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Dating & Relationships
Breakups and Difficult Conversations in Korean
Every phrase below is tappable — press it and your browser speaks it aloud, so you can navigate a hard conversation with actual clarity, not guesswork.
Difficult relationship conversations deserve the same care in a second language as they do in your first.
Raising a Problem
Bringing something up honestly without it turning into a fight.
얘기 좀 할 수 있을까요?
yaegi jom hal su isseulkkayo?
Can we talk for a bit?
서운했어요
seounhaesseoyo
I felt hurt/disappointed (a common, non-accusatory way to express this)
오해가 있는 것 같아요
ohaega inneun geot gatayo
I think there’s a misunderstanding
제 입장도 들어주세요
je ipjangdo deureojuseyo
Please hear my side too
Worth knowing: 서운하다 is a genuinely useful word — it sits between “sad” and “angry,” expressing hurt without sounding like a direct accusation, which keeps hard conversations from escalating.
Setting a Boundary
Clear, respectful ways to say no or ask for space.
시간이 좀 필요해요
sigani jom piryohaeyo
I need some time
그건 좀 힘들어요
geugeon jom himdeureoyo
That’s a bit difficult for me (a soft way of declining or setting a limit)
혼자 생각할 시간을 주세요
honja saenggakhal siganeul juseyo
Please give me time to think alone
Ending a Relationship
Direct but kind ways to have this conversation, if it comes to that.
우리 헤어져요
uri heeojyeoyo
Let’s break up
더 이상은 안 될 것 같아요
deo isangeun an doel geot gatayo
I don’t think this can continue
그동안 고마웠어요
geudongan gomawosseoyo
Thank you for everything up until now
좋은 사람 만나길 바라요
joeun saram mannagil barayo
I hope you meet a good person (a common, gracious closing line)
Worth knowing: a respectful, in-person breakup conversation is generally valued in Korean dating culture — ending things over text alone (문자로 헤어지다) can land as genuinely disrespectful.
These phrases are just the start
The hardest conversations deserve real fluency, not a rehearsed script — a proper foundation in Korean helps you actually say what you mean.
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