아쉽다
aswipda[a̠ʃʰɥip̚t͈a̠]
The English phrase "what a shame" can be translated into Korean as 아쉽다 (aswipda).
아쉽다 is used to express a sense of lack, incompleteness or regret when something is not quite enough or when a missed opportunity causes a lingering feeling of attachment. While the English "what a shame" can sometimes imply pity for someone else's misfortune, 아쉽다 focuses more on the feeling that something was almost sufficient or that a chance was missed.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective can be conjugated into different politeness levels: 아쉬워요 is the polite form used to say "It's a shame" or "I'm disappointed," while 아쉬워 is the informal or casual form.
How do you pronounce it?
aswipda
Did you know?
- If a meal was delicious but finished too quickly, a Korean speaker might say 아쉽다 to express that the experience was so good they want more.
- The Korean word 아쉽다 is a close linguistic relative of the Japanese word 惜しい 'oshii'. Both terms share a similar nuance of regret over a missed opportunity or something being just slightly out of reach.
- The phrase 아쉽다 can be used to describe a physical lack of something, such as a piece of fabric being slightly too short to finish a project.
Examples in context
- 정말 유감입니다. 이런 일이 생겨서 정말 안타깝습니다.I'm really sorry. It's truly regrettable that this happened.
- 정말 아쉽습니다. 전혀 예상하지 못했던 일이에요.I'm truly disappointed. It's something I never expected.
- 진짜 아깝다. 그 기회를 놓치다니 너무 아쉬워.What a shame. It's such a pity that you missed that opportunity.
- 정말 아깝네. 다른 결과가 있었으면 좋았을 텐데.What a shame. It would have been great if there were different results.
- 정말 아쉽다.jeongmal aswipda.What a shame.
- 그걸 못 가다니 너무 아쉽다.geugeol mot gadani neomu aswipda.It's such a shame that I can't go.
Example conversation
Minjun and Subin are talking about a concert that was sold out.
- 민준 Min-jun수빈 씨, 콘서트 표가 다 팔렸대요.Subin-ssi, konseoteu pyoga da pallyeotdaeyo.Subin, I heard the concert tickets are all sold out.
- 수빈 Su-bin정말 아쉽다! 꼭 가고 싶었는데.Jeongmal aswipda! Kkok gago sipeonneunde.What a shame! I really wanted to go.
- 민준 Min-jun저도 너무 아쉬워요.Jeodo neomu aswiwoyo.I feel very disappointed too.
- 수빈 Su-bin다음에 꼭 같이 가요.Da-eume kkok gachi gayo.Let's definitely go together next time.
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.
