How to say “I'm sad” in Korean

  1. 슬퍼요seulpeoyo

    I'm sad

"I'm sad" in Korean is 슬퍼 (seulpeo), or 슬퍼요 (seulpeoyo) to be polite. When you are upset because something went wrong, Koreans often say 속상해 (soksanghae) instead.

Ways to say it

KoreanLevelWhen to use it
슬퍼
seulpeo		CasualTo friends and family. Use it for sadness about a sad event, story or goodbye.
슬퍼요
seulpeoyo		PoliteThe polite form for most people.
슬픕니다
seulpeumnida		FormalFormal and quite stiff. Mostly heard in speeches or announcements.
속상해
soksanghae		Casual"I'm upset" or "I feel bad." Hurt and frustrated feelings when something goes wrong. Very common in conversation.
우울해
uulhae		Casual"I'm feeling down" or "I'm blue." Can also mean depressed, so it sounds heavier than 슬퍼.

Examples

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Watching a sad drama

It's so sad.

A friend is moving away

I'm really sad.

Missing out on concert tickets

Ugh, I'm so upset.
Kkachi the magpie

Hanbok explains every word and ending in a sentence, with audio and a translation. Try it on this example, or paste your own line from a drama, a song or a text.

Tips

슬프다 is for real sadness: a sad movie, a goodbye, a loss. For everyday disappointment, like a canceled plan or a bad test score, 속상해 sounds more natural.

In texts, Koreans show sadness with ㅠㅠ or ㅜㅜ, which look like crying eyes.

슬퍼 can mean both "I'm sad" and "it's sad." Context tells you which.

Questions learners ask

How do you say "don't be sad" in Korean?

Say 슬퍼하지 마 (seulpeohaji ma) casually, or 슬퍼하지 마세요 (seulpeohaji maseyo) politely.

What does ㅠㅠ mean in Korean texts?

ㅠㅠ (yuyu) looks like tears streaming from two eyes. It shows sadness or being touched, like a crying emoji.

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