솔직히
soljikhi[sʰo̞ʎt͡ɕ͈icçi]
The English phrase 'honestly' can be translated into Korean as 솔직히 (soljikhi).
솔직히 is used as a speech act to mean 'frankly'. To make the phrase sound more natural and conversational when starting a sentence, you can use the expression 솔직히 말이야, which functions as 'honestly' or 'to tell you the truth'.
Meaning: (speech act) frankly (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 솔직히 is composed of the adjective 솔직하다, meaning 'to be honest' and the adverbial suffix -히.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you wish to use a more structured grammatical construction to mean 'to speak honestly', you can use the form 솔직히 말하자면.
How do you pronounce it?
soljikhi
Did you know?
- Korean has a specific nuance called 솔직담백, which combines 'honest' with 'plain' or 'simple' to describe a personality that is refreshing and without pretense.
- In modern Korean slang, 솔직히 is frequently shortened to 솔까 in very casual texts or speech among youth, derived from the phrase 솔직히 까놓고 말해서.
- While 솔직히 means 'honestly', Koreans use the word 정직 for 'honesty' when referring to moral integrity or not lying about a fact.
Examples in context
- 솔직히 말이야, 톰, 난 기억이 안 나. 10년도 더 된 일이잖아.Honestly, Tom, I can't remember. It was more than 10 years ago.This sentence is useful for showing how to use 솔직히 when starting a sentence to express a personal thought.Tatoeba #8472720 by Eunhee, translation #3469919 by Hybrid
- 정말로 말하자면, 그 일에 대해 별로 좋은 생각이 없어요.Honestly, I don't have a favorable opinion about that.
- 진짜로 꿈같아서 믿기지가 않아.Honestly, it feels like a dream and I can't believe it.
- 솔직히 말할게, 그 영화 별로 재미 없었어.Honestly, the movie was not interesting at all.
- 솔직히 말하면, 그 영화는 별로였어.soljikhi malhamyeon, geu yeonghwaneun byeolloyeosseo.To be honest, that movie was not very good.
- 솔직히 말해서, 나는 그게 좀 무서워.soljikhi malhaeseo, naneun geuge jom museowo.Honestly, I'm a little scared of that.
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Min-jun are discussing a movie they just watched.
- 지은 Ji-eun민준 씨, 영화 어땠어요?Minjun ssi, yeonghwa eottaesseoyo?Min-jun, how was the movie?
- 민준 Min-jun솔직히 조금 지루했어요.soljikhi jogeum jiruhaesseoyo.Honestly, it was a bit boring.
- 지은 Ji-eun정말요? 저는 재밌었는데.jeongmalyo? jeoneun jaemisseun-de.Really? I thought it was fun.
- 민준 Min-jun그래요? 지은 씨는 그렇군요.geuraeyo? Jieun ssi-neun geureokunyo.Is that so? You felt that way, Ji-eun.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 솔직히, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
