아쉽다
aswipda[a̠ʃʰɥip̚t͈a̠]
The Korean phrase for 'too bad' is 아쉽다 (aswipda).
아쉽다 is used to express a sense of lingering regret or a feeling that something is lacking or insufficient. Note that unlike the English 'too bad', which can sometimes be used sarcastically to mean 'serves you right', 아쉽다 is strictly used to express disappointment or regret when something does not happen as hoped.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can express the past tense using 아쉬웠다. The polite form is 아쉬워요 and the informal/casual form is 아쉬워.
How do you pronounce it?
aswipda
Did you know?
- The word 아쉽다 can describe a feeling of missing someone or something, acting similarly to a word for 'longing' when a parting is premature.
- While 아쉽다 expresses regret, Koreans also use 아깝다 for 'too bad' specifically when something was almost achieved or a valuable resource was wasted.
- The word 아쉽다 is potentially a linguistic relative of the Japanese word 惜しい 'oshii', which carries a nearly identical meaning of being 'regrettable' or 'close'.
Examples in context
- 정말 아쉽다!Jeongmal aswipda!
- 정말 아쉽다.jeongmal aswipda.That's too bad.
- 그걸 못 봐서 너무 아쉽다.geugeol mot bwa-seo neomu aswipda.It's too bad I couldn't see it.
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Ji-hun are talking about a canceled concert.
- 지은 Ji-eun콘서트가 취소됐대요.konseoteuga chwisodaeyo.I heard the concert was canceled.
- 지훈 Ji-hun정말 아쉽다. 꼭 가고 싶었는데.jeongmal aswipda. kkok gago sipeonneunde.That's too bad. I really wanted to go.
- 지은 Ji-eun지훈 씨도 많이 실망했겠네요.Ji-hun ssido mani silmang-haet-gen-neyo.You must be very disappointed too, Ji-hun.
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 너무 아쉬워요.ne, neomu aswiwoyo.Yes, it's such a shame.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 아쉽다, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 아쉽다, CC BY-SA 4.0.
