saehae dajim, New Year's resolution) in Korean and joke about 작심삼일.
10-second answer
How do you say new year's resolutions in Korean?
새해 다짐 (saehae dajim, "New Year's resolution") is what Koreans call the goals they set each January — 다짐 literally means "a firm resolve/pledge." The core pattern is simple: 올해는 (olhaeneun) + goal + -고 싶어요/-겠어요 (-go sipeoyo/-gesseoyo, "this year, I want to / will...").
Quick check — did that land?
1. What does 새해 다짐 mean?
The Core Pattern
올해는 한국어를 열심히 공부하고 싶어요.
olhaeneun hangugeoreul yeolsimhi gongbuhago sipeoyo.
This year, I want to study Korean hard.
올해 (this year) + -고 싶어요 (want to).
매일 운동하기로 했어요.
maeil undonghagiro haesseoyo.
I've decided to exercise every day.
-기로 하다 — "to decide to," the standard way to state a resolution as a commitment.
새해 목표가 뭐예요?
saehae mokpyoga mwoyeyo?
What's your New Year's goal?
목표 (mokpyo) — goal, often used alongside or instead of 다짐.
The greetings that go with the resolutions are on Happy New Year in Korean.
See also: -고 싶다 — wanting to do something
Common Resolutions
- 다이어트하기 — to diet / lose weight
- 담배를 끊기 — to quit smoking
- 저축하기 — to save money
- 일찍 일어나기 — to wake up early
- 책 많이 읽기 — to read more books
Notice these all end in -기, the noun-forming ending that turns a verb into "the act of [verb]ing" — a natural, list-friendly way to name a habit without a full sentence.
The Self-Aware Joke: 작심삼일
작심삼일 (jaksimsamil, literally "resolve for three days") is a well-known four-character idiom for a resolution that fizzles out almost immediately — the Korean equivalent of joking that your gym membership lasted a week. Koreans use it constantly and self-deprecatingly about their own 새해 다짐.
이번에도 작심삼일이었어요.
ibeone-do jaksimsamirieosseoyo.
This time was another three-day resolve too.
A common, self-aware admission that a resolution didn't stick.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Only using -고 싶어요 for firm commitments
-기로 했어요 ("I've decided to") sounds more resolute than -고 싶어요 ("I want to") — useful when you want to sound serious about a goal.
Mistake #2 — Missing 작심삼일 in conversation
It's such a common idiom that not recognizing it can make a whole joke land flat — worth learning even before you need to use it yourself.
Mini Quiz
2. What does 작심삼일 humorously describe?
3. What does -기로 했어요 add compared to -고 싶어요?
Related Knowledge
Learn Next
One calendar tradition down — next, the very specific (and very commercial) way Korea celebrates Valentine's Day.
Will you remember this tomorrow?
Save it — your daily review brings it back right before you'd forget. No account needed.