What does 싫어 (sireo) mean?
- 싫어sireo
No! / I don't want to
Casual: friends and people younger than you
싫어 (sireo) means "No!", "I don't want to" or "I hate it". It is a direct, casual way to refuse something or say you dislike it.
Where it comes from
싫어 comes from the adjective 싫다, "to be disliked" or "to be unwanted". The ㅎ in the spelling 싫어 is silent, so it sounds like "shi-reo".
How to use 싫어
Use 싫어 to refuse an offer or plan ("No, I don't want to") or to say you dislike something: 오이 싫어 ("I hate cucumbers").
It is casual and blunt. It is fine with friends and family, and in K-dramas a playful 싫어~ is a classic teasing line between couples. With elders, a flat 싫어요 can sound rude, so softer phrases like 괜찮아요 ("I'm okay") are safer for refusing.
Grammar tip: 싫다 describes something as disliked, while 싫어하다 is the verb "to dislike", used for describing other people: 그는 오이를 싫어해 ("He dislikes cucumbers").
Examples
Tap a word to see what it means and save it to your flashcards.
A friend wants to go hiking in the rain
Picking cucumbers out of your gimbap
A child refusing to go to bed
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 싫어요 | I don't want to | Polite ending, but still direct. |
| 싫은데? | Nope, don't want to | Playful or cheeky refusal. |
| 싫다고 | I said no! | Annoyed. |
| 싫어하다 | to dislike | Verb form, often about other people. |
Questions learners ask
Is sireo rude?
It is blunt but not offensive with friends and family. With elders, a direct 싫어요 can sound rude, so use a softer refusal.
What is the difference between sireo and sireohae?
싫어 is how you say you yourself dislike or refuse something. 싫어해 is usually used to describe what someone else dislikes.
How do you pronounce sireo?
It sounds like "shi-reo". The ㅎ in 싫어 is silent.