아까웠어
akkawaesseo
The English phrase 'nice try' is translated into Korean as 아까웠어 (akkawaesseo).
Meaning: Translations (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
akkawaesseo
Did you know?
- The word 아깝다 describes a feeling of regret over a wasted opportunity or a narrow miss. While it translates to 'nice try', it literally expresses that something is 'too precious to be lost'.
- While it sounds like a compliment, using 아까웠어 can feel slightly patronizing if said to a superior. In Korean culture, expressing that someone's effort was a 'pity' can unintentionally place you in a position of judging their performance.
- When someone fails a test by a single point, a Korean speaker might say 아깝다 even if the person did not 'try' hard. The focus is on the luck of the margin, not the effort.
Example conversation
Minjun and Subin are playing a video game.
- 민준 Min-jun아, 거의 다 잡았는데!a, geoui da jabanneunde!Ah, I almost caught it!
- 수빈 Su-bin방금 진짜 아까웠어.banggeum jinjja akkawosseo.That was a really nice try just now.
- 민준 Min-jun한 번만 더 해볼게.han beonman deo haebolge.I'll try one more time.
- 수빈 Su-bin응, 이번에는 할 수 있어.eung, ibeone-neun hal su isseo.Yeah, you can do it this time.
