잘못 걸려온 전화
jalmot geollyeoon jeonhwa
The English phrase "wrong number" is translated into Korean as 잘못 걸려온 전화 (jalmot geollyeoon jeonhwa).
잘못 걸려온 전화 is a noun phrase used to refer to a call that was made to the wrong number. When you want to express that you have dialed a number incorrectly, you can say 잘못 걸었습니다. or 전화 잘못 거셨어요 to inform the caller they have reached the wrong person. To be very polite, you might say 죄송하지만 다른 번호인 것 같습니다. which means "I'm sorry, but it seems to be a different number."
Meaning: A call with a mistake in the number dialled (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 잘못 means 'wrongly' or 'by mistake'.
Which one should you use?
While 잘못 걸려온 전화 is the specific noun phrase for "a wrong number", you would use the verbal forms such as 전화 잘못 거셨어요 to actually tell someone that they have dialed the wrong number.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To inform a caller they have reached the wrong person, the standard polite way is to use 전화 잘못 거셨어요. If you are speaking with friends or people younger than you, you can use the informal version 전화 잘못 걸었어. For very polite situations, you can use 잘못 걸었습니다. to convey that you have dialed incorrectly.
How do you pronounce it?
jalmot geollyeoon jeonhwa
Did you know?
- The verb 걸다 used in 잘못 걸었습니다 originally referred to hanging something up, reflecting early telephone technology.
- The word 잘못, meaning 'mistake', is likely a combination of 잘 meaning 'well' and 못 meaning 'not'.
- The word for 'telephone', 전화, is a homograph that can also mean 'transformation' or 'war disaster' depending on the Chinese characters used.
Examples in context
- 잘못 걸려온 전화예요.jalmot geollyeoon jeonhwaye-yo.It is a wrong number.
- 이건 잘못 걸려온 전화 같아요.igeon jalmot geollyeoon jeonhwa gatayo.I think this is a wrong number.
- 잘못 걸려온 전화 때문에 깜짝 놀랐어요.jalmot geollyeoon jeonhwa ttaemune kkamjjak nollasseoyo.I was startled by a wrong number.
Example conversation
Subin receives an unexpected call at home.
- 수빈 Su-bin여보세요? 누구세요?yeoboseyo? nuguseyo?Hello? Who is this?
- 지훈 Ji-hun아, 죄송합니다. 잘못 걸려온 전화네요.a, joesonghamnida. jalmot geollyeoon jeonhwane-yo.Ah, I am sorry. It is a wrong number.
- 수빈 Su-bin아, 네. 알겠습니다.a, ne. algetseumnida.Ah, okay. I see.
- 지훈 Ji-hun실례했습니다.sillyehaetseumnida.Excuse me.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 잘못, 전화, CC BY-SA 4.0.
