What Does 죄송합니다 (Joesonghamnida) Mean in Korean?
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · Updated · How we write & review
After this page, you can apologize formally with 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida), and move up or down the sorry ladder as needed.
10-second answer
What does Joesonghamnida mean?
죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) is the formal way to say "I'm sorry" in Korean — for strangers, customers, elders, and workplaces. Like thank-you, sorry runs on a ladder: 죄송합니다 (formal) → 미안해요 (mianhaeyo, polite) → 미안해 (mianhae, casual). It also doubles as a formal "excuse me" when interrupting someone.
Quick check — did that land?
1. You bump into a stranger on the subway. You say:
죄송합니다 doesn’t only mean ‘I’m sorry.’
Quick Examples
늦어서 죄송합니다.
neujeoseo joesonghamnida.
I'm sorry for being late.
Work/formal — often with a bow.
죄송합니다, 잠시만요.
joesonghamnida, jamsimanyo.
Excuse me, just a moment.
Squeezing past someone, interrupting — apology as politeness.
죄송한데, 길 좀 여쭤봐도 될까요?
joesonghande, gil jom yeojjwobwado doelkkayo?
Excuse me, may I ask for directions?
죄송한데 softens a request to a stranger.
A note on spelling. The official romanization of 죄송합니다 is joesonghamnida, but you'll see the phrase written many ways: jwesonghamnida, jeosonghamnida, choesonghamnida or joesong hamnida. They're all the same phrase.
See also: 감사합니다 — the thank-you ladder
The Sorry Ladder
| Form | Politeness | Use with |
|---|---|---|
| 죄송합니다 (joesonghamnida) | Formal | Strangers, customers, elders, work |
| 죄송해요 (joesonghaeyo) | Polite | Slightly softer everyday politeness |
| 미안합니다 (mianhamnida) | Formal | Similar to 죄송합니다, a touch less humble |
| 미안해요 (mianhaeyo) | Polite | Friendly-but-polite relationships |
| 미안해 (mianhae) | Casual | Close friends, younger people |
죄송 carries more humility than 미안 — it literally acknowledges guilt toward someone above you. That's why service staff and employees default to 죄송합니다, never 미안합니다.
The casual apology is 미안해 (mianhae).
Escalating It: Corporate and Public Apologies
죄송합니다 already sits at the formal end of the sorry ladder, but it can still be intensified for serious situations. Adding 대단히 or 정말 — 대단히 죄송합니다 ("I am deeply sorry") — is what companies use in press statements and public apology notices (사과문) after a real mistake, and what a manager says to a upset customer. The physical gesture scales with the words too: a slight nod covers a small 죄송합니다, while a company representative bowing deeply on camera during a televised apology signals the same word is being taken far more seriously. If you ever watch Korean news coverage of a corporate scandal, the ritual of executives lined up bowing while saying 죄송합니다 is the visual companion to this exact phrase.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — 미안해 to a stranger you bumped into
Casual sorry to a stranger can double the offense. On the street, 죄송합니다 (or at minimum 죄송해요).
Mistake #2 — Missing the 'excuse me' function
죄송한데요… before a question isn't confessing a sin — it's the standard polite door-opener, like 'sorry to bother you.'
Mini Quiz
2. Why do employees apologize with 죄송합니다 rather than 미안합니다?
3. What does 죄송한데요… before a question do?
Related Knowledge
Learn Next
The casual end of the sorry ladder — and the one you'll hear in every K-drama breakup scene.
Will you remember this tomorrow?
Save it — your daily review brings it back right before you'd forget. No account needed.